Pilbara Craton Archives - Astrobiology

An example of variolitic pillow lavas in the Whundo Group. The black spots are a feature known as varioles, which form in water-rich lavas Credit Adelaide University

Ancient Rocks Reveal How Water Shaped Earth 3.1 Billion Years Ago

by Keith CowingJuly 10, 2026July 10, 2026

[Adelaide University] Geologists studying some of the planet’s oldest volcanic rocks have uncovered new evidence that water was playing a major role in shaping Earth’s interior and driving volcanic activity […]

(A) Field photograph of exceptional shatter cones near the center of the structure. Photo credit: A.R.B./Harvard University. (B) Geologic map of the structure, which occupies the north flank of North Pole Dome. Red points indicate shatter cone outcrops, which occur within an ~6.47-km–diameter area (blue solid circle) centered on the inferred point of impact (blue square). An inferred total diameter of ~16.2 km for the structure (blue dashed circle) is calculated from scaling laws using the shatter cone occurrence diameter (37). The map data are modified from the GSWA (83) based on our mapping. (C) Context map showing the location within Australia and the Pilbara Craton. -- Science Advances via PubMed

Analog Studies, Astrogeology, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Extinction events, Impact events, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Mars, Press Release

Geology And Mars Analog Potential Of The < 2.7-billion-year-old Miralga Impact Structure, North Pole Dome, Pilbara Craton, Australia

by Keith CowingAugust 18, 2025August 18, 2025

North Pole Dome (Pilbara Craton, Western Australia) contains unique geological analogs to early Earth and Mars.

NASA ID: PIA25122 Larger image Credit: NASA/METI/AIST/Japan Space Systems, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team

Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Fossils & Paleontology, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report

Orbital View Of Pilbara, Australia Where Some Of Earth’s Oldest Fossils Can Be Found

by Keith CowingJuly 12, 2024July 7, 2024

The Pilbara in northwestern Australia exposes some of the oldest rocks on Earth, over 3.6 billion years old. The iron-rich rocks formed before the presence of atmospheric oxygen, and life […]

Optical and electron microscope images of jaspilite from Dresser Formation (UWA100624). (A) Hand specimen of jaspilite from section J. (B) PPL image of jaspilite showing splotchy chert defined by heterogeneous distribution of minute Fe-rich particles. (C and D) PPL images showing location of FIB pit from jaspilitic chert. (E) Backscattered electron image of jaspilitic chert showing abundant minute particles, including platy laths (gre). (F and G) STEM-EDS iron and calcium element maps from FIB foil of jaspilitic chert showing minute crystals of greenalite (gre), siderite (sid), and apatite (ap) in chert cement (qtz). -- Science Advances

Astrogeology, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Fossils & Paleontology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Microbiology & Virology, Status Report

Nanoparticulate Apatite and Greenalite In The Oldest, Well-preserved Hydrothermal Vent Precipitates

by Keith CowingJune 25, 2024June 25, 2024

Paleoarchean jaspilites are used to track ancient ocean chemistry and photoautotrophy because they contain hematite interpreted to have formed following biological oxidation of vent-derived Fe(II) and seawater P-scavenging.

This image shows the finely layered internal structure of a stromatolite sample, with a U.S. penny for scale. -- NASA

Astrogeology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Fossils & Paleontology, Microbiology & Virology, Status Report

2.7 Billion Year Old Tumbiana Stromatolite From An Ancient Lakebed In Australia

by Keith CowingApril 11, 2024April 11, 2024

This stromatolite formed about 2.7 billion years ago and was collected from an ancient lake environment preserved in the Tumbiana Formation, a succession of clastic and carbonate rocks outcropping along […]

Rocks made of barium sulphate (known as barite rocks) from the from the Pilbara Craton in Western Australia CREDIT Gerhard Hundertmark

Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Fossils & Paleontology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microgravity, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release

High Resolution Techniques Reveal Clues In 3.5 Billion-year-old Biomass

by Keith CowingFebruary 22, 2024February 22, 2024

To learn about the first organisms on our planet, researchers have to analyse the rocks of the early Earth. These can only be found in a few places on the […]