Coupled Fe and S isotope evidence for Archean microbial Fe(III) and sulfate reduction

Research Article| March 01, 2006 Coupled Fe and S isotope evidence for Archean microbial Fe(III) and sulfate reduction Corey Archer; Corey Archer 1Department of Geology, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, Surrey TW20 0EX, UK, and Department of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Wills Memorial Building, Bristol BS8 1RJ, UK Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Derek Vance Derek Vance 2Department of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Wills Memorial Building, Bristol BS8 1RJ, UK Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Corey Archer 1Department of Geology, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, Surrey TW20 0EX, UK, and Department of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Wills Memorial Building, Bristol BS8 1RJ, UK Derek Vance 2Department of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Wills Memorial Building, Bristol BS8 1RJ, UK Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 20 Jul 2005 Revision Received: 27 Oct 2005 Accepted: 31 Oct 2005 First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 Geological Society of America Geology (2006) 34 (3): 153–156. https://doi.org/10.1130/G22067.1 Article history Received: 20 Jul 2005 Revision Received: 27 Oct 2005 Accepted: 31 Oct 2005 First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Permissions Search Site Citation Corey Archer, Derek Vance; Coupled Fe and S isotope evidence for Archean microbial Fe(III) and sulfate reduction. Geology 2006;; 34 (3): 153–156. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/G22067.1 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract Direct fossil evidence for early microbial life on Earth is rare. Microbiological data indicate that sulfate and iron reduction are both among the earliest forms of microbial respiration, and direct evidence for the early origin of sulfate reduction comes from sulfur isotopic anomalies in ancient sediments. Fe isotope geochemistry potentially provides a new way of identifying microbial iron reduction early in Earth's history. We present Fe isotopic data for sedimentary pyrite from the 2.7 Ga Belingwe sedimentary basin in Zimbabwe. Isotopically light Fe and a remarkable covariation between Fe and S isotopes provide strong evidence for coexisting Fe and S reduction. Our results are consistent with an early origin for sulfate reduction and provide direct geochemical evidence for the antiquity of bacterial Fe reduction. The covariation of Fe and S isotopes may provide a useful new tracer of microbial evolution early in Earth history. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.