Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-dlnhk Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-27T20:26:54.675Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Hexagonal plate-like magnetite nanocrystals produced in komatiite–H2O–CO2 reaction system at 450°C

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 April 2015

Xi-Luo Hao  and
Yi-Liang Li
Xi-Luo Hao
Affiliation:
Department of Earth Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China
Yi-Liang Li*
Affiliation:
Department of Earth Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China
*
e-mail: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Batch experiments of komatiite–H2O–CO2 system with temperatures from 200 to 450°C were performed to simulate the interactions between the newly formed ultramafic crust and the proto-atmosphere on Earth before the formation of its earliest ocean. Particularly, magnetite nanocrystals were observed in the experiment carried out at 450°C that are characterized by their hexagonal platelet-like morphology and porous structure. Exactly the same set of lattice fringes on the two opposite sides of one pore suggests post-crystallization erosion. The results demonstrate that magnetite could be produced by the direct interactions between the ultramafic rocky crust and the atmosphere before the formation of the ocean on the Hadean Earth. These magnetite nanoparticles could serve as a catalyst in the synthesis of simple organic molecules during the organochemical evolution towards life.

Keywords

magnetiteprebiotic evolutionwater–rock interaction
Type
Research Article
Information
International Journal of Astrobiology , Volume 14 , Issue 4 , October 2015 , pp. 547 - 553
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2015 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Barnes, I., Sheppard, R.A., Gude, A.J., Rapp, J.B. & Oneil, J.R. (1972). Metamorphic assemblages and direction of flow of metamorphic fluids in 4 instances of serpentinization. Contrib. Miner. Petrol 35(3), 263–276.Google Scholar
Berndt, M.E., Allen, D.E. & Seyfried, W.E. (1996). Reduction of CO2 during serpentinization of olivine at 300°C and 500 bar. Geology 24(4), 351–354.Google Scholar
Berry, A.J., Danyushevsky, L.V., O'Neill, H.SC., Newville, M. & Sutton, S.R. (2008) Oxidation state of iron in komatiitic melt inclusions indicates hot Archaean mantle. Nature 455, 960–963.Google Scholar
Bethke, C.M. (1996). Geochemical Reaction Modeling. Oxford University Press, New York.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chen, Q.W. & Bahnemann, D.W. (2000). Reduction of carbon dioxide by magnetite: implications for the primordial synthesis of organic molecules. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 122(5), 970–971.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Condie, K.C. (1980). Origin and early development of the Earth's crust. Precambrian Res. 11(3–4), 183–197.Google Scholar
Foustoukos, D.I. & Seyfried, W.E. (2004). Hydrocarbons in hydrothermal vent fluids: the role of chromium-bearing catalysts. Science 304, 1002–1005.Google Scholar
Frost, B.R. (1985). On the stability of sulfides, oxides, and native metals in serpentinite. J Petrol 26(1), 31–63.Google Scholar
Fruth-Green, G.L., Connolly, J.A.D., Plas, A., Kelley, D.S. & Grobety, B. (2004). Serpentinization of oceanic peridotites: implications for geochemical cycles and biological activity. Geophys. Monogr. Ser. 144, 119–136.Google Scholar
Fu, Q., Lollar, B.S., Horita, J., Lacrampe-Couloume, G. & Seyfried, W.E. (2007). Abiotic formation of hydrocarbons under hydrothermal conditions: constraints from chemical and isotope data. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 71(8), 1982–1998.Google Scholar
Holm, N.G. & Andersson, E.M. (1998). Hydrothermal systems. In The Molecular Origins of Life, Assembling Pieces of the Puzzle, ed. Brack, A., pp. 86–99. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.Google Scholar
Holm, N.G., Dumont, M., Ivarsson, M. & Konn, C. (2006). Alkaline fluid circulation in ultramafic rocks and formation of nucleotide constituents: a hypothesis. Geochem. Trans. 7, 7. doi: 10.1186/1467-4866-7-7.Google Scholar
Horita, J. & Berndt, M.E. (1999). Abiogenic methane formation and isotopic fractionation under hydrothermal conditions. Science 285(5430), 1055–1057.Google Scholar
Klein, F. & Bach, W. (2009). Fe–Ni–Co–O–S phase relations in peridotite–seawater interactions. J. Petrol 50(1), 37–59.Google Scholar
Klein, F., Bach, W., Jons, N., McCollom, T., Moskowitz, B. & Berquo, T. (2009). Iron partitioning and hydrogen generation during serpentinization of abyssal peridotites from 15 degrees N on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 73(22), 6868–6893.Google Scholar
Lee, M.D., Lee, J.F. & Chang, C.S. (1990). Catalytic behavior and phase-composition change of iron catalyst in hydrogenation of carbon-dioxide. J. Chem. Eng. Jpn. 23(2), 130–136.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Liu, L.G. (2004). The inception of the oceans and CO2-atmosphere in the early history of the Earth. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 227(3–4), 179–184.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Marcaillou, C., Munoz, M., Vidal, O., Parra, T. & Harfouche, M. (2011). Mineralogical evidence for H2 degassing during serpentinization at 300°C/300 bar. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 303(3–4), 281–290.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Martin, H., Albarede, F., Claeys, P., Gargaud, M., Marty, B., Morbidelli, A. & Pinti, D.L. (2006). Building of a habitable planet. Earth Moon Planets 98(1–4), 97–151.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Martin, W. & Russell, M.J. (2007). On the origin of biochemistry at an alkaline hydrothermal vent. Philos. Trans. R. Soc. B 362(1486), 1887–1925.Google Scholar
McCollom, T.M. & Seewald, J.S. (2003a). Experimental constraints on the hydrothermal reactivity of organic acids and acid anions: I. Formic acid and formate. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 67(19), 3625–3644.Google Scholar
McCollom, T.M. & Seewald, J.S. (2003b). Experimental study of the hydrothermal reactivity of organic acids and acid anions: II. Acetic acid, acetate, and valeric acid. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 67(19), 3645–3664.Google Scholar
McCollom, T.M. & Seewald, J.S. (2004). Experimental study of abiotic formation of organic compounds in hydrothermal systems. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 68(11), A259–A259.Google Scholar
McCollom, T.M. & Seewald, J.S. (2007). Abiotic synthesis of organic compounds in deep-sea hydrothermal environments. Chem. Rev. 107(2), 382–401.Google Scholar
McCollom, T.M. & Seewald, J.S. (2013). Serpentinites, hydrogen, and life. Elements 9(2), 129–134.Google Scholar
McCollom, T.M., Seewald, J.S. & Simoneit, B.R.T. (2001). Reactivity of monocyclic aromatic compounds under hydrothermal conditions. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 65(3), 455–468.Google Scholar
Moody, J.B. (1976 ). Serpentinization: a review. Lithos 9(2), 125–138.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nisbet, E.G. (1987). The young Earth: An Introduction to Archaean Geology. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.Google Scholar
Nisbet, E.G. & Fowler, C.M.R. (1996). Some liked it hot. Nature 382, 404–405.Google Scholar
Nisbet, E.G. et al. (1987). Uniquely fresh 2.7 Ga komatiites from the Belingwe Greenstone-Belt, Zimbabwe. Geology 15(12), 1147–1150.Google Scholar
Normand, C., Williams-Jones, A.E., Martin, R.F. & Vali, H. (2002). Hydrothermal alteration of olivine in a flow-through autoclave: nucleation and growth of serpentine phases. Am. Mineral. 87(11–12), 1699–1709.Google Scholar
Pizzarello, S. (2012). Catalytic syntheses of amino acids and their significance for nebular and planetary chemistry. Meteorit. Planet. Sci. 47(8), 1291–1296.Google Scholar
Russell, M.J., Hall, A.J. & Turner, D. (1989) In vitro growth of iron sulphide chimneys: possible culture chambers for origin-of-life experiments. Terra Nova 1, 238–241.Google Scholar
Russell, M.J., Daniel, R.M., Hall, A.J. & Sherringham, J.A. (1994) A hydrothermally precipitated catalytic iron sulfide membrane as a first step toward life. J. Mol. Evol. 39(3), 231–243.Google Scholar
Russell, M.J., Hall, A.J. & Martin, W. (2010) Serpentinization as a source of energy at the origin of life. Geobiology 8(5), 355–371.Google Scholar
Satterfield, C.N., Hanlon, R.T., Tung, S.E., Zou, Z.M. & Papaefthymiou, G.C. (1986a). Effect of water on the iron-catalyzed Fischer–Tropsch synthesis. Ind. Eng. Chem. Prod. Res. Dev. 25(3), 407–414.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Satterfield, C.N., Hanlon, R.T., Tung, S.E., Zou, Z.M. & Papaefthymiou, G.C. (1986b). Initial behavior of a reduced fused-magnetite catalyst in the Fischer–Tropsch synthesis. Ind. Eng. Chem. Prod. Res. Dev. 25(3), 401–407.Google Scholar
Schulte, M., Blake, D., Hoehler, T. & Mccollom, T. (2006). Serpentinization and its implications for life on the early Earth and Mars. Astrobiology 6(2), 364–376.Google Scholar
Seewald, J.S., Zolotov, M.Y. & McCollom, T. (2006) Experimental investigation of single carbon compounds under hydrothermal conditions. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 70(2), 446–460.Google Scholar
Seyfried, W.E. & Foustoukos, D.I. & Fu, Q. (2007). Redox evolution and mass transfer during serpentinization: an experimental and theoretical study at 200°C, 500 bar with implications for ultramafic-hosted hydrothermal systems at Mid-Ocean Ridges. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 71(15), 3872–3886.Google Scholar
Sleep, N.H. (2010). The Hadean-Archaean Environment. Cold Spring Harb Perspect. Biol. 2(6), a002527.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sleep, N.H., Meibom, A., Fridriksson, T., Coleman, R.G. & Bird, D.K. (2004). H2-rich fluids from serpentinization: geochemical and biotic implications. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 101(35), 12818–12823.Google Scholar
Sleep, N.H., Bird, D.K. & Pope, E.C. (2011). Serpentinite and the dawn of life. Philos. Trans. R. Soc. B 366(1580), 2857–2869.Google Scholar
Swathi, R.S. & Sebastian, K.L. (2008). Molecular mechanism of heterogeneous catalysis. Resonance 13(6), 548–560.Google Scholar
Valley, J.W. et al. (2014). Hadean age for a post-magma-ocean zircon confirmed by atom-probe tomography. Nat. Geosci. 7, 219–223.Google Scholar
Walker, J.C.G. (1985). Carbon-dioxide on the early Earth. Origins Life Evol. B 16(2), 117–127.Google Scholar
Wilde, S.A., Valley, J.W., Peck, W.H. & Graham, C.M. (2001). Evidence from detrital zircons for the existence of continental crust and oceans on the Earth 4.4 Gyr ago. Nature 409(6817), 175–178.Google Scholar
Yoshida, T., Nishizawa, K., Tabata, M., Abe, H., Kodama, T., Tsuji, M. & Tamaura, Y. (1993). Methanation of CO2 with H2-reduced magnetite. J. Mater. Sci. 28(5), 1220–1226.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zahnle, K., Arndt, N., Cockell, C.S., Halliday, A., Nisbet, E., Selsis, F. & Sleep, N.H. (2007). Emergence of a habitable planet. Space Sci. Rev. 129(1–3), 35–78.Google Scholar
Zahnle, K.J. (2006). Earth's earliest atmosphere. Elements 2(4), 217–222.Google Scholar