Hydrogeological constraints on the formation of Palaeoproterozoic banded iron formations

Robbins, Leslie J.; Funk, Sean P.; Flynn, Shannon L.; Warchola, Tyler; Li, Zhiquan; Lalonde, Stefan V.; Rostron, Benjamin J.; Smith, Albertus J.B.; Beukes, Nicolas J.; Kock, Michiel O. de; Heaman, Larry M.; Alessi, Daniel S.; Konhauser, Kurt O.

doi:10.1038/s41561-019-0372-0

Cited by 55 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…Banded iron formations (BIFs) are chemical sedimentary rocks composed of iron-rich (total iron >15 wt.%) and silica-rich bands [1][2][3] that were commonly precipitated during the Archean and Paleoproterozoic. BIFs reflect not only the massive extent of iron (Fe) cycling and deposition during the Precambrian, but they also record critical information about ancient seawater geochemistry and the different (bio)chemical pathways through which the atmosphere-biosphere-hydrosphere systems have been linked throughout Earth's history [4][5][6][7]. Four mineralogical end-member facies of BIF have been described based on the characteristic Fe-bearing mineral assemblages, including (i) oxides (hematite, magnetite), (ii) carbonates (siderite, ankerite), (iii) silicates (e.g., greenalite, cummingtonite, grunerite), and (iv) sulfides (pyrite).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Iron and Carbon Isotope Constraints on the Formation Pathway of Iron-Rich Carbonates within the Dagushan Iron Formation, North China Craton

Tong

Mänd

et al. 2021

Minerals

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Banded iron formations (BIFs) are enigmatic chemical sedimentary rocks that chronicle the geochemical and microbial cycling of iron and carbon in the Precambrian. However, the formation pathways of Fe carbonate, namely siderite, remain disputed. Here, we provide photomicrographs, Fe, C and O isotope of siderite, and organic C isotope of the whole rock from the ~2.52 Ga Dagushan BIF in the Anshan area, China, to discuss the origin of siderite. There are small magnetite grains that occur as inclusions within siderite, suggesting a diagenetic origin of the siderite. Moreover, the siderites have a wide range of iron isotope compositions (δ56FeSd) from −0.180‰ to +0.463‰, and a relatively negative C isotope composition (δ13CSd = −6.20‰ to −1.57‰). These results are compatible with the reduction of an Fe(III)-oxyhydroxide precursor to dissolved Fe(II) through microbial dissimilatory iron reduction (DIR) during early diagenesis. Partial reduction of the precursor and possible mixing with seawater Fe(II) could explain the presence of siderite with negative δ56Fe, while sustained reaction of residual Fe(III)-oxyhydroxide could have produced siderite with positive δ56Fe values. Bicarbonate derived from both DIR and seawater may have provided a C source for siderite formation. Our results suggest that microbial respiration played an important role in the formation of siderite in the late Archean Dagushan BIF.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Iron and Carbon Isotope Constraints on the Formation Pathway of Iron-Rich Carbonates within the Dagushan Iron Formation, North China Craton

Tong

Mänd

et al. 2021

Minerals

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“…Assuming hydrothermally sourced Fe(II) aq remained similar in isotopic composition throughout The oxidizing mechanism involved in this partial oxidation can be difficult to define based solely on Fe isotopes. According to most models regarding IF genesis, either anoxygenic or oxygenic photosynthesis is the main responsible mechanism, discarding previous models that invoke the reduced Fe-silicate phase (e.g., greenalite) as a primary precipitate (Robbins, Funk, et al, 2019;Tosca et al, 2016).…”

Section: Defining An Oxidative Mechanism From Fe and C Isotopesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Anoxygenic photosynthesis linked to Neoarchean iron formations in Carajás (Brazil)

et al. 2021

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The geological record preserves extensive deposits of iron-rich chemical sediments, referred to as iron formations (IFs). These rocks are characterized by a high content (>15%-20%) of iron-bearing minerals, typically layered or massive, interbedded with silica and/or carbonate-rich layers that were deposited throughout the Precambrian (James, 1983;Klein, 2005). Over the past few decades, studies have employed the chemical and isotopic composition of IFs to constrain past environmental conditions (e.g., Planavsky et al., 2014;Satkoski et al., 2015) and to understand how the microbial iron cycle evolved alongside redox conditions through time (Heard & Dauphas, 2020;

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“…The way in which the ferrous iron minerals were oxidized in the early Earth is still under debate. The mechanism may have been oxygenic photosynthesis by the ancestors of modern cyanobacteria or iron‐dependent photosynthesis, which neither requires nor produces oxygen (Robbins et al , 2019; Thompson et al , 2019). Photograph A by NASA ( https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov ), B by Immanuel Giel under the Creative Commons Attribution‐ShareAlike 3.0 Unported licence, C by Natalie Hicks, D by Etienne Low‐Décarie and E by Graeme Churchard under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic licence.…”

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confidence: 99%

Visualizing the invisible: class excursions to ignite children’s enthusiasm for microbes

McGenity

Gessesse

Hallsworth

et al. 2020

Microbial Biotechnology

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Summary We have recently argued that, because microbes have pervasive – often vital – influences on our lives, and that therefore their roles must be taken into account in many of the decisions we face, society must become microbiology‐literate, through the introduction of relevant microbiology topics in school curricula (Timmis et al. 2019. Environ Microbiol 21: 1513‐1528). The current coronavirus pandemic is a stark example of why microbiology literacy is such a crucial enabler of informed policy decisions, particularly those involving preparedness of public‐health systems for disease outbreaks and pandemics. However, a significant barrier to attaining widespread appreciation of microbial contributions to our well‐being and that of the planet is the fact that microbes are seldom visible: most people are only peripherally aware of them, except when they fall ill with an infection. And it is disease, rather than all of the positive activities mediated by microbes, that colours public perception of ‘germs’ and endows them with their poor image. It is imperative to render microbes visible, to give them life and form for children (and adults), and to counter prevalent misconceptions, through exposure to imagination‐capturing images of microbes and examples of their beneficial outputs, accompanied by a balanced narrative. This will engender automatic mental associations between everyday information inputs, as well as visual, olfactory and tactile experiences, on the one hand, and the responsible microbes/microbial communities, on the other hand. Such associations, in turn, will promote awareness of microbes and of the many positive and vital consequences of their actions, and facilitate and encourage incorporation of such consequences into relevant decision‐making processes. While teaching microbiology topics in primary and secondary school is key to this objective, a strategic programme to expose children directly and personally to natural and managed microbial processes, and the results of their actions, through carefully planned class excursions to local venues, can be instrumental in bringing microbes to life for children and, collaterally, their families. In order to encourage the embedding of microbiology‐centric class excursions in current curricula, we suggest and illustrate here some possibilities relating to the topics of food (a favourite pre‐occupation of most children), agriculture (together with horticulture and aquaculture), health and medicine, the environment and biotechnology. And, although not all of the microbially relevant infrastructure will be within reach of schools, there is usually access to a market, local food store, wastewater treatment plant, farm, surface water body, etc., all of which can provide opportunities to explore microbiology in action. If children sometimes consider the present to be mundane, even boring, they are usually excited with both the past and the future so, where possible, visits to local museums (the past) and research institutions advancing knowledge frontiers (the...

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Hydrogeological constraints on the formation of Palaeoproterozoic banded iron formations

Cited by 55 publications

References 42 publications

Iron and Carbon Isotope Constraints on the Formation Pathway of Iron-Rich Carbonates within the Dagushan Iron Formation, North China Craton

Iron and Carbon Isotope Constraints on the Formation Pathway of Iron-Rich Carbonates within the Dagushan Iron Formation, North China Craton

Anoxygenic photosynthesis linked to Neoarchean iron formations in Carajás (Brazil)

Visualizing the invisible: class excursions to ignite children’s enthusiasm for microbes

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