Precambrian Archives

A Sulawesi Island with location of the Malili Lake System (insert

Metagenomics Deciphers Diagenetic Processes Of Ferruginous Mineralization In The Deep Biosphere

by Keith CowingAugust 20, 2026August 20, 2026

[Nature Communications Earth & Environment] Ferruginous conditions in the Precambrian oceans gave rise to ancient iron formations that contain the oldest recognized traces of life in the form of mineral […]

Adelaide Rift Complex -- Source, Sentinel EU

Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Fossils & Paleontology, Microbiology & Virology, Press Release

Salt Diapirs As An Architect Of Neoproterozoic Stromatolite Platform Reefs

by Keith CowingJanuary 13, 2026January 13, 2026

During the Precambrian, stromatolite reefs played an essential role in the evolution of Earth’s climate and life systems. Many Precambrian basins contain salt-influenced stratigraphy, yet the potential for salt diapirism […]

A–C, D–F, and G–I are hand specimen, optical microscopic, and back-scattered electron images, respectively. A, D, and G (sample no. B20) show textures in metasedimentary strata. They contain apatite and lack visible alteration. B, E, and H (sample no. B13) illustrate textures of the contact zone and a close interaction between the intrusive and the metasedimentary strata. C, F, and I (sample no. B23) show textures of the intrusive unit, which shows no alteration. Sample depths are provided in Supplementary Table S1. -- Nature Communications Earth & Environment

Analog Studies, Astrogeology, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Sample Return, Status Report

Magmatic And Thermally Produced Reactive Phosphorus 3.2 Billion Years Ago And Its Implications For Early Life

by Keith CowingNovember 19, 2025November 19, 2025

Reduced and polymerized phosphorus species may have been crucial for the origin and early evolution of life, as they are more reactive and soluble than phosphate.

Observational data on the relative surface temperatures of the Earth and Mars Ts/Ts0 (upper left panel) vs. the theoretical predictions by a few cosmological models at various values of the Hubble parameter normalized to h = 100 km/s/Mpc (dotted curves in three other panels). Solid curves correspond to the standard intergalactic value of the Hubble parameter; and the long-dashed curves, to the original Kˇr´ıˇzek–Somer model [16, 21]. -- astro-ph.EP

Analog Studies, Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Habitable Zones, Interstellar, Mars, Status Report

Estimating The Local Hubble Parameter From The Thermal Evolution Of Earth And Mars

by Keith CowingAugust 27, 2025August 27, 2025

The problem of local (e.g., interplanetary) Hubble expansion is studied for a long time but remains a controversial subject till now; and of particular interest is a plausible value of […]

Maximum reached by the imaginary part of the semidiurnal surface pressure component given by Eq. (2.4) as a function of the atmospheric opacity and radiative cooling frequency. The black solid and dashed lines define, from below, regions where the thermotidal response is sufficient to cancel the gravitational counterpart in the Precambrian (4587−538 Myr) and the late Paleozoic/early Mesozoic (350−250 Myr). The shaded areas indicate the contraints on αA and σ0 derived from observations and GCM simulations, along with the corresponding radiative timescales. The yellow and red arrows indicate the amplification factors needed to reach the Precambrian and Mesozoic/Paleozoic thresholds, respectively. The pink and green dots represent the GCM simulations of Wu et al. (2023), Fig. S4 (W23), and of Deitrick & Goldblatt (2024), Fig. 1 (DG24), respectively. Figure adapted from F24, Fig. 5. -- astro-ph.EP

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Status Report

Thermal Tides On Rocky Planets Through A Novel Fully Analytical Solution

by Keith CowingOctober 22, 2024October 22, 2024

Thermal tides are atmospheric tides caused by variations in day-night insolation, similar to gravitational tides but with key differences.

Archean plate tectonics would operate subsequent to the regime of stagnant lid tectonics, involving not only bottom-up processes such as mantle plumes and heat pipes but also top-down processes such as lithospheric foundering and subduction. These vertical processes were not unique to the Archean but persisted into the Phanerozoic. CREDIT ©Science China Press

Astrogeology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Fossils & Paleontology, Habitable Zones, Press Release

Plate Tectonics In The Archean: Observation Versus Interpretation

by Keith CowingJanuary 4, 2024January 4, 2024

The plate tectonics theory established in the 20th century has been successful in interpreting many geological phenomena, processes and events that have occurred in the Phanerozoic. However, the theory has […]

Precambrian reconstructed continental carbonate rock flux is within error of the Mesozoic-onward continental carbonate rock flux. The Paleozoic ‘Neritic Age’ stands out as the time of highest sustained continental carbonate rock flux in Earth history. Spikes in carbonate rock flux in the Precambrian may be overestimated due to the crude reconstruction approach used (see methods), which does not account for possible changes in continental volume and freeboard over time. -- astro-ph.EP

Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Extinction events, Status Report

Phanerozoic Biological Reworking Of The Continental Carbonate Rock Reservoir

by Keith CowingDecember 15, 2023December 15, 2023

Understanding the co-evolution of complex life with Earth’s geology is an enduring challenge. The rock record evidences remarkable correlations between changes in biology and the wider Earth system, yet cause […]

A parametric study of the tidal response. Plotted is a contoured surface of the amplitude of the imaginary part of the positive semidiurnal pressure anomaly at the Lamb resonance, over a grid of values of our free parameters σ0 and αA. The solid black isoline marks the level curve of ℑ{δps} = 880 Pa, and defines from below a region in (αA, σ0)-space where the thermotidal response is sufficient to cancel the gravitational counterpart in the Precambrian. Analogously, the dashed isoline defines the threshold (ℑ{δps} = 2275 Pa) needed in the early Mesozoic, 250 Ma. The horizontal shaded area corresponds to typical values of the radiative cooling rate as described in the main text. The other shaded area defines the region of parameter space that yields the presently observed semi-diurnal tidal bulge. The gray area on the left covers the parametric region where the resonance features a lower pressure amplitude than the present. -- physics.ao-ph

Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report

Thermal Tides In Neutrally Stratified Atmospheres: Revisiting The Earth’s Precambrian Rotational Equilibrium

by Keith CowingSeptember 23, 2023September 23, 2023

Rotational dynamics of the Earth, over geological timescales, have profoundly affected local and global climatic evolution, probably contributing to the evolution of life.

Structure and genetics of the nitrogenase G-subunit. A) Left, crystallographic structure of the extant A. vinelandii Vnf nitrogenase complex (VnfH, PDB 6Q9336; VnfDGK, PDB 5N6Y22 ) containing the G-subunit (dark blue). The Anf nitrogenase is inferred to be comparable in its multimeric structure, binding FeFe-co instead of FeV-co. Right, crystallographic structure of the extant Nif nitrogenase complex (NifH, PDB 1M3437; NifDK, PDB 3U7Q38) lacking the G subunit. B) Secondary structure of the Vnf G-subunit. C) Arrangement of the Nif, Vnf, and Anf structural genes in A. vinelandii. Vnf/AnfG (dark blue) is located between Vnf/AnfD and Vnf/AnfK genes. -- biorxiv.org

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Microbiology & Virology, Plant Biology, Status Report

An Orphan Protein Drove The Ecological Expansion Of Nitrogen Fixation

by Keith CowingApril 10, 2023April 10, 2023

Nitrogenases have catalyzed biological nitrogen fixation for billions of years and revolutionized planet Earth by supplying essential nitrogen to the biosphere.

Fossils & Paleontology, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release

Discovery Of New Types of Microfossils May Answer An Age-old Scientific Question

by Keith CowingSeptember 6, 2022September 6, 2022

Scientists have long pondered how and when the evolution of prokaryotes to eukaryotes occurred. A collaborative research team from Tohoku University and the University of Tokyo may have provided some […]

Precambrian

Metagenomics Deciphers Diagenetic Processes Of Ferruginous Mineralization In The Deep Biosphere

Salt Diapirs As An Architect Of Neoproterozoic Stromatolite Platform Reefs

Magmatic And Thermally Produced Reactive Phosphorus 3.2 Billion Years Ago And Its Implications For Early Life

Estimating The Local Hubble Parameter From The Thermal Evolution Of Earth And Mars

Thermal Tides On Rocky Planets Through A Novel Fully Analytical Solution

Plate Tectonics In The Archean: Observation Versus Interpretation

Phanerozoic Biological Reworking Of The Continental Carbonate Rock Reservoir

Thermal Tides In Neutrally Stratified Atmospheres: Revisiting The Earth’s Precambrian Rotational Equilibrium

An Orphan Protein Drove The Ecological Expansion Of Nitrogen Fixation

Discovery Of New Types of Microfossils May Answer An Age-old Scientific Question

Roman Space Telescope: Enabling Images Of Distant Worlds

NASA Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute (SSERVI) Cooperative Agreement Notice (NNH26ZDA016C) Final Text And Due Dates

Interstellar Aromatic Infrared Bands: IR Absorption Spectroscopy Of The Lowest Triplet State Of Naphthalene

The Highly Unusual Behavior And Chemical Composition Of Interstellar Comet 2I/Borisov

Volatile Depletion In Rocky Planets As A Chemical Fingerprint Of Hybrid Accretion