Fig Tree Formation
The Fig Tree Formation, also called Fig Tree Group, is a stromatolite-containing geological formation in South Africa dated to around 3.28–3.22 Ga. The rock contains fossils of microscopic life forms that are about 3.26 billion years old. Identified organisms include the bacterium Eobacterium isolatum and the algae-like Archaeosphaeroides barbertonensis. The fossils in the Fig Tree Formation are considered some of the oldest known organisms on Earth, and provide evidence that life may have existed much earlier than previously thought. The formation is composed of shales, turbiditic greywackes, volcaniclastic sandstones, chert, turbiditic siltstone, conglomerate, breccias, mudstones, and iron-rich shales.
| Fig Tree Formation | |
|---|---|
| Stratigraphic range: Paleoarchean ~ | |
| Type | Geological formation |
| Unit of | Barberton Supergroup |
| Underlies | Moodies Group |
| Overlies | Onverwacht Group |
| Lithology | |
| Primary | Sandstone |
| Other | Shale |
| Location | |
| Location | Kaapvaal craton |
| Coordinates | 25°48′S 31°00′E / 25.8°S 31.0°E |
| Region | Barberton Greenstone Belt, Mpumalanga |
| Country | South Africa |
 Location of the Barberton Greenstone Belt | |
The Fig Tree Formation, also called Fig Tree Group, is a stromatolite-containing geological formation in South Africa dated to around 3.28–3.22 Ga.[1] The rock contains fossils of microscopic life forms that are about 3.26 billion years old.[2] Identified organisms include the bacterium Eobacterium isolatum and the algae-like Archaeosphaeroides barbertonensis. The fossils in the Fig Tree Formation are considered some of the oldest known organisms on Earth, and provide evidence that life may have existed much earlier than previously thought. The formation is composed of shales, turbiditic greywackes, volcaniclastic sandstones, chert, turbiditic siltstone, conglomerate, breccias, mudstones, and iron-rich shales.[3]
Meteorite impact
[edit]This formation also contains evidence of the biggest known meteorite impact on Earth.[4]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b Drabon, Nadja; Lowe, Donald R. (1 May 2022). "Progressive accretion recorded in sedimentary rocks of the 3.28–3.23 Ga Fig Tree Group, Barberton Greenstone Belt". GSA Bulletin. 134 (5–6): 1258–1276. Bibcode:2022GSAB..134.1258D. doi:10.1130/B35973.1. eISSN 1943-2674. ISSN 0016-7606.
- ^ 2015 - Brown - Exploring the Evolution of Oxygen on the Early Earth: Constraining the Evolution of Oxidative Phosphorylation Through the Utilization of Uranium Isotopes
- ^ Barberton geological field mapping report 2012
- ^ Drabon, Nadja; Knoll, Andrew H.; Lowe, Donald R.; Bernasconi, Stefano M.; Brenner, Alec R.; Mucciarone, David A. (29 October 2024). "Effect of a giant meteorite impact on Paleoarchean surface environments and life". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 121 (44). doi:10.1073/pnas.2408721121. eISSN 1091-6490. ISSN 0027-8424. PMC 11536127. PMID 39432780. S2CID 273503833. e2408721121.
Further reading
[edit]- "Fig Tree microfossils". Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc. 2016. Retrieved Oct 9, 2016.
- Byerly G.R., Lower D.R. & Walsh M.M. (1986). Stromatolites from the 3300–3500-Myr Swaziland Supergroup, Barberton Mountain Land, South Africa. Nature, 319: 489–491.
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