Scientists discovered fossil-like stromatolites inside South Korea’s Hapcheon meteorite crater, suggesting the impact site may hold clues about how oxygen-producing microbial life flourished in post-collision hydrothermal lakes on early Earth.
Researchers from the Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources reported dome-shaped structures measuring 10 to 20 centimeters in the crater’s northwest sector. The study published in Communications Earth and Environment linked the formations to warm, mineral-rich lakes created after an asteroid strike roughly 42,300 years ago.
Stromatolites are layered structures built by microbial communities including cyanobacteria that generate oxygen through photosynthesis. The team found chemical signatures consistent with hydrothermal activity and possible meteoritic material embedded in the structures.
Lead author Jaesoo Lim said similar impact-generated lakes on the ancient Earth may have functioned as localized oxygen oases during the Great Oxidation Event about 2.4 billion years ago. Researchers said the findings could also inform searches for biosignatures in crater environments on Mars.
Radiocarbon dating of charcoal in impact breccias indicated the Hapcheon strike occurred about 42,300 years ago, according to the Communications Earth and Environment paper. Rare earth element analyses showed positive europium anomalies consistent with hydrothermal influence on stromatolite growth. KIGAM first confirmed the crater in 2020, extending prior geological surveys across South Gyeongsang Province.
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Sources:
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