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Could bacteria have formed the Precambrian banded iron formations?

2002; Geological Society of America; Volume: 30; Issue: 12 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1130/0091-7613(2002)030 2.0.co;2

1943-2682

Kurt O. Konhauser, Tristan Hamade, Rob Raiswell, Richard Morris, F. G. Ferris, Gordon Southam, Donald E. Canfield,

Paleontology and Stratigraphy of Fossils

Research Article| December 01, 2002 Could bacteria have formed the Precambrian banded iron formations? Kurt O. Konhauser; Kurt O. Konhauser 1Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E3, Canada Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Tristan Hamade; Tristan Hamade 2School of Earth Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Rob Raiswell; Rob Raiswell 2School of Earth Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Richard C. Morris; Richard C. Morris 3Division of Exploration Geoscience, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Wembley, Western Australia 6014, Australia Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar F. Grant Ferris; F. Grant Ferris 4Department of Geology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3B1, Canada Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Gordon Southam; Gordon Southam 5Department of Earth Sciences, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario N6A 5B7, Canada Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Donald E. Canfield Donald E. Canfield 6Institute of Biology, Odense University, SDU, Campusvej 55, 5230 Odense M, Denmark Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Kurt O. Konhauser 1Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E3, Canada Tristan Hamade 2School of Earth Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK Rob Raiswell 2School of Earth Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK Richard C. Morris 3Division of Exploration Geoscience, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Wembley, Western Australia 6014, Australia F. Grant Ferris 4Department of Geology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3B1, Canada Gordon Southam 5Department of Earth Sciences, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario N6A 5B7, Canada Donald E. Canfield 6Institute of Biology, Odense University, SDU, Campusvej 55, 5230 Odense M, Denmark Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 03 Apr 2002 Revision Received: 12 Aug 2002 Accepted: 13 Aug 2002 First Online: 02 Jun 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 Geological Society of America Geology (2002) 30 (12): 1079–1082. https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(2002)030 2.0.CO;2 Article history Received: 03 Apr 2002 Revision Received: 12 Aug 2002 Accepted: 13 Aug 2002 First Online: 02 Jun 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Kurt O. Konhauser, Tristan Hamade, Rob Raiswell, Richard C. Morris, F. Grant Ferris, Gordon Southam, Donald E. Canfield; Could bacteria have formed the Precambrian banded iron formations?. Geology 2002;; 30 (12): 1079–1082. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(2002)030 2.0.CO;2 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract Banded iron formations (BIFs) are prominent sedimentary deposits of the Precambrian, but despite a century of endeavor, the mechanisms of their deposition are still unresolved. Interactions between microorganisms and dissolved ferrous iron in the ancient oceans offer one plausible means of mineral precipitation, in which bacteria directly generate ferric iron either by chemolithoautotrophic iron oxidation or by photoferrotrophy. On the basis of chemical analyses from BIF units of the 2.5 Ga Hamersley Group, Western Australia, we show here that even during periods of maximum iron precipitation, most, if not all, of the iron in BIFs could be precipitated by iron-oxidizing bacteria in cell densities considerably less than those found in modern Fe-rich aqueous environments. Those ancient microorganisms would also have been easily supported by the concentrations of nutrients (P) and trace metals (V, Mn, Co, Zn, and Mo) found within the same iron-rich bands. These calculations highlight the potential importance of early microbial activity on ancient metal cycling. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.