Journal
ASTROBIOLOGY
Volume 9, Issue 8, Pages 731-743Publisher
MARY ANN LIEBERT, INC
DOI: 10.1089/ast.2008.0332
Keywords
Thermal alteration; Cyanobacteria; Cherts; Silurian; Archean
Funding
- Alexander V. Humboldt Foundation
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Diagenetic changes in thermally altered cyanobacterial mats from early Silurian black radiolarian cherts of southwestern Poland (Bardzkie Montains, Sudetes) have been studied. These early diagenetically silicified mats are composed of variously degraded remains of benthic microbes that resemble some modern chroococcalean and pleurocapsalean cyanobacteria. Two modes of degradational processes have been recognized in the studied mats: (i) early postmortem biodegradation and (ii) late diagenetic thermal or thermobaric degradation. The latter led to partial transformation of the fossilized organic remnants of cyanobacterial sheaths and capsules, which resulted in the formation of objects morphologically distant from the original microbiota but preserved features that allow for their identification as bona fide biogenic structures. Some of these thermally generated Silurian fossils are highly similar to the controversial microfossil-like carbonaceous structures described from the Early Archean Apex Chert of Australia. This similarity opens a promising way for credible recognition of remnants of cyanobacteria and similar microbiota in other thermally metamorphosed Archean sedimentary rocks.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available