Signatures in magnetites formed by (Ca,Mg,Fe)CO3 thermal decomposition: Terrestrial and extraterrestrial implications

Jiménez-López, Concepción; Rodríguez-Navarro, Carlos; Rodríguez‐Navarro, Alejandro B.; Pérez-González, Teresa; Bazylinski, Dennis A.; Lauer, H. V.; Romanek, Christopher S.

doi:10.1016/j.gca.2012.03.028

Cited by 17 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…Although not without controversy, it was suggested that low concentrations in minor elements observed in magnetite from Martian meteorite ALH84001 could indicate a biological origin for magnetite (18). This interpretation was supported by abiotic formation of magnetite in the laboratory, leading to high levels of elements other than iron in the crystal products (19,20), except if initial materials highly depleted in doping elements were used (21). However, the degree of magnetite chemical purity in these previous studies was estimated by energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDXS) coupled with transmission electron microscopy, which is usually limited to the quantification of relatively elevated elemental concentrations, typically higher than 0.1-1% (22).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Chemical signature of magnetotactic bacteria

Amor

Busigny

Durand-Dubief

et al. 2015

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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There are longstanding and ongoing controversies about the abiotic or biological origin of nanocrystals of magnetite. On Earth, magnetotactic bacteria perform biomineralization of intracellular magnetite nanoparticles under a controlled pathway. These bacteria are ubiquitous in modern natural environments. However, their identification in ancient geological material remains challenging. Together with physical and mineralogical properties, the chemical composition of magnetite was proposed as a promising tracer for bacterial magnetofossil identification, but this had never been explored quantitatively and systematically for many trace elements. Here, we determine the incorporation of 34 trace elements in magnetite in both cases of abiotic aqueous precipitation and of production by the magnetotactic bacterium Magnetospirillum magneticum strain AMB-1. We show that, in biomagnetite, most elements are at least 100 times less concentrated than in abiotic magnetite and we provide a quantitative pattern of this depletion. Furthermore, we propose a previously unidentified method based on strontium and calcium incorporation to identify magnetite produced by magnetotactic bacteria in the geological record.

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mentioning

confidence: 99%

Chemical signature of magnetotactic bacteria

Amor

Busigny

Durand-Dubief

et al. 2015

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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“…This may be related to the fact that the incorporation of impurities into the structure reduce the total magnetization, and so, the total magnetic efficiency of the particle. In this context, Mn incorporation has been detected in magnetosome magnetite , although only as trace levels, while such incorporation is greater and extended to other cations in biologically induced magnetite and inorganically produced ones (Jiménez-López et al, 2010;Amor et al, 2015).…”

Section: Chemical Puritymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Many different processes can originate magnetite either inorganically or biologically, i.e. by chemical means or mediated by microorganisms, either through a biologically induced or controlled process (Jiménez-López et al, 2010). Inorganically produced magnetite occurs naturally in a wide range of geological environments on Earth.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition, the wide biomedical and technological application that nano-sized magnetite has (Lang et al, 2007;Matsunaga et al, 2007), has driven the development of a huge range of laboratory synthesis techniques. According to Jiménez-López et al (2010), inorganic magnetite can be produced through two different ways: (1) precipitation as a primary mineral phase or (2) formation as a secondary mineral phase. As a secondary phase, magnetite is formed by the decomposition of another mineral which suffers a specific transformation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As a secondary phase, magnetite is formed by the decomposition of another mineral which suffers a specific transformation. Specifically, most of the studies have been performed on magnetite formed by the thermal decomposition of iron carbonates (Golden et al, 2001;Golden et al, 2004;Jiménez-López et al, 2010). As a primary mineral phase, magnetite precipitates from either a homogeneous or a heterogeneous solution.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Magnetita biomimética mediada por proteínas del magnetosoma vs. magnetita del meteorito ALH84001: ¿Son ambas comparables?

Barry-Sosa

Jiménez-López

2016

Fís. Tierra

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The suggestion in 1996 that the Martian meteorite ALH84001 could contain proof of possible biologic activity in the past have generated a huge controversy that last until today. One of the most discussed evidence is the presence of magnetite crystals that resemble those produced by a particular group of bacteria, the so called magnetotactic bacteria (MTB). These microorganisms are the only known example of biologically controlled biomineralization among the prokaryotes and exert an exquisite control over the biomineralization process of intracellular magnetite that result in crystals with very unique features that, so far, cannot be replicated by inorganic means. These unique features have been used to recognize the biological origin of natural terrestrial magnetites, but the problem arises when those same biogenecity criteria are applied to extraterrestrial magnetites. Most of the problems are caused by the fact that it is not clear whether or not some of those characteristics can be reproduced inorganically. Magnetosome protein mediated magnetite synthesis seems to be the best approach to obtain magnetosome-like magnetites, and such strategy may help clarify what is the specific biosignature of magnetotactic bacteria. Key words: ALH84001; Magnetite; MPMS (Magnetosome Protein Mediated Synthesis); Magnetotactic bacteria.Magnetita biomimética mediada por proteínas del magnetosoma vs. magnetita del meteorito ALH84001: ¿Son ambas comparables?Resumen La sugerencia en 1996 de que el meteorito marciano ALH84001 pudiese contener pruebas de posible actividad biológica en el pasado ha generado una gran controversia que aún persiste hoy. Una de las evidencias más discutidas es la presencia de cristales de magnetita que se asemejan a aquellos producidos por un grupo particular de bacterias, las bacterias magnetotácticas (MTB). Estos microorganismos son el único ejemplo de mineralización controlado biológicamente conocido entre procariotas y ejerce un control delicado sobre el proceso de biomineralización de la magnetita intracelular que resulta en la formación de cristales con características únicas que, hasta ahora, no han podido ser replicadas por medios inorgánicos. Estas características únicas se han usado para reconocer el origen biológico de magnetitas terrestres naturales, pero el problema aparece cuando los mismos criterios de biogenicidad se aplican a magnetitas extraterrestres. La mayoría de los problemas se deben a que no está claro si alguna de esas características puede ser reproducida inorgánicamente. La síntesis mediada por proteínas del magnetosoma parece ser la mejor aproximación para obtener magnetitas similares a las de los magneto- A. Barry-Sosa, C. Jiménez-LópezBiomimetic magnetite vs.ALH84001 meteorite Física de la Tierra

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