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Geyserite from Iceland
Geyserite is a form of opaline silica that is often found around hot springs and geysers. It is sometimes referred to as sinter. Botryoidal geyserite is known as fiorite.
In May 2017, evidence of the earliest known life on land may have been found in 3.48-billion-year-old geyserite uncovered in the Pilbara Craton of Western Australia.[1][2]
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Geyserite basin at Chinese Spring, Upper Geyser Basin, Yellowstone
See also
- Abiogenesis – Natural process by which life arises from non-living matter
- Geothermal areas of Yellowstone
- Life on Mars – Scientific assessments on the microbial habitability of Mars
- Timeline of the evolutionary history of life
References
- ^ Staff (9 May 2017). "Oldest evidence of life on land found in 3.48-billion-year-old Australian rocks". Phys.org. Retrieved 13 May 2017.
- ^ Djokic, Tara; Van Kranendonk, Martin J.; Campbell, Kathleen A.; Walter, Malcolm R.; Ward, Colin R. (9 May 2017). "Earliest signs of life on land preserved in ca. 3.5 Ga hot spring deposits". Nature Communications. 8: 15263. doi:10.1038/ncomms15263. PMC 5436104. PMID 28486437.
External links