Dual role of seawater and hydrothermal fluids in Early Archean chert formation: Evidence from silicon isotopes
Open accessAbstract
The great variety and abundance of chert deposits in Archean terrains constitute one of the most unusual features that mark Earth's early geological history.Proposed explanations for their origin largely relying on fi eld observations, trace element patterns, or oxygen isotope signatures have not yielded an encompassing model.Here we document silicon isotope systematics in cherts from 3.5-3.0Ga units in the Pilbara Craton (Western Australia) as evidence of their formation by several distinct processes in Early Archean near-surface environments.Our δ 30 Si results, in combination with geochemical and mineralogical signatures and fi eld relations, point to three end-member sources of silica derivation.One chert type is inferred to have originated through massive transformation of precursor material by silica added from sea water.At least 2‰ differences in δ 30 Si between the two other types, produced by direct chemical precipitation on the seafl oor or in conduits, discriminate seawater from hydrothermal fl uid as a source of silica.A virtually continuous Si isotope trend in cherts from this group is consistent with interaction between silica-carrying fl uids at submarine vent systems.
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O and Si isotope studies suggest Hadean ocean temperatures up to 55°C.
“For instance, van den Boorn et al. (2007) suggest temperatures up to 55 • C”
From The Emergence of Life (2019) · cites this paper as van den Boorn et al. 2007
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- Authors
- van den Boorn, S. H. J. M., van Bergen, M. J., Nijman, W., & Vroon, P. Z.
- Affiliations
- Utrecht University (NL)
- Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (NL)
- ORCID
- Vroon, Pieter Z.
- Venue
- Geology
- Publisher
- Geological Society of America
- Published
- 2007
- Volume
- 35
- Issue
- 10
- Pages
- 939
- ISSN
- 0091-7613 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2125489927
- Cited by
- 246
- References
- 1
- Citations by year
- 2026: 14 · 2025: 12 · 2024: 27 · 2023: 18 · 2022: 10 · 2021: 12 · 2020: 18 · 2019: 12 · 2018: 15 · 2017: 13 · 2016: 13 · 2015: 12 · 2014: 10 · 2013: 16 · 2012: 10
- FWCI
- 13.67
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Geology (publishedVersion)
- Utrecht University Repository (Utrecht University) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- VU Research Portal (submittedVersion)
- Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek (175.107.404.01)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Geochemistry and Petrology › Geochemistry and Elemental Analysis
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Paleontology › Paleontology and Stratigraphy of Fossils
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Geophysics › Geological and Geochemical Analysis
- Keywords
- chert formation, early Archean, silicon isotopes, seawater, hydrothermal fluids, silica source, submarine hydrothermal vents, chemical precipitation, Pilbara Craton, Archean terranes
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