Phosphogenesis in the 2460 and 2728 million‐year‐old banded iron formations as evidence for biological cycling of phosphate in the early biosphere

Abstract

The banded iron formation deposited during the first 2 billion years of Earth's history holds the key to understanding the interplay between the geosphere and the early biosphere at large geological timescales. The earliest ore-scale phosphorite depositions formed almost at ∼2.0–2.2 billion years ago bear evidence for the earliest bloom of aerobic life. The cycling of nutrient phosphorus and how it constrained primary productivity in the anaerobic world of Archean–Palaeoproterozoic eons are still open questions. The controversy centers about whether the precipitation of ultrafine ferric oxyhydroxide due to the microbial Fe(II) oxidation in oceans earlier than 1.9 billion years substantially sequestrated phosphate, and whether this process significantly limited the primary productivity of the early biosphere. In this study, we report apatite radial flowers of a few micrometers in the 2728 million-year-old Abitibi banded iron formation and the 2460 million-year-old Kuruman banded iron formation and their similarities to those in the 535 million-year-old Lower Cambrian phosphorite. The lithology of the 535 Million-year-old phosphorite as a biosignature bears abundant biomarkers that reveal the possible similar biogeochemical cycling of phosphorus in the Later Archean and Palaeoproterozoic oceans. These apatite radial flowers represent the primary precipitation of phosphate derived from the phytoplankton blooms in the euphotic zones of Neoarchean and Palaoeproterozoic oceans. The unbiased distributions of the apatite radial flowers within sub-millimeter bands do not support the idea of an Archean Crisis of Phosphate. This is the first report of the microbial mediated mineralization of phosphorus before the Great Oxidation Event when the whole biosphere was still dominated by anaerobic microorganisms.

Mineralogical and microfabric characteristics of magnetite in the Wuyang Precambrian BIFs, southern North China Craton: Implications for genesis and depositional processes of the associated BIFs

“…Characteristics such as crystal shape, grain size and lattice parameters of magnetite in BIFs are in agreement with those of standard microbial magnetite with diagenetic recrystallization (Li et al, 2011b(Li et al, , 2013c. The mineralogical characteristics of apatite from these BIFs also indicate biogenic origin (Li et al, 2013d). Moreover, the occasional existence of siliceous magnetite in BIFs implies biologic activity during their formation process (Huberty et al, 2012).…”

“…In addition, recently considerable attention has been paid to the mineralogical characteristics of BIFs, which in turn has resulted in valuable information regarding their genesis (Li et al, 2011b(Li et al, , 2013c(Li et al, , 2013dHuberty et al, 2012). Characteristics such as crystal shape, grain size and lattice parameters of magnetite in BIFs are in agreement with those of standard microbial magnetite with diagenetic recrystallization (Li et al, 2011b(Li et al, , 2013c.…”

Uranium Mineralization and Its Radioactive Decay-Induced Carbonization in a Black Shale-Hosted Polymetallic Sulfide Ore Layer, Southwest China

“…2-3). The occurrence of phosphate indicates a history of high biological productivity (Leventhal et al, 1986;Papineau, 2010;Li et al, 2013;Sun et al, 2014). Organic-rich sediments containing phosphate beneath biogeochemical environments with high organic productivity are considered to be major sinks for uranium in the ocean (Veeh et al, 1974).…”

“…Microscale dissolution of apatite can promote the precipitation of U(IV) and U(VI) minerals, resulting in reduced mobility of uranium under both reducing and oxidizing conditions, respectively (Deditius et al, 2010). It is believed that phosphate deposits in sedimentary rocks from the time of the Cambrian explosion had a biological origin, which might have facilitated the precipitation of phosphate (e.g., Waples, 1982;Blake et al, 1997;Hein et al, 1999;Steiner et al, 2001;Orberger et al, 2007;Li et al, 2013;Sun et al, 2014). Therefore, the enrichment of uranium and its deposition as coffinite in the phosphate-rich microenvironment of the sulfide ore layer may also imply a role in this for biological processes (Hansley and Fitzpatrick, 1989;Li et al, 2013).…”

Flower-like apatite recording microbial processes through deep geological time and its implication to the search for mineral records of life on Mars

“…Banded iron formations (BIF) that only deposited in the first half of life history on Earth (~3800 to 1800 Ma, with a short reappearance in Neoproterozoic era) bear records of intertwined evolution of Earth's early biosphere and geosphere. In view of rare corroborative microbial fossils (e.g., Schopf 1993Schopf , 2012Brasier et al 2002), controversial carbon isotopic records (Mojzsis et al 1996;Van Zuilen et al 2002;Lepland et al 2002Lepland et al , 2005 and problematic lipid biomarkers in Archean sedimentary rocks (Brocks et al 1999;Rasmussen et al 2008;Brocks 2011), minerals in BIFs indicative of the existence of biological activities were considered as alternative proxies to trace the activity of early life on Earth (Li et al 2011(Li et al , 2013, and even life on Mars (e.g., Walter and Des Marais 1993;Horneck 2000).…”