Fossil stromatolites found at a hidden asteroid crater in South Korea could shed light on Earth’s oxygenation history.
Stromatolites are layered structures formed by ancient microbial communities, including oxygen-producing cyanobacteria.
Scientists propose that asteroid impacts may have catalyzed conditions favoring the rise of oxygen-generating life.
Earth’s atmosphere gained substantial oxygen roughly two billion years ago in an event called the Great Oxidation Event.
The South Korean crater had not been widely studied before the stromatolite discovery.
Impact events can deliver nutrients and alter local environments in ways that benefit microbial growth.
Geologists dated crater features and associated fossil layers to place the site in deep time.
Linking impacts to oxygenation remains debated, but the crater provides new physical evidence.
Researchers plan additional sampling to analyze chemical signatures in the stromatolite layers.
Understanding early oxygen producers helps explain how Earth became habitable for complex life.
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Sources:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/