1. Presumed magnetic biosignatures observed in magnetite in derived from abiotic reductive alteration of nanogoethite
- Author
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Yohan Guyodo, Guillaume Morin, J. L. Till, Nicolas Menguy, Georges Ona-Nguema, Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris (IPGP), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-IPG PARIS-Université Paris Diderot - Paris 7 (UPD7)-Université de La Réunion (UR)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Agricultural University of Iceland, Institut de minéralogie, de physique des matériaux et de cosmochimie (IMPMC), Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6 (UPMC)-Institut de recherche pour le développement [IRD] : UR206-Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (MNHN)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Paris Diderot - Paris 7 (UPD7)-Université de La Réunion (UR)-Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris (IPG Paris)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (MNHN)-Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6 (UPMC)-Institut de recherche pour le développement [IRD] : UR206-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Jarðvísindastofnun (HÍ), Institute of Earth Sciences (UI), Verkfræði- og náttúruvísindasvið (HÍ), School of Engineering and Natural Sciences (UI), Háskóli Íslands, University of Iceland, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de La Réunion (UR)-Université Paris Diderot - Paris 7 (UPD7)-IPG PARIS-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS), and Institut de recherche pour le développement [IRD] : UR206-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (MNHN)-Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6 (UPMC)
- Subjects
Nano-goethite ,Goethite ,010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences ,Magnetotactic bacteria ,[SDU.STU.GP]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Geophysics [physics.geo-ph] ,Magnetosome ,Mineralogy ,010502 geochemistry & geophysics ,01 natural sciences ,Magnetite ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,Biosignature ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences ,Bergfræði ,Global and Planetary Change ,Inorganic alteration ,Diagenesis ,Chemical engineering ,chemistry ,Steingervingafræði ,visual_art ,visual_art.visual_art_medium ,Magnetism-based biosignature ,General Earth and Planetary Sciences ,Magnetosomes ,Geology ,Magnetofossil ,Biomineralization - Abstract
The oriented chains of nanoscale Fe-oxide particles produced by magnetotactic bacteria are a striking example of biomineralization. Several distinguishing features of magnetite particles that comprise bacterial magnetosomes have been proposed to collectively constitute a biosignature of magnetotactic bacteria (Thomas-Keprta et al., 2001). These features include high crystallinity, chemical purity, a single-domain magnetic structure, well-defined crystal morphology, and arrangement of particles in chain structures. Here, we show that magnetite derived from the inorganic breakdown of nanocrystalline goethite exhibits magnetic properties and morphologies remarkably similar to those of biogenic magnetite from magnetosomes. During heating in reducing conditions, oriented nanogoethite aggregates undergo dehydroxylation and transform into stoichiometric magnetite. We demonstrate that highly crystalline single-domain magnetite with euhedral grain morphologies produced abiogenically from goethite meets several of the biogenicity criteria commonly used for the identification of magnetofossils. Furthermore, the suboxic conditions necessary for magnetofossil preservation in sediments are conducive to the reductive alteration of nanogoethite, as well as the preservation of detrital magnetite originally formed from goethite. The findings of this study have potential implications for the identification of biogenic magnetite, particularly in older sediments where diagenesis commonly disrupts the chain structure of magnetosomes. Our results indicate that isolated magnetofossils cannot be positively distinguished from inorganic magnetite on the basis of their magnetic properties and morphology, and that intact chain structures remain the only reliable distinguishing feature of fossil magnetosomes., This work was supported by the “Agence nationale de la recherche” (France) under project 2010-BLAN-604-01. Dennis Kent and Joshua Feinberg are thanked for their constructive reviews. This is IPGP contribution 3826., Final draft post-review
- Published
- 2017