近日，澳大利亚科廷大学Christopher L. Kirkland团队研究了3.47 Ga古太古代海洋中的大型穹窿叠层石。相关论文于2025年12月22日发表在《地质学》杂志上。

叠层石至少自35亿年（可能37亿年）前就成为地球生命存在的标志。自太古宙中期以来，叠层石记录呈现出多样的形态与规模，表明微生物已存在于多种生境中。相比之下，现存古太古代叠层石记录仅限于蒸发岩环境中形成的小型分米级穹窿、锥体及簇状结构。

研究组报道了在西澳大利亚皮尔巴拉克拉通古太古代（约34.7亿年）艾达山玄武岩中燧石-碧玉-碳酸盐岩段发现的大型穹窿状叠层石，其宽度约1.5米，高度达0.8米。沉积学特征与微量元素化学分析表明，这些叠层石生长于受热液影响的缺氧环境中海底枕状玄武岩之上。玄武质-科马提质洋壳的水文蚀变可能提供了关键营养物质，从而将底栖微生物栖息地扩展至古太古代深海区域，维系了一个独立于大陆暴露环境的繁荣生物圈。

附：英文原文

Title: Large domal stromatolites in the Paleoarchean ocean at 3.47 Ga

Author: Eva E. Stüeken, Anthony R. Prave, Liam O’Connor, Jonas Kaempf, Anthony Clarke, Tim E. Johnson, Christopher L. Kirkland

Issue&Volume: 2025-12-22

Abstract: Stromatolites are indicators of life on Earth since at least 3.5 Ga and possibly 3.7 Ga. From the mid-Archean onward, records of stromatolites display a range of morphologies and sizes, indicating that microorganisms were present in a variety of habitats. By comparison, the existing Paleoarchean stromatolite record is limited to small decimeter-scale domes, cones, and tufts that occur in evaporitic environments. Here, we document large domal stromatolites with ～1.5 m width and 0.8 m height from a chert-jasper-carbonate member in the Paleoarchean (ca. 3.47 Ga) Mount Ada Basalt, Pilbara craton, Western Australia. Sedimentological features and trace-element chemistry show that the stromatolites grew on seafloor pillow basalts in an anoxic environment with hydrothermal influence. Aqueous alteration of basaltic-komatiitic crust likely supplied key nutrients, extending benthic microbial habitats into the deeper Paleoarchean ocean and supporting a thriving biosphere independent of continental exposure.

DOI: 10.1130/G53960.1

Source: https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/geology/article-abstract/doi/10.1130/G53960.1/723698/Large-domal-stromatolites-in-the-PaleoarcheanredirectedFrom=fulltext