Geochemical constraints on the Hadean environment from mineral fingerprints of prokaryotes

The environmental conditions on the Earth before 4 billion years ago are highly uncertain, largely because of the lack of a substantial rock record from this period. During this time interval, known as the Hadean, the young planet transformed from an uninhabited world to the one capable of supporting, and inhabited by the first living cells. These cells formed in a fluid environment they could not at first control, with homeostatic mechanisms developing only later. It is therefore possible that present-day organisms retain some record of the primordial fluid in which the first cells formed. Here we present new data on the elemental compositions and mineral fingerprints of both Bacteria and Archaea, using these data to constrain the environment in which life formed. The cradle solution that produced this elemental signature was saturated in barite, sphene, chalcedony, apatite, and clay minerals. The presence of these minerals, as well as other chemical features, suggests that the cradle environment of life may have been a weathering fluid interacting with dry-land silicate rocks. The specific mineral assemblage provides evidence for a moderate Hadean climate with dry and wet seasons and a lower atmospheric abundance of CO2 than is present today.Fil: Novoselov, Alexey A.. Universidad de Concepción; ChileFil: Silva, Dailto. Universidade Estadual de Campinas; BrasilFil: Schneider, Jerusa. Universidade Estadual de Campinas; BrasilFil: Abrevaya, Ximena Celeste. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciónes Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Astronomía y Física del Espacio. - Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Astronomía y Física del Espacio; ArgentinaFil: Chaffin, Michael S.. State University Of Colorado Boulder; Estados UnidosFil: Serrano, Paloma. Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre For Polar And Marine Research,; AlemaniaFil: Navarro, Margareth Sugano. Universidade Estadual de Campinas; BrasilFil: Conti, Maria Josiane. André Tosello Institute; BrasilFil: Souza Filho, Carlos Roberto de. Universidade Estadual de Campinas; Brasi

Evaluation of uncertainties in solid–aqueous–gas chemical equilibrium calculations

FAPESP - FUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULOCNPQ - CONSELHO NACIONAL DE DESENVOLVIMENTO CIENTÍFICO E TECNOLÓGICOThermodynamic calculations are traditionally carried out under the assumption of specified input parameters. Errors associated to the results are not often estimated. Here, we propose a novel algorithm that propagates the uncertainty intervals on thermodynamic constants to the uncertainty in chemical equilibrium compositions. The computing uses a dataset of uncertainties on thermodynamic parameters for minerals, solution species and gases consistent with the SUPCRT92 database. Also the algorithm of nonlinear optimization is thoroughly described and realized on a base of the CRONO software. This code can be incorporated into reactive mass transport models as a core for calculating equilibrium compositions. The performance of the algorithm is tested in an experimental system involving Mont Tern's Opalinus Clay interacting with pore water. Its effectiveness is also evaluated against Monte Carlo simulations and Latin Hypercube sampling. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Thermodynamic calculations are traditionally carried out under the assumption of specified input parameters. Errors associated to the results are not often estimated. Here, we propose a novel algorithm that propagates the uncertainty intervals on thermodynamic constants to the uncertainty in chemical equilibrium compositions. The computing uses a dataset of uncertainties on thermodynamic parameters for minerals, solution species and gases consistent with the SUPCRT92 database. Also the algorithm of nonlinear optimization is thoroughly described and realized on a base of the CRONO software. This code can be incorporated into reactive mass transport models as a core for calculating equilibrium compositions. The performance of the algorithm is tested in an experimental system involving Mont Tern's Opalinus Clay interacting with pore water. Its effectiveness is also evaluated against Monte Carlo simulations and Latin Hypercube sampling79118128FAPESP - FUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULOCNPQ - CONSELHO NACIONAL DE DESENVOLVIMENTO CIENTÍFICO E TECNOLÓGICOFAPESP - FUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULOCNPQ - CONSELHO NACIONAL DE DESENVOLVIMENTO CIENTÍFICO E TECNOLÓGICOFAPESP [2011/12682-3]CNPq [164939/2014-8]2011/12682-3164939/2014-