Metamorphic evolution of carbonate-hosted microbial biosignatures

Claire Rachel Cousins; Sami Mikhail; Frédéric Foucher; Andrew Stelle; Frances Westall

doi:10.7185/geochemlet.2002

Metamorphic evolution of carbonate-hosted microbial biosignatures

Claire Rachel Cousins, Sami Mikhail, Frédéric Foucher, Andrew Stelle, Frances Westall

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Abstract

Microbial biosignature assemblages captured within mineral substrates experience extreme pressures (P) and temperatures (T) during rock burial and metamorphism. We subjected natural microbial biofilms hosted within thermal spring carbonate to six high pressure, high temperature (HPHT) conditions spanning 500 and 800 MPa and 200 to 550 °C, to investigate the initial petrographic transformation of organic and inorganic phases. We find biogenic and amorphous silica mineralises increasingly mature organic matter (OM) as temperature and pressure increase, with OM expelled from recrystallised calcite at the highest HPHT, captured within a quartz phase. Sulfur globules associated with microbial filaments persist across all HPHT conditions in association with microbially-derived kerogen. These data demonstrate how microbial material captured within chemically-precipitated sediments petrographically evolves in high grade rocks during their first stages of transformation.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	40-45
Number of pages	5
Journal	Geochemical Perspectives Letters
Volume	12
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.7185/geochemlet.2002
Publication status	Published - 16 Jan 2020

Keywords

Metamorphism
Biosignature
Carbonate
Microfossil
Raman spectroscopy
Kerogen

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10.7185/geochemlet.2002Licence: CC BY-NC-ND

Cousins_2020_GPL_Metamorphic_CC
Copyright © 2020 The Authors. Open Access article. Published by the European Association of Geochemistry under Creative Commons License CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.
Final published version, 9.19 MBLicence: CC BY-NC-ND

Searching for life on Mars: Searching for life on Mars: analogue and technology-based approaches
Cousins, C. R. (PI)
The Royal Society of Edinburgh
1/05/15 → 30/09/18
Project: Fellowship

Cite this

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title = "Metamorphic evolution of carbonate-hosted microbial biosignatures",

abstract = "Microbial biosignature assemblages captured within mineral substrates experience extreme pressures (P) and temperatures (T) during rock burial and metamorphism. We subjected natural microbial biofilms hosted within thermal spring carbonate to six high pressure, high temperature (HPHT) conditions spanning 500 and 800 MPa and 200 to 550 °C, to investigate the initial petrographic transformation of organic and inorganic phases. We find biogenic and amorphous silica mineralises increasingly mature organic matter (OM) as temperature and pressure increase, with OM expelled from recrystallised calcite at the highest HPHT, captured within a quartz phase. Sulfur globules associated with microbial filaments persist across all HPHT conditions in association with microbially-derived kerogen. These data demonstrate how microbial material captured within chemically-precipitated sediments petrographically evolves in high grade rocks during their first stages of transformation. ",

keywords = "Metamorphism, Biosignature, Carbonate, Microfossil, Raman spectroscopy, Kerogen",

author = "Cousins, {Claire Rachel} and Sami Mikhail and Fr{\'e}d{\'e}ric Foucher and Andrew Stelle and Frances Westall",

note = "This work was funded by a Royal Society of Edinburgh Research Fellowship. FF and FW acknowledge funding from the CNRS and CNES.",

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doi = "10.7185/geochemlet.2002",

language = "English",

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journal = "Geochemical Perspectives Letters",

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TY - JOUR

T1 - Metamorphic evolution of carbonate-hosted microbial biosignatures

AU - Cousins, Claire Rachel

AU - Mikhail, Sami

AU - Foucher, Frédéric

AU - Stelle, Andrew

AU - Westall, Frances

N1 - This work was funded by a Royal Society of Edinburgh Research Fellowship. FF and FW acknowledge funding from the CNRS and CNES.

PY - 2020/1/16

Y1 - 2020/1/16

N2 - Microbial biosignature assemblages captured within mineral substrates experience extreme pressures (P) and temperatures (T) during rock burial and metamorphism. We subjected natural microbial biofilms hosted within thermal spring carbonate to six high pressure, high temperature (HPHT) conditions spanning 500 and 800 MPa and 200 to 550 °C, to investigate the initial petrographic transformation of organic and inorganic phases. We find biogenic and amorphous silica mineralises increasingly mature organic matter (OM) as temperature and pressure increase, with OM expelled from recrystallised calcite at the highest HPHT, captured within a quartz phase. Sulfur globules associated with microbial filaments persist across all HPHT conditions in association with microbially-derived kerogen. These data demonstrate how microbial material captured within chemically-precipitated sediments petrographically evolves in high grade rocks during their first stages of transformation.

AB - Microbial biosignature assemblages captured within mineral substrates experience extreme pressures (P) and temperatures (T) during rock burial and metamorphism. We subjected natural microbial biofilms hosted within thermal spring carbonate to six high pressure, high temperature (HPHT) conditions spanning 500 and 800 MPa and 200 to 550 °C, to investigate the initial petrographic transformation of organic and inorganic phases. We find biogenic and amorphous silica mineralises increasingly mature organic matter (OM) as temperature and pressure increase, with OM expelled from recrystallised calcite at the highest HPHT, captured within a quartz phase. Sulfur globules associated with microbial filaments persist across all HPHT conditions in association with microbially-derived kerogen. These data demonstrate how microbial material captured within chemically-precipitated sediments petrographically evolves in high grade rocks during their first stages of transformation.

KW - Metamorphism

KW - Biosignature

KW - Carbonate

KW - Microfossil

KW - Raman spectroscopy

KW - Kerogen

U2 - 10.7185/geochemlet.2002

DO - 10.7185/geochemlet.2002

M3 - Article

SN - 2410-339X

VL - 12

SP - 40

EP - 45

JO - Geochemical Perspectives Letters

JF - Geochemical Perspectives Letters

ER -

Metamorphic evolution of carbonate-hosted microbial biosignatures

Abstract

Keywords

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Searching for life on Mars: Searching for life on Mars: analogue and technology-based approaches

Cite this