NanoSIMS analysis of Archean fossils and biomarkers

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• 作者：M.R. Kilburn ; D. Wacey
• 关键词：NanoSIMS ; Archean ; Biomarkers ; Early life
• 刊名：Applied Surface Science
• 出版年：2008
• 出版时间：15 December 2008
• 年：2008
• 卷：255
• 期：4
• 页码：1465-1467
• 全文大小：439 K

文摘

The study of fossils and biomarkers from Archean rocks is of vital importance to reveal how life arose on Earth and what we might expect to find on other planets such as Mars. The Cameca NanoSIMS 50 has the unique ability to measure stable isotopes and map biologically relevant elements at the micron-scale, in situ. This makes it the perfect tool for testing the biogenicity of a range of putative biomarkers from early Archean rocks (3.50 billion-year-old). NanoSIMS has been used to investigate ambient inclusion trails (AITs) in a 3.43 Ga beach sand deposit from the Pilbara craton, Western Australia. Chemical maps of the light elements necessary for life (C, N and O) and several transition metals commonly associated with biological processing (Ni, Zn and Fe), coupled with ¹³C/¹²C isotope ratios from carbonaceous linings, strongly suggest a biological component in the formation of AITs.