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Geology; March 2006; v. 34; no. 3; p. 153-156; DOI: 10.1130/G22067.1
© 2006 Geological Society of America
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Coupled Fe and S isotope evidence for Archean microbial Fe(III) and sulfate reduction

Corey Archer1 and Derek Vance2

1 Department of Geology, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, Surrey TW20 0EX, UK, and Department of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Wills Memorial Building, Bristol BS8 1RJ, UK
2 Department of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Wills Memorial Building, Bristol BS8 1RJ, UK

Direct fossil evidence for early microbial life on Earth is rare. Microbiological data indicate that sulfate and iron reduction are both among the earliest forms of microbial respiration, and direct evidence for the early origin of sulfate reduction comes from sulfur isotopic anomalies in ancient sediments. Fe isotope geochemistry potentially provides a new way of identifying microbial iron reduction early in Earth's history. We present Fe isotopic data for sedimentary pyrite from the 2.7 Ga Belingwe sedimentary basin in Zimbabwe. Isotopically light Fe and a remarkable covariation between Fe and S isotopes provide strong evidence for coexisting Fe and S reduction. Our results are consistent with an early origin for sulfate reduction and provide direct geochemical evidence for the antiquity of bacterial Fe reduction. The covariation of Fe and S isotopes may provide a useful new tracer of microbial evolution early in Earth history.

Key Words: Fe isotopes • microbial Fe reduction • early life • iron • Belingwe




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