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Science 14 November 2003:
Vol. 302. no. 5648, pp. 1194 - 1197
DOI: 10.1126/science.1090163
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Reports

Self-Assembled Silica-Carbonate Structures and Detection of Ancient Microfossils

J. M. García-Ruiz,1 S. T. Hyde,2 A. M. Carnerup,2 A. G. Christy,2* M. J. Van Kranendonk,3 N. J. Welham2{dagger}

We have synthesized inorganic micron-sized filaments, whose microstucture consists of silica-coated nanometer-sized carbonate crystals, arranged with strong orientational order. They exhibit noncrystallographic, curved, helical morphologies, reminiscent of biological forms. The filaments are similar to supposed cyanobacterial microfossils from the Precambrian Warrawoona chert formation in Western Australia, reputed to be the oldest terrestrial microfossils. Simple organic hydrocarbons, whose sources may also be abiotic and indeed inorganic, readily condense onto these filaments and subsequently polymerize under gentle heating to yield kerogenous products. Our results demonstrate that abiotic and morphologically complex microstructures that are identical to currently accepted biogenic materials can be synthesized inorganically.

1 Instituto Andaluz de Ciencias de la Tierra, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas Universidad de Granada, Facultad de Ciencias, Campus de Fuentenueva 18002, Granada, Spain.
2 Department of Applied Mathematics, Research School of Physical Sciences, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 0200, Australia.
3 Geological Survey of Western Australia, 100 Plain Street, East Perth, Western Australia 6004, Australia.


* Present address: Department of Geology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia.

{dagger} Present address: Department of Minerals Science, Murdoch University, Perth, Western Australia.

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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)