“Microbes in Snowball Earth oceans may have formed massive iron deposits without sunlight” — what this page in the network covers. A new study suggests that iron ore deposits from the Snowball Earth period, around 700 million years ago, may have been formed by microbes that did not need sunlight. This challenges the long-held belief that ancient photosynthetic bacteria were responsible for oxidizing iron and creating these deposits. The research focuses on iron formations linked to global glaciations, when ice covered much of the planet and sunlight was scarce in the oceans.
The findings indicate that chemolithotrophic microbes, which derive energy from inorganic compounds, could have oxidized iron in the absence of light. This matters because it reshapes our understanding of early life's role in shaping Earth's geology and the conditions that led to the formation of economically important iron ores. This listing links straight to the original page, where the content is available in full.