Abstract
Anomalous isotopic composition has been reported for the carbon in carbonate minerals of banded iron formations. Well studied examples show an enrichment in the light isotope of carbon, 12C. This enrichment presumably reflects unusual circumstances in the deposition of these sedimentary rocks. It is suggested here that the isotopically-light carbonate results from early diagenetic oxidation by bacteria of substantial amounts of isotopically light organic carbon. The electron acceptor that permits oxidation in the absence of free oxygen is presumed to be iron(III) which may have been significantly more abundant in the initial chemical precipitate than in the post-diagenetic sedimentary rock.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
James, H. L. & Trendall, A. F. in Mineral Deposits and the Evolution of the Biosphere (eds Holland, H. D. & Schidlowski, M.) 199–218 (Springer, Berlin, 1982).
Klein, C. & Bricker, O. P. Econ. Geol. 72, 1457–1470 (1977).
Gole, M. J. & Klein, C. J. Geol. 89, 169–183 (1981).
Cloud, P. E. Science 160, 729–736 (1968).
Walker, J. C. G. et al. in Earth's Earliest Biosphere: Its Origin and Evolution (ed. Schopf, J. W.) 260–290 (Princeton University Press, 1983).
Holland, H. D. Econ. Geol. 68, 1169–1172 (1973).
Drever, J. I. Bull. geol. Soc. Am. 85, 1099–1106 (1974).
Button, A. et al. in Mineral Deposits and the Evolution of the Biosphere (eds Holland, H. D. & Schidlowski, M.) 259–273 (Springer, Berlin, 1982).
Morris, R. C. & Horwitz, R. C. Precambr. Res. 21, 273–297 (1983).
Baur, M. E., Hayes, J. M., Studley, S. A. & Walter, M. R. Econ. Geol. (in the press).
Smith, R. E., Perdix, J. L. & Parks, T. C. J. Petrol. 23, 75–102 (1982).
Compston, W. et al. 6th Aust. Geol. Conv. Geol. Soc. Aust. Abstr. 3, 40 (1981).
Ewers, W. E. in Biogeochemistry of Ancient Environments (eds Trudinger, P. A., Walter, M. R. & Ralph, B. J.) 83–92 (Australian Academy of Science, Canberra, 1980).
Becker, R. H. & Clayton, R. N. Geochim. cosmochim. Acta 36, 577–595 (1972).
Perry, E. C., Tan, F. C. & Morey, G. B. Econ. Geol. 68, 1110–1125 (1973).
Thode, H. G. & Goodwin, A. M. Precambr. Res. 20, 337–356 (1983).
Golyshev, S. I., Padalko, N. L. & Pechenkin, S. A. Geochem. Int. 85–99 (1981) (transl. from Geokhimiya 10, 1427–1441; 1981).
Schidlowski, M., Eichmann, R. & Junge, C. E. Precambr. Res. 2, 1–69 (1975).
Veizer, J. & Hoefs, J. Geochim. cosmochim. Acta 40, 1387–1395 (1976).
Schidlowski, M., Hayes, J. M. & Kaplan, I. R. in Earth's Earliest Biosphere: Its Origin and Evolution (ed. Schopf, J. W.) 149–186 (Princeton University Press, 1983).
Irwin, H., Curtis, C. & Coleman, M. Nature 269, 209–213 (1977).
Degens, E. T. Organic Geochemistry; Methods and Results (eds Eglinton, G. & Murphy, M. T. J.) 304–329 (Springer, Berlin, 1969).
Deines, P. Handbook of Environmental Isotope Geochemistry Vol 1 (eds Fritz, P. & Fontes, J. C.) 329–406 (Elsevier, Amsterdam, 1980).
Claypool, G. E. & Kvenvolden, K. A. A. Rev. Earth planet. Sci. 11, 299–327 (1983).
Kasting, J. F. & Walker, J. C. G. J. geophys. Res. 86, 1147–1158 (1981).
Ewers, W. E. & Morris, R. C. Econ. Geol. 76, 1929–1953 (1981).
Berner, R. A. Principles of Chemical Sedimentology (McGraw-Hill, New York, 1971).
Berner, R. A. Early Diagenesis: A Theoretical Approach (Princeton University Press, 1980).
Cameron, E. M. Nature 296, 145–148 (1982).
Skyring, G. W. & Donnelly, T. H. Precambr. Res. 17, 41–61 (1982).
Walker, J. C. G. & Brimblecombe, P. Precambr. Res. (submitted).
Froelich, P. N. et al. Geochim. cosmoschim. Acta 43, 1075–1090 (1979).
Fenchel, T. & Blackburn, T. H. Bacteria and Mineral Cycling (Academic, London, 1979).
Karlin, R. & Levi, S. Nature 303, 327–330 (1983).
Cairns-Smith, A. G. Nature 276, 807–808 (1978).
Braterman, P. S., Cairns-Smith, A. G. & Sloper, R. W. Nature 303, 163–164 (1983).
Walker, J. C. G. Life Sci. Space Res. 8, 89–100 (1980).
Walter, M. R. & Hofmann, H. J. in Iron Formation: Facts and Problems (eds Trendall, A. F. & Morris, R. C.) (Elsevier, Amsterdam, in the press).
James, H. L. Econ. Geol. 49, 235–294 (1954).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Walker, J. Suboxic diagenesis in banded iron formations. Nature 309, 340–342 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1038/309340a0
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/309340a0
This article is cited by
-
Mineral evolution facilitated Earth’s oxidation
Communications Earth & Environment (2023)
-
The formation of magnetite ores of the Glubochenskoe deposit, Turgai iron belt, Russia: new structural, mineralogical, geochemical, and isotopic constraints
Mineralium Deposita (2021)
-
Microbial processes during deposition and diagenesis of Banded Iron Formations
PalZ (2021)
-
A key role for green rust in the Precambrian oceans and the genesis of iron formations
Nature Geoscience (2017)
-
Biological carbon precursor to diagenetic siderite with spherical structures in iron formations
Nature Communications (2013)
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.