Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-gtxcr Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-17T06:22:13.467Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Impact during the proterozoic era possibly inundated the earth with phosphorus

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 May 2009

M.S. Sisodia
M.S. Sisodia
Affiliation:
Department of Geology, J N Vyas University, Jodhpur342005, India e-mail: sisodia.ms@gmail.com
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The stromatolites of the Precambrian Aravalli Supergroup outcropping around Udaipur, Rajasthan, India are classified into two distinct lithofacies: the older carbonate stromatolites facies and the younger phosphate-bearing stromatolite facies. Phosphate-bearing stromatolites of the same age have been reported from China, Russia and Australia. The phosphate-bearing stromatolites of Udaipur show fossil cyanobacteria. These cyanobacteria grew luxuriantly in the absence of any competitors and accumulated abnormal amounts of phosphorus from the novo phosphorus-rich environment, eventually forming a workable phosphate deposit owing to their post-mortem alteration. There is a sharp and abrupt contact between the two facies. This sharp contact or diastem underlying the phosphate-bearing stromatolites is of extreme importance as it denotes a stratigraphic hiatus characterizing a period of overall change in the environment. This change could be due to some catastrophic episode. The Earth during its geologic history has been subjected to several such episodes caused by certain high-energy events, such as impacts by extraterrestrial bodies. These impacts caused mass extinctions as occurred at the Permian–Triassic or Cretaceous–Tertiary boundary or the emergence of new flora and fauna as occurred at the Precambrian–Cambrian boundary. It is therefore argued that the diastem noted between carbonate and phosphate-bearing stromatolites is possibly due to an impact that inundated the Earth with phosphorus. Phosphorus is a key constituent of proteins, which are the major repository of chemical energy for metabolism. Its abundance after this event triggered the emergence of new advanced species.

Keywords

Phosphateorigin of lifeimpactstromatolitic phosphorites
Type
Research Article
Information
International Journal of Astrobiology , Volume 8 , Special Issue 3: Special issue Papers from ESLAB 2008 Symposium Cosmic Cataclysms and Life , July 2009 , pp. 187 - 191
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2009

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

Banerjee, D.M. (1971). Geol. Soc. Am. Bull. 82, 2319–2330.Google Scholar
Banerjee, D.M. (ed.) (1983). Mem. Geol. Soc. India 13, 9–23.Google Scholar
Chauhan, D.S. (1979). Precamb. Res. 8, 95–126.Google Scholar
Choudhary, A.K., Gopalan, K. & Sastry, C.A. (1984). Tectonophysics 105, 131–140.Google Scholar
Cook, P.J. & Shergold, J.H. (1986). Phosphate Deposits of the World, p. 327. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.Google Scholar
Fareeduddin, & Kroner, A. (1998). Indian Precambrian, ed. Paliwal, B.S., pp. 547–556. Scientific Publishers.Google Scholar
Gopalan, K., McDougall, J.D., Roy, A.B. & Murali, A.V. (1990). Precamb. Res. 48, 287–297.Google Scholar
Heron, A.M. (1953). Mem. Geol. Surv. India 79, 339.Google Scholar
Kazakov, A.V. (1937). Leningrad Sci. Inst. Frt. Insecto-Fungicides Trans. 142, 95–113.Google Scholar
Logan, B.W., Rezak, R. & Ginzberg, R.N. (1964). J. Geol. 72, 68–83.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McKelvey, V.E., Williams, J.S., Sheldon, R.P., Cressman, E.R., Cheney, T.M. & Swanson, R.W. (1959). U.S. Geol. Surv. Prof. paper 311-A, pp. 1–47, 226.Google Scholar
Monty, C.L.V. (1967). Ann. Soc. Geol. Belg. 90, 55–102.Google Scholar
Muktinath, & Sant, V.N. (1967). Current Science 36, 638.Google Scholar
Pasek, M.A. & Lauretta, D.A. (2005). Astrobiology 5, 515–535.Google Scholar
Playford, P.E. & Cockbain, A.E. (1976). Stromatolites, ed. Walter, M.R., pp. 543–564. Elsevier, Amsterdam.Google Scholar
Rathore, S.S. (1995). Unpublished Ph.D. thesis, M.S. Uni. Baroda, 175 pp.Google Scholar
Roy, A.B. & Jakhar, S.R. (2002). Geology of Rajasthan (Northwest India) Precambrian to Recent, p. 421. Scientific Publishers, India.Google Scholar
Roy, A.B. & Kroner, A. (1996). Geol. Mag. 133, 333–342.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sarkar, G., Ray Barman, T. & Corfu, F. (1989). J. Geol. 97, 607–612.Google Scholar
Sepkoski, J.J. Jr. (1992). Paleobiology 19, 43–51.Google Scholar
Serebryakov, S.N. & Semikhatov, M.A. (1974). Am. J. Sci. 274, 556–574.Google Scholar
Sisodia, M.S. (1991). Current Science 60, 497–499.Google Scholar
Sisodia, M.S. (2008). Astrobiology 8, 360.Google Scholar
Sisodia, M.S. & Chauhan, D.S. (1990). Phosphate Research and Development, Sp. Pub. 52, eds Notholt, A.J.G. & Jarvis, I., pp. 313–320. Geological Society, London.Google Scholar
Sisodia, M.S. & Chauhan, D.S. (1998). Indian Precambrian, ed. Paliwal, B.S., pp. 171–182. Scientific Publishers.Google Scholar
Swanson, R.W. (1959). U.S. Geol. Surv. Prof. paper 311-A, pp. 1–47.Google Scholar
Volpe, A.M. & Mcdougall, J.D. (1990). Precamb. Res. 48, 167–191, 209.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wiedenbeck, M. & Goswami, J.N. (1994). Geochem. Cosmochem. Acta 58, 2135–2141.Google Scholar
Wiedenbeck, M., Goswami, J.N. & Roy, A.B. (1996). Chemical Geol. 129, 325–340.Google Scholar