Details
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 23189 |
| Journal | Scientific reports |
| Volume | 14 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| Early online date | 5 Oct 2024 |
| Publication status | E-pub ahead of print - 5 Oct 2024 |
Abstract
Carbon with depleted d13C (down to − 25.6‰ VPDB) found in > 3.7 billion year old metamorphic sediments from the Isua Supracrustal Belt, Southwestern Greenland, has been proposed to represent the oldest remains of life on Earth. Graphitic inclusions within garnet porphyroblasts from this locality have been shown to associate with elements consistent with biogenic remains. In this report, we focus on certain liquid inclusions found in the Isua garnets, characterizing their chemical composition using atomic force microscopy, AFM-based infrared spectroscopy, optical photothermal infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry. Our results show that the liquid inclusions contain functional groups consisting of carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen in a configuration similar to amide functional groups. We suspect that the amide groups formed from N, O and C-containing volatile components that were released from the original kerogenous material enclosed in the garnets, as this was graphitized during thermal maturation. This is consistent with the observed inclusion assemblage of solid graphitic and viscous fluid inclusions alike. Our observations are compatible with the inclusions forming from biogenic precursor material, and when considered alongside previous reports on the carbonaceous material in the Isua metamorphic sediments, these and our study collectively indicate that the carbonaceous material in the Isua metasediments represents the oldest traces of life on Earth.
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In: Scientific reports, Vol. 14, No. 1, 23189, 12.2024.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Amide groups in 3.7 billion years old liquid inclusions
AU - Harding, Magnus August Ravn
AU - Boyd, Austin Jarl
AU - Siljeström, Sandra
AU - Shivayogimath, Abhay
AU - Shamsuyeva, Madina
AU - Aliuos, Pooyan
AU - Rosing, Minik T.
AU - Hassenkam, Tue
N1 - Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s) 2024.
PY - 2024/10/5
Y1 - 2024/10/5
N2 - Carbon with depleted d13C (down to − 25.6‰ VPDB) found in > 3.7 billion year old metamorphic sediments from the Isua Supracrustal Belt, Southwestern Greenland, has been proposed to represent the oldest remains of life on Earth. Graphitic inclusions within garnet porphyroblasts from this locality have been shown to associate with elements consistent with biogenic remains. In this report, we focus on certain liquid inclusions found in the Isua garnets, characterizing their chemical composition using atomic force microscopy, AFM-based infrared spectroscopy, optical photothermal infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry. Our results show that the liquid inclusions contain functional groups consisting of carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen in a configuration similar to amide functional groups. We suspect that the amide groups formed from N, O and C-containing volatile components that were released from the original kerogenous material enclosed in the garnets, as this was graphitized during thermal maturation. This is consistent with the observed inclusion assemblage of solid graphitic and viscous fluid inclusions alike. Our observations are compatible with the inclusions forming from biogenic precursor material, and when considered alongside previous reports on the carbonaceous material in the Isua metamorphic sediments, these and our study collectively indicate that the carbonaceous material in the Isua metasediments represents the oldest traces of life on Earth.
AB - Carbon with depleted d13C (down to − 25.6‰ VPDB) found in > 3.7 billion year old metamorphic sediments from the Isua Supracrustal Belt, Southwestern Greenland, has been proposed to represent the oldest remains of life on Earth. Graphitic inclusions within garnet porphyroblasts from this locality have been shown to associate with elements consistent with biogenic remains. In this report, we focus on certain liquid inclusions found in the Isua garnets, characterizing their chemical composition using atomic force microscopy, AFM-based infrared spectroscopy, optical photothermal infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry. Our results show that the liquid inclusions contain functional groups consisting of carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen in a configuration similar to amide functional groups. We suspect that the amide groups formed from N, O and C-containing volatile components that were released from the original kerogenous material enclosed in the garnets, as this was graphitized during thermal maturation. This is consistent with the observed inclusion assemblage of solid graphitic and viscous fluid inclusions alike. Our observations are compatible with the inclusions forming from biogenic precursor material, and when considered alongside previous reports on the carbonaceous material in the Isua metamorphic sediments, these and our study collectively indicate that the carbonaceous material in the Isua metasediments represents the oldest traces of life on Earth.
KW - AFM-IR
KW - Early life
KW - Fluid inclusion
KW - Isua Supracrustal Belt
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85205793425&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1038/s41598-024-74571-6
DO - 10.1038/s41598-024-74571-6
M3 - Article
C2 - 39369106
AN - SCOPUS:85205793425
VL - 14
JO - Scientific reports
JF - Scientific reports
SN - 2045-2322
IS - 1
M1 - 23189
ER -