Iron minerals within specific microfossil morphospecies of the 1.88 Ga Gunflint Formation
Open accessAbstract
Abstract Problematic microfossils dominate the palaeontological record between the Great Oxidation Event 2.4 billion years ago (Ga) and the last Palaeoproterozoic iron formations, deposited 500–600 million years later. These fossils are often associated with iron-rich sedimentary rocks, but their affinities, metabolism, and, hence, their contributions to Earth surface oxidation and Fe deposition remain unknown. Here we show that specific microfossil populations of the 1.88 Ga Gunflint Iron Formation contain Fe-silicate and Fe-carbonate nanocrystal concentrations in cell interiors. Fe minerals are absent in/on all organically preserved cell walls. These features are consistent with in vivo intracellular Fe biomineralization, with subsequent in situ recrystallization, but contrast with known patterns of post-mortem Fe mineralization. The Gunflint populations that display relatively large cells (thick-walled spheres, filament-forming rods) and intra-microfossil Fe minerals are consistent with oxygenic photosynthesizers but not with other Fe-mineralizing microorganisms studied so far. Fe biomineralization may have protected oxygenic photosynthesizers against Fe2+ toxicity during the Palaeoproterozoic.
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
Recent analyses of microfossils within the 1.88 Ga Gunflint Iron Formation appear to confirm that cyanobacteria were a significant component of shallow-marine communities at that time.
“Recent analyses of the microfossils within the 1.88 Ga Gunflint Iron Formation appear to confirm that cyanobacteria were a significant component of shallow-marine communities at that time (Lepot et al., 2017).”
From Iron formations: A global record of Neoarchaean to Palaeoproterozoic environmental history (2017) · cites this paper as Lepot et al., 2017
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
The self-check needs the paper’s full text.
Cites
The rise of oxygen in Earth's early ocean and atmosphere
Lyons, T. W., Reinhard, C. T., & Planavsky, N. J. (2014) · Nature · doi:10.1038/nature13068 · Cited by 2,810 · see citing works
Blakemore, R. P. (1975) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.170679 · Cited by 1,714 · see citing works
Iron-Oxidizing Bacteria: An Environmental and Genomic Perspective
Emerson, D., Fleming, E. J., & McBeth, J. (2010) · Annual Review of Microbiology · doi:10.1146/annurev.micro.112408.134208 · Cited by 797 · see citing works
Microorganisms from the Gunflint Chert
Barghoorn, E. S., & Tyler, S. A. (1965) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.147.3658.563 · Cited by 711 · see citing works
Evidence for oxygenic photosynthesis half a billion years before the Great Oxidation Event
Planavsky, N. J., Asael, D., Hofmann, A., Reinhard, C. T., Lalonde, S. V., Knudsen, A., Wang, X., Ossa Ossa, F., Pecoits, E., Smith, A. J. B., et al. (2014) · Nature Geoscience · doi:10.1038/ngeo2122 · Cited by 615 · cited 1× · see citing works
“Several redox-sensitive tracers 2 , including Mo isotopes 7 , have been interpreted as evidence for oxygenic photosynthesis as early as 2.9 Ga, and N isotopes support denitrification by 2.7 Ga 8 .”
InfluentialExtracellular electron transfer through microbial reduction of solid-phase humic substances
Roden, E., Kappler, A. A., Bauer, I., Jian, J., Paul, A., STOESSER, R., Konishi, H., & Xu, H. (2010) · Nature Geoscience · doi:10.1038/ngeo870 · Cited by 511 · see citing works
Significance of the Gunflint (Precambrian) Microflora
Cloud, P. E. (1965) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.148.3666.27 · Cited by 358 · see citing works
Formation and occurrence of biogenic iron-rich minerals
Fortin, D., & Langley, S. (2005) · Earth-Science Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.earscirev.2005.03.002 · Cited by 351 · see citing works
Kappler, A. A., & Newman, D. K. (2004) · Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta · doi:10.1016/j.gca.2003.09.006 · Cited by 334 · see citing works
Sharp, R. P., & Malin, M. C. (1975) · Geological Society of America Bulletin · doi:10.1130/0016-7606(1975)86 · Cited by 309 · see citing works
TEM evidence for eukaryotic diversity in mid‐Proterozoic oceans
Javaux, E., Knoll, A. H., & Walter, M. R. (2004) · Geobiology · doi:10.1111/j.1472-4677.2004.00027.x · Cited by 254 · see citing works
Self-citationThe Sphaerotilus-Leptothrix group of bacteria
van Veen, W. L., Mulder, E. G., & Deinema, M. H. (1978) · Microbiological Reviews · doi:10.1128/mr.42.2.329-356.1978 · Cited by 254 · see citing works
Biomacromolecules of Algae and Plants and their Fossil Analogues
de Leeuw, J. W., Versteegh, G. J. M., & van Bergen, P. F. (2006) · Plant Ecology · doi:10.1007/s11258-005-9027-x · Cited by 232 · see citing works
Klueglein, N., Zeitvogel, F., Stierhof, Y., Floetenmeyer, M., Konhauser, K. O., Kappler, A. A., & Obst, M. (2013) · Applied and Environmental Microbiology · doi:10.1128/aem.03277-13 · Cited by 228 · see citing works
Bacterial clay authigenesis: a common biogeochemical process
Konhauser, K. O., & Urrutia, M. M. (1999) · Chemical Geology · doi:10.1016/s0009-2541(99)00118-7 · Cited by 225 · see citing works
Biomacromolecules of algae and plants and their fossil analogues
de Leeuw, J. W., Versteegh, G. J. M., & van Bergen, P. F. (2005) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-1-4020-4443-4_14 · Cited by 199 · see citing works
Precambrian Paleobiology: Problems and Perspectives
Schopf, J. W. (1975) · Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences · doi:10.1146/annurev.ea.03.050175.001241 · Cited by 196 · see citing works
Iron-oxidizing microbial ecosystems thrived in late Paleoproterozoic redox-stratified oceans
Planavsky, N., Rouxel, O., Bekker, A., Shapiro, R., Fralick, P., & Knudsen, A. (2009) · Earth and Planetary Science Letters · doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2009.06.033 · Cited by 195 · see citing works
Iron isotope composition of some Archean and Proterozoic iron formations
Planavsky, N. J., Rouxel, O. J., Bekker, A., Hofmann, A., Little, C. T. S., & Lyons, T. W. (2011) · Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta · doi:10.1016/j.gca.2011.12.001 · Cited by 187 · see citing works
Schädler, S., Burkhardt, C. J., Hegler, F., Straub, K. L., Miot, J., Benzerara, K., & Kappler, A. A. (2009) · Geomicrobiology Journal · doi:10.1080/01490450802660573 · Cited by 179 · see citing works
Awramik, S. M., & Barghoorn, E. S. (1977) · Precambrian Research · doi:10.1016/0301-9268(77)90025-0 · Cited by 160 · see citing works
Biomineralization of iron-phosphates in the water column of Lake Pavin (Massif Central, France)
Cosmidis, J., Benzerara, K., Morin, G., Busigny, V., Lebeau, O., Jézéquel, D., Noël, V., Dublet, G., & Othmane, G. (2013) · Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta · doi:10.1016/j.gca.2013.10.037 · Cited by 157 · see citing works
Intracellular Iron Minerals in a Dissimilatory Iron-Reducing Bacterium
Glasauer, S. M., Langley, S., & Beveridge, T. J. (2002) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.1066577 · Cited by 156 · see citing works
Fortin, D., Ferris, F. G., & Scott, S. D. (1998) · American Mineralogist · doi:10.2138/am-1998-11-1229 · Cited by 155 · see citing works
Exceptional preservation of fossil plant spores in high-pressure metamorphic rocks
Bernard, S., Benzerara, K., Beyssac, O., Menguy, N., Guyot, F., BROWNJR, G., & Goffé, B. (2007) · Earth and Planetary Science Letters · doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2007.07.041 · Cited by 151 · see citing works
Thomazo, C., Ader, M., & Philippot, P. (2011) · Geobiology · doi:10.1111/j.1472-4669.2011.00271.x · Cited by 150 · see citing works
Deposition of 1.88-billion-year-old iron formations as a consequence of rapid crustal growth
Rasmussen, B., Fletcher, I. R., Bekker, A., Muhling, J. R., Gregory, C. J., & Thorne, A. M. (2012) · Nature · doi:10.1038/nature11021 · Cited by 140 · see citing works
Differential Actions of Chlorhexidine on the Cell Wall of Bacillus subtilis and Escherichia coli
Cheung, H., Wong, M. M.-K., Cheung, S.-H., et al. (2012) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0036659 · Cited by 133 · see citing works
Biological carbon precursor to diagenetic siderite with spherical structures in iron formations
Köhler, I., Konhauser, K. O., Papineau, D., Bekker, A., & Kappler, A. (2013) · Nature Communications · doi:10.1038/ncomms2770 · Cited by 123 · cited 1× · see citing works
“Subsequent Fe reduction coupled to organic matter oxidation driven by bacteria 43 and/or thermal energy 44 could have formed the greenalite þ siderite þ Fe-sulfide þ ankerite assemblage observed in our stromatolite sample similar to the assemblage observed in some Gunflint iron formations 1,14 .”
Fukui, M., Teske, A., Aßmus, B., Gerard Muyzer, C., & Widdel, F. (1999) · Archives of Microbiology · doi:10.1007/s002030050760 · Cited by 122 · see citing works
Shcolnick, S., Summerfield, T. C., Reytman, L., Sherman, L. A., & Keren, N. (2009) · PLANT PHYSIOLOGY · doi:10.1104/pp.109.141853 · Cited by 120 · see citing works
Micro-FTIR spectroscopic signatures of Bacterial lipids in Proterozoic microfossils
Igisu, M., Ueno, Y., Shimojima, M., Nakashima, S., Awramik, S. M., Ohta, H., & Maruyama, S. (2009) · Precambrian Research · doi:10.1016/j.precamres.2009.03.006 · Cited by 113 · see citing works
A role for iron and oxygen chemistry in preserving soft tissues, cells and molecules from deep time
Schweitzer, M. H., Zheng, W., Cleland, T. P., Goodwin, M. B., Boatman, E., Theil, E., Marcus, M. A., & Fakra, S. C. (2014) · Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences · doi:10.1098/rspb.2013.2741 · Cited by 112 · see citing works
Campbell, K. A., Lynne, B. Y., Handley, K. M., Jordan, S., Farmer, J. D., Guido, D. M., Foucher, F., Turner, S., & Perry, R. S. (2015) · Astrobiology · doi:10.1089/ast.2015.1307 · Cited by 106 · see citing works
Clonothrix fuscaRoze 1896, a Filamentous, Sheathed, Methanotrophic γ-Proteobacterium
Vigliottá, G., Nutricati, E., Carata, E., et al. (2007) · Applied and Environmental Microbiology · doi:10.1128/aem.02678-06 · Cited by 105 · see citing works
Alléon, J., Bernard, S., Guillou, C. L., Marin‐Carbonne, J., du Pont, S. C., Beyssac, O., McKeegan, K. D., & Robert, F. (2016) · Nature Communications · doi:10.1038/ncomms11977 · Cited by 95 · see citing works
Microfossils from a newly discovered Precambrian stromatolitic iron formation in Western Australia
Walter, M. R., Goode, A. D. T., & Hall, W. D. (1976) · Nature · doi:10.1038/261221a0 · Cited by 90 · see citing works
Modulation of oxygen production in Archaean oceans by episodes of Fe(II) toxicity
Swanner, E. D., Mloszewska, A. M., Cirpka, O. A., Schoenberg, R., Konhauser, K. O., & Kappler, A. (2015) · Nature Geoscience · doi:10.1038/ngeo2327 · Cited by 90 · see citing works
Williford, K. H., Ushikubo, T., Schopf, J. W., Lepot, K., Kitajima, K., & Valley, J. W. (2012) · Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta · doi:10.1016/j.gca.2012.11.005 · Cited by 89 · see citing works
Self-citationEnhanced cellular preservation by clay minerals in 1 billion-year-old lakes
Wacey, D., Saunders, M., Roberts, M. P., Menon, S. K., Green, L., Kong, C., Culwick, T., Strother, P. K., & Brasier, M. D. (2014) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/srep05841 · Cited by 85 · see citing works
Wacey, D., McLoughlin, N., Kilburn, M. R., Saunders, M., Cliff, J., Kong, C., Barley, M., & Brasier, M. D. (2013) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.1221965110 · Cited by 83 · see citing works
PERCAK‐DENNETT, E. M., BEARD, B. L., XU, H., KONISHI, H., JOHNSON, C. M., & RODEN, E. E. (2011) · Geobiology · doi:10.1111/j.1472-4669.2011.00277.x · Cited by 83 · see citing works
Parenteau, M. N., & Cady, S. L. (2010) · Palaios · doi:10.2110/palo.2008.p08-133r · Cited by 69 · see citing works
Schopf, J. W., Kudryavtsev, A. B., Walter, M. R., Kranendonk, M. J. V., Williford, K. H., Kozdon, R., Valley, J. W., Gallardo, V. A., Espinoza, C., & Flannery, D. T. (2015) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.1419241112 · Cited by 66 · see citing works
Moreau, J. W., & Sharp, T. G. (2004) · Astrobiology · doi:10.1089/153110704323175142 · Cited by 62 · see citing works
Brown, I. I., Bryant, D. A., Casamatta, D. A., Thomas-Keprta, K. L., Sarkisova, S. A., Shen, G., Graham, J. E., Boyd, E. S., Peters, J. W., Garrison, D. H., et al. (2010) · Applied and Environmental Microbiology · doi:10.1128/aem.00662-10 · Cited by 61 · see citing works
New Microorganisms from the Aphebian Gunflint Iron Formation, Ontario
Knoll, A. H., Barghoorn, E. S., & Awramik, S. M. (1978) · Digital Access to Scholarship at Harvard (DASH) (Harvard University) · Cited by 60 · see citing works
Self-citationBrayner, R., Coradin, T., Beaunier, P., et al. (2011) · Colloids and Surfaces B Biointerfaces · doi:10.1016/j.colsurfb.2011.10.014 · Cited by 55 · see citing works
Iron isotope fractionation during Fe(II) and Fe(III) adsorption on cyanobacteria
Mulholland, D. S., Poitrasson, F., Shirokova, L. S., González, A. G., Сергеевич, П. О., Boaventura, G. R., & Vieira, L. C. (2015) · Chemical Geology · doi:10.1016/j.chemgeo.2015.01.017 · Cited by 54 · see citing works
Photosynthetic Microorganism-Mediated Synthesis of Akaganeite (β-FeOOH) Nanorods
Brayner, R., Yéprémian, C., Djédiat, C., Coradin, T., Herbst, F., Livage, J., Fiévet, F., & Couté, A. (2009) · Langmuir · doi:10.1021/la9010345 · Cited by 50 · see citing works
Lemelle, L., Labrot, P., Salome-Pateyron, M., Simionovici, A., Viso, M., & Westall, F. (2007) · Organic Geochemistry · doi:10.1016/j.orggeochem.2007.10.008 · Cited by 47 · see citing works
Filamentous Anoxygenic Phototrophs in Hot Springs
Hanada, S. (2003) · Microbes and Environments · doi:10.1264/jsme2.18.51 · Cited by 45 · see citing works
Swanner, E. D., Wu, W., Hao, L., Wuestner, M. L., Obst, M., Moran, D. M., McIlvin, M. R., Saito, M. A., & Kappler, A. A. (2015) · Frontiers in Earth Science · doi:10.3389/feart.2015.00060 · Cited by 44 · see citing works
Strother, P. K., & Tobin, K. J. (1987) · Precambrian Research · doi:10.1016/0301-9268(87)90029-5 · Cited by 40 · see citing works
Shapiro, R. S., & Konhauser, K. O. (2015) · Geobiology · doi:10.1111/gbi.12127 · Cited by 40 · see citing works
Mixed-Valence Cytoplasmic Iron Granules Are Linked to Anaerobic Respiration
Glasauer, S. M., Langley, S., Boyanov, M. I., Lai, B. C. H., Kemner, K., & Beveridge, T. J. (2006) · Applied and Environmental Microbiology · doi:10.1128/aem.01492-06 · Cited by 37 · see citing works
Pathways of Carbon Assimilation and Their Impact on Organic Matter Values δ13C
Pearson, A. (2009) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-540-77587-4_9 · Cited by 34 · see citing works
Origin of Petrified Wood Color
Mustoe, G., & Acosta, M. (2016) · Geosciences · doi:10.3390/geosciences6020025 · Cited by 28 · see citing works
Fossil Membranes and Cell Wall Fragments from a 7000-Year-Old Black Sea Sediment
Degens, E. T., Watson, S. W., & Remsen, C. C. (1970) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.168.3936.1207 · Cited by 26 · see citing works
Cell-Hosted Pyrite Framboids in Fossil Woods
Garcia-Guinea, J., Martínez‐Frías, J., & Harffy, M. (1998) · Die Naturwissenschaften · doi:10.1007/s001140050457 · Cited by 22 · see citing works
Abiotic Deposition of Fe Complexes onto Leptothrix Sheaths
Kunoh, T., Hashimoto, H., McFarlane, I. R., et al. (2016) · Biology · doi:10.3390/biology5020026 · Cited by 22 · see citing works
Pyritisation of plant microfossils from the Devonian Hunsrück Slate of Germany
Tibbs, S. L., Briggs, D. E. G., & Prössl, K. F. (2003) · Paläontologische Zeitschrift · doi:10.1007/bf03004571 · Cited by 15 · see citing works
Shape analysis of filamentous Precambrian microfossils and modern cyanobacteria
Boal, D. H., & Ng, R. (2010) · Paleobiology · doi:10.1666/08096.1 · Cited by 15 · see citing works
Biology of the Precambrian Genus Kakabekia: New Observations on Living Kakabekia barghoorniana
SIEGEL, B. Z., & Siegel, S. M. (1970) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.67.2.1005 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
Diagenetic replacement controlled by force of crystallization
Maliva, R. G., & Siever, R. (1988) · Geology · doi:10.1130/0091-7613(1988)016
Flagged first, then by citations
Research works printed but not linked: 2
- Pearson A. in Handbook of Hydrocarbon and Lipid Microbiology (ed. Timmis, K. N.) Ch. 9, 143–156 (Springer-Verlag, 2010).
- Graham L. E. & Wilcox L. W. Algae Prentice Hall (2000).
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Iron formations: A global record of Neoarchaean to Palaeoproterozoic environmental history
Konhauser, K. O., Planavsky, N. J., Hardisty, D. S., Robbins, L. J., Warchola, T. J., Haugaard, R., Lalonde, S. V., Partin, C. A., Oonk, P. B. H., Tsikos, H., et al. (2017) · Earth-Science Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.earscirev.2017.06.012 · Cited by 537 · see citing works
Challenges in evidencing the earliest traces of life
Javaux, E. J. (2019) · Nature · doi:10.1038/s41586-019-1436-4 · Cited by 297 · see citing works
Self-citationJavaux, E. J., & Lepot, K. (2018) · Earth-Science Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.earscirev.2017.10.001 · Cited by 158 · see citing works
Self-citationLittle, C. T. S., Johannessen, K. C., Bengtson, S., Chan, C. S., Ivarsson, M., Slack, J. F., Broman, C., Thorseth, I. H., Grenne, T., Rouxel, O. J., et al. (2021) · Geobiology · doi:10.1111/gbi.12434 · Cited by 31 · see citing works
- Authors
- Lepot, K., Addad, A., Knoll, A. H., Wang, J., Troadec, D., Béché, A., & Javaux, E. J.
- Affiliations
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR)
- Harvard University (US)
- University of Saskatchewan (CA)
- University of Antwerp (BE)
- University of Liège (BE)
- ORCID
- Venue
- Nature Communications
- Published
- 2017-03-23
- Volume
- 8
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 14890-14890
- ISSN
- 2041-1723 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC5376642
- OpenAlex
- W2602584335
- Cited by
- 83
- References
- 68
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 11 · 2023: 11 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 14 · 2020: 9 · 2019: 6 · 2018: 9 · 2017: 8
- FWCI
- 6.22
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Locations
- Nature Communications (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- Flanders Marine Institute (Flanders Marine Institute) (publishedVersion, other-oa)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Digital Access to Scholarship at Harvard (DASH) (Harvard University) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- HAL (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- LillOA (Université de Lille (University Of Lille)) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- LillOA (Université de Lille (University Of Lille)) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- ORBi (University of Liège) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Funders
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR-15-CE31-0003)
- Fonds De La Recherche Scientifique - FNRS
- Belgian Federal Science Policy Office
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
- NASA Astrobiology Institute
- FP7 Ideas: European Research Council (308074)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Paleontology › Paleontology and Stratigraphy of Fossils
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Geochemistry and Petrology › Geochemistry and Elemental Analysis
- Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Astronomy and Astrophysics › Origins and Evolution of Life
- Keywords
- Precambrian microfossils, iron biomineralization, Great Oxidation Event, Paleoproterozoic, oxygenic photosynthesis, iron toxicity, recrystallization, microbial metabolism
- MeSH terms
- Fossils, Iron, Minerals, Ontario, Oxidation-Reduction, Oxygen, Paleontology, Photosynthesis, Microscopy, Electron, Scanning Transmission, Geologic Sediments
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
