Banded Iron Formations are characteristic iron-rich rocks. The deposition of these rocks occured in specific time intervals in Earth history, such as during the first Great Oxygenation Event (GOE) at ca. 2.4-2.2 billion years ago and after the Neoproterozoic Snowball Earth glaciations (Rapitan-type iron formations). A number of factors seem to have been interconnected inContinuar lendo “Microbes influence the formation of iron deposits and can be used in energy fuel cells / Micróbios influenciam na formação de depósitos de ferro e podem ser usados em células de geração de energia”
Arquivos da categoria: Fossil Life
Stromatolites, the oldest living fossils, part 2: Lagoa Salgada, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil / Estromatólitos, os mais velhos fósseis vivos, parte 2: Lagoa Salgada
Another place where we can find recent stromatolites, Earth’s oldest living fossils (see last post for more info) is at Lagoa Salgada, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The pools are for salt evaporation and exploration. Thanks @samyrvq for the very cool pics! Outro local onde podemos encontrar estromatólitos recentes, os fósseis vivos mais antigos da TerraContinuar lendo “Stromatolites, the oldest living fossils, part 2: Lagoa Salgada, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil / Estromatólitos, os mais velhos fósseis vivos, parte 2: Lagoa Salgada”
Stromatolites, the oldest living fossils – part 1: Shark Bay, Australia / Estromatólitos, os mais velhos fósseis vivos, parte 1: Shark Bay
Stromatolites are the oldest known evidence of life, dating back to more than 3.5 billion years ago. They are formed by colonies of cyanobacteria that trap mostly calcareous sediments in column-shaped structures. Nowadays they only occur in places with high salinity where animals that mess up the ocean floor in search of food (the seagrazers)Continuar lendo “Stromatolites, the oldest living fossils – part 1: Shark Bay, Australia / Estromatólitos, os mais velhos fósseis vivos, parte 1: Shark Bay”
The Ozone Layer and Mass Extinctions
Could damage to the ozone layer cause mass extinctions? Researchers from the University of Southampton presented evidence that this happened 360 million years ago. Changes in the atmosphere chemistry allowed for UV rays to hit harder and cause mutations that led to the extinction of various life forms. Could this happen again? It’s not wiseContinuar lendo “The Ozone Layer and Mass Extinctions”
Corumbella werneri from Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil
Photo by F. Caxito This little fellow is Corumbella werneri (Hahn et al., 1982), one of the oldest animal fossils in South America. Here it is seen in limestone from Corumbá, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. Corumbella and her cousin, Cloudina, are among the first animals to develop a calcareous shell. Why did they doContinuar lendo “Corumbella werneri from Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil”
Project MOBILE 