Asteroid impact 3 billion years ago sparked early life on Earth
New geological research suggests that a gigantic asteroid impact over 3 billion years ago, despite creating extreme conditions on our planet, may have created a conducive environment for the flourishing of early bacterial life forms.
8:05 AM EDT, October 24, 2024
Harvard University scientists, led by geologist Nadja Drabon, analyzed rocks from the Barberton Greenstone Belt in South Africa to reconstruct events from 3.26 billion years ago. Geological evidence points to an asteroid impact known as S2, estimated to be up to 200 times larger than the object that led to the extinction of the dinosaurs.
The powerful collision triggered a tsunami, mixing ocean waters and transferring dust from land to coastal areas. The heat generated by the impact caused the surface layers of the oceans to boil and the atmosphere to heat up. A dense dust cloud rose into the air, blocking sunlight and preventing photosynthesis.
The first traces of bacterial life on Earth didn't last long
Despite these drastic changes, bacterial life not only survived but quickly rebounded. According to Drabon's team analysis, there was a rapid increase in populations of unicellular organisms utilizing iron and phosphorus. Iron was likely moved from the ocean depths to shallower areas, while phosphorus came from both the meteorite and increased land erosion.
We think of impacts as catastrophic for life. But this research shows that they also provided benefits to life, and particularly in the early stages, they could actually allow it to thrive, believes Drabon, as quoted by the Polish Press Agency.
This short-term shift of the ecosystem towards iron-using bacteria is an important element in understanding the beginnings of life on our planet.
Research conducted in the Barberton Greenstone Belt on the eastern edge of the Kaapvaal craton—considered to be the Earth's original crust from 3.5 to 2.5 billion years ago—revealed evidence of at least eight similar meteorite impacts. The results were published in the journal "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences," and scientists plan to continue their work to further explore the impact of these ancient events on the evolution of life on Earth.
