Front Cover 1
Chemical Evolution of the Early Precambrian 4
Copyright Page 5
Table of Contents 6
List of Contributors 10
Preface 12
Chapter 1. Origin of the Atmosphere: History of the Release of Volatiles from the Solid Earth 14
I. Introduction 14
II. Secondary Origin of the Atmosphere 15
III. Evidence for Early Degassing 16
IV. Evidence for Continuing Release of Volatiles from the Upper Mantle 19
V. Degassing and Recycling 21
VI. Conclusion 22
Acknowledgments 22
REFERENCES 22
Chapter 2. Early Precambrian Weathering and Sedimentation: An Impressionistic View 26
I. Temperatures of the Early Precambrian 27
II. Weathering at 4.3 Billion Years before the Present 29
III. Sedimentation at 4.3 Billion Years before the Present 31
REFERENCES 36
Chapter 3. Very Old ( > 3100 Million Years) Rocks in North America
REFERENCES 39
Chapter 4. Three Arguments for Continual Evolution of Sial throughout Geologic Time 40
I. Introduction 41
II. Proterozoic Shields 42
III. Phanerozoic Continental Growth 44
IV. Composition of Graywackes 47
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 50
REFERENCES 50
Chapter 5. Archean Geology and Evidence of Ancient Life in the Slave Structural Province, Canada 54
I. Yellowknife-Hearne Lake Area 57
II. Nature of the Archean Crust in the Slave Province 61
III. The Extent of the Archean Record in the Slave Province 63
IV. Evidence of Ancient Life in the Archean of the Slave Province 64
REFERENCES 66
Chapter 6. Carbon Contents of Early Precambrian Rocks 68
Acknowledgments 73
REFERENCES 73
Chapter 7. Condensed Phosphates from Abiotic Systems in Nature 74
I. Introduction 74
II. The Formation of Condensed Phosphates 75
III. Examples of the Formation of Condensed Phosphates 75
IV. The Preparation of P4O10 76
V. The Removal of M2O from Orthophosphate 76
VI. The Removal of Water of Constitution 77
VII. Oxygen Substitution Reaction 79
VIII. The Decomposition of Salts of Lower Oxides 79
IX. Condensed Phosphate Minerals 79
X. Conclusion 80
REFERENCES 80
Chapter 8. Hydrocarbons and Fatty Acids in Oil Shale of Permian Irati Formation, Brazil 82
I. Introduction 83
II. Experimental 83
III. Results 84
IV. Discussion 89
Acknowledgment 91
REFERENCES 91
Chapter 9. The Stable Isotopes of Hydrogen in Precambrian Organic Matter 94
I. Introduction 94
II. Experimental 95
III. Discussion 95
REFERENCES 99
Chapter 10. Evolution of the Terrestrial Oxygen Budget 100
I. Introduction 100
II. Geochemical Carbon Cycle and Terrestrial Oxygen Budget 101
III. Terrestrial 13C Mass Balance 103
IV. Stationary Sedimentary Mass and Evolution of Photosynthetic Oxygen 107
V. Paleoenvironmental Implications of the Model 109
Acknowledgments 111
REFERENCES 111
Chapter 11. Evidences of Archean Life 114
I. Chemical Evidence 114
II. Morphological Evidence 115
REFERENCES 116
Chapter 12. Earliest Evidence of Fossil Eucaryotes 120
REFERENCES 122
Chapter 13. Paleobiology of Stromatolites 124
I. Introduction 125
II. The Stromatolites 126
III. Stromatolite Biostratigraphy 129
IV. Paleobiology of Stromatolites 131
V. Gunflint Stromatolites 134
VI. Conclusions 136
Acknowledgments 142
REFERENCES 142
Chapter 14. Natural Mechanisms of Protection of a Blue-Green Alga against Ultraviolet Light 146
I. Introduction 146
II. Materials and Methods 148
Acknowledgments 153
REFERENCES 153
Chapter 15. Kakabekia, a Review of Its Physiological and Environmental Features and Their Relation to Its Possible Ancient Affinities 156
I. Material and Methods 158
II. Results and Discussion 159
Acknowledgments 167
References 167
Chapter 16. A Discussion of Biogenicity Criteria in a Geological Context with Examples from a Very Old Greenstone Belt, a Late Precambrian Deformed Zone, and Tectonized Phanerozoic Rocks 168
Acknowledgments 182
REFERENCES 182
Chapter 17. Synthetic Organic Microstructures as Model Systems for Early Protobionts 184
I. Synthesis of Organic Microstructures 185
II. Morphology by Light Microscopy 185
III. Morphology by Transmission Electron Microscopy 189
IV. Chemical Studies 189
V. Catalytic Properties 189
VI. Kinetics of Synthesis 190
VII. Discussion 190
Acknowledgments 192
REFERENCES 192
Chapter 18. Comparison of Laboratory Silicified Blue-Green Algae with Precambrian Microorganisms 194
REFERENCES 195
Chapter 19. Eoastrion and the Metallogenium Problem 198
REFERENCES 199
Chapter 20. Evolution of Mitosis and the Late Appearance of Metazoa, Metaphyta, and Fungi 200
REFERENCES 201
Chapter 21. Iron-Sulfur Proteins and Superoxide Dismutases in the Evolution of Photosynthetic Bacteria and Algae 204
I. The Iron-Sulfur Proteins 205
II. Superoxide Dismutases 213
REFERENCES 222
Chapter 22. Low Oxygen Levels and the Palmitoyl CoA Desaturase of Yeast: Relation to Primitive Biological Evolution 224
REFERENCES 227
Subject Index 228