Filamentous microfossils in a 3,235-million-year-old volcanogenic massive sulphide deposit

摘要: The record of Archaean microfossils is sparse1. Of the few bona fide fossil assemblages, most are from shallow-water settings, and they typically associated with laminated, stromatolitic sedimentary rocks2,3,4. Microfossils deep-sea hydrothermal systems have not been reported in Precambrian rocks (> 544 million years old), although thermophilic microbes ubiquitous modern sea-floor settings5,6, apparently ancient lineages7,8. Here, I report discovery pyritic filaments, probable remains thread-like microorganisms, a 3,235-million-year-old volcanogenic massive sulphide deposit Pilbara Craton Australia. From their mode occurrence, micro-organisms were probably chemotropic prokaryotes, which inhabited sub-sea-floor environments. They represent first evidence for microbial life submarine thermal spring system, extend known range biota by more than 2,700 years9. Such environments may hosted living on Earth, consistent proposals origin life10,11,12,13.