Serpentinization, abiogenic organic compounds, and deep life

Science China Earth Sciences

Volumn 57, Issue 5, 2014, Pages 878-887

  Wang, XianBin ^a   Ouyang, ZiYuan ^b   Zhuo, ShengGuang ^c   Zhang, MingFeng ^a   Zheng, GuoDong ^a   Wang, YongLi ^a  

^a INSTITUTE OF GEOLOGY AND GEOPHYSICS   (China)

^b CHINESE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES   (China)

^c NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY AT QINHUANGDAO   (China)

Author keywords

abiogenic origin; organic compound; origin of life; serpentinization; ultramafic rocks

Indexed keywords

BIOLOGY; ENERGY RESOURCES; HYDROCARBONS; MAGNESITE; NATURAL GAS; NATURAL GAS DEPOSITS; ORGANIC COMPOUNDS; PETROLEUM DEPOSITS;

ABIOGENIC ORIGIN; HYDRATION REACTION; MICROBIAL COMMUNITIES; NATURAL GAS RESOURCES; ORIGIN OF LIFE; SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY; SERPENTINIZATION; ULTRAMAFIC ROCKS;

PETROLEUM PROSPECTING;

HYDRATION; IGNEOUS GEOCHEMISTRY; MICROBIAL COMMUNITY; OPHIOLITE; ORGANIC COMPOUND; ORIGIN OF LIFE; SERPENTINIZATION; ULTRAMAFIC ROCK;

CHINA; SONGLIAO BASIN;

EID: 84899974052     PISSN: 16747313     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1007/s11430-014-4821-8     Document Type: Article

References (111)

1. Abrajano T A, Sturchio N C, Bohlke J K, et al. 1988. Methane-hydrogen gas seeps, Zambales ophiolite, Philippines: Deep or shallow origin? Chem Geol, 71: 211-222.
2. Abrajano T A, Sturchio N C, Kennedy B M, et al. 1990. Geochemistry of reduced gas related to serpentinization of the Zambales Ophiolite, Philippines. Appl Geochem, 5: 625-630.
3. Alt J C, Shanks III W C, Bach W, et al. 2007. Hydrothermal alteration and microbial sulfate reduction in peridotite and gabbro exposed by detachment faulting at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, 15°20′N (ODP Leg 209): A sulfur and oxygen isotope study. Geochem Geophys Geosyst, 8: 1-2.
4. Alt J C, Shanks III W C. 1998. Sulfur in serpentinized oceanic peridotites: Serpentinization processes and microbial sulfate reduction. J Geophys Res, 103: 9917-9929.
5. Amend J P, McCollom T M, Hentscher M, et al. 2011. Catabolic and anabolic energy for chemolithoautotrophs in deep-sea hydrothermal systems hosted in different rock types. Geochim Cosmochim Acta, 75: 5736-5748.
6. Amend J P, Shock E. 1998. Energetics of amino acid synthesis in hydrothermal ecosystems. Science, 281: 1659-1662.
7. Arndt N T. 1983. Role of a thin, komatiite-rich oceanic crust in the Archean plate-tectonic process. Geology, 11: 372-375.
8. Atreya S. 2007. Titan's organic factory. Science, 316: 843-845.
9. Aubrey A D, Cleaves H J, Bada J L. 2009. The role of submarine hydrothermal systems in the synthesis of amino acids. Origins Life Evol Biosphere, 39: 91-108.
10. Baross J A, Hoffman S E. 1985. Submarine hydrothermal vents and associated gradient environments as sites for the origin and evolution of life. Origins Life, 15: 327-345.
11. Blais S, Auvray B. 1990. Serpentinization in the Archean komatiitic rocks of the Kuhmo greenstone belt, eastern Finland. Can Mineral, 28: 55-66.
12. Blank J G, Green S J, Blake D, et al. 2009. An alkaline spring system within the Del Puerto Ophiolite (California, USA): A Mars analog site. Planet Space Sci, 57: 533-540.
13. Bradley A S, Hayes J M, Summons R E. 2009. Extraordinary 13C enrichment of diether lipids at the Lost City Hydrothermal Field indicates a carbon-limited ecosystem. Geochim Cosmochim Acta, 73: 102-118.
14. Bradley A S, Summons R E. 2010. Multiple origins of methane at the Lost City Hydrothermal Field. Earth Planet Sci Lett, 297: 34-41.
15. Cannat M, Fontaine F, Escartin J. 2010. Serpentinization and associated hydrogen and methane fluxes at slow-spreading ridges. In: Rona P A, Devey C W, Dyment J, et al. eds, Diversity of Hydrothermal Systems on Slow Spreading Ocean Ridges. Washington D C: Am Geophys Union. 241-264.
16. Carrasco N, Schmitz-Afonso I, Bonnet J Y, et al. 2009. Chemical characterization of Titan's tholins: Solubility, morphology and molecular structure revisted. J Phys Chem A, 113: 11195-111203.
17. 4 vent fluids issuing from ultramafic rocks at the Rainbow hydrothermal field (36°14′N, MAR). Chem Geol, 191: 345-359.
18. 4 and evidence of abiotic hydrocarbon synthesis by serpentinization in ultramafic-hosted hydrothermal systems on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Am Geophys Union, Geophys Monograph Ser, 188: 265-296.
19. 4 plumes generated by serpentinization of ultramafic rocks at the intersection of the 15°20′ N fracture zone and the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Geochim Cosmochim Acta, 62: 2323-2333.
20. Coulton A J, Harper G D, O'Hanley D S. 1995. Oceanic versus emplacement age serpentinization in the Josephine ophiolite: Implications for the nature of the Moho at intermediate and slow spreading ridges. J Geophys Res, 100: 22245-22260.
21. Dilek Y, Furnes H. 2011. Ophiolite genesis and global tectonics: Geochemical and tectonic fingerprinting of ancient oceanic lithosphere. Geol Soc Am Bull, 123: 387-411.
22. Dmitriev L V, Bazylev B A, Silant'ev S A, et al. 2000. Formation of hydrogen and methane by serpentinization of mantle ultramafic rocks and origin of oil. Ros Zhurn Nauko Zemle, 1: 1-13.
23. Edwards K J, Wheat C G, Sylvan J B. 2011. Under the sea: Microbial life in volcanic oceanic crust. Nature Rev Microbiol, 9: 703-712.
24. Emmanuel S, Ague J J. 2007. Implications of present-day abiogenic methane fluxes for the early Archean atmosphere. Geophys Res Lett, 34: 1-5.
25. Etiope G, Schoell M, Hosgörmez H. 2011. Abiotic methane flux from the Chimaera seep and Tekirova ophiolites (Turkey): Understanding gas exhalation from low temperature serpentinization and implications for Mars. Earth Planet Sci Lett, 310: 96-104.
26. Evans B W. 2010. Lizardite versus antigorite serpentinite: Magnetite, hydrogen, and life. Geology, 38: 879-882.
27. Fiebig J, Woodland A B, Alessandro W D, et al. 2009. Excess methane in continental hydrothermal emissions is abiogenic. Geology, 37: 495-498.
28. Foustoukos D I, Seyfried Jr W E. 2004. Hydrocarbons in hydrothermal vent fluids: The role of Chromium-bearing catalysts. Science, 304: 1002-1005.
29. Friend C R L, Bennett V C, Nutman A P. 2002. Abyssal peridotites >3800 Ma from southern West Greenland: Field relationships, petrography, geochronology, whole-rock and mineral chemistry of dunite and harzburgite inclusions in the Itsaq Gneiss Complex. Contrib Mineral Petrol, 143: 71-92.
30. 13C evidence for low temperature production of hydrogen and methane in a highly alkaline groundwater environment in Oman. In: Kharaka Y K, Maest A S, eds. Proceedings of the 7th International Symposium on Water-rock Interaction. 793-796.
31. Frost B R. 1985. On the stability of sulfides, oxides, and native metals in serpentinite. J Petrol, 26: 31-63.
32. Früh-Green G L, Connolly J A D, Plas A, et al. 2004. Serpentinization of oceanic peridotites: Implications for geochemical cycles and biological activity. In: The Subseafloor Biosphere at Mid-Ocean Ridges, Geophys. Am Geophys Union Monograph Ser, 144: 119-136.
33. Giardini A A, Melton C E, Mitchel R S. 1982. The nature of the upper 400km of the Earth and its potential as the source for non-biogenic petroleum. J Pet Geol, 5: 173-189.
34. Gold T, Soter S. 1980. The deep-earth gas hypothesis. Sci Am, 242: 154-161.
35. Haggerty J A, Fisher J B. 1992. Short-chain organic acids in interstitial waters from Mariana and Bonin forearc serpentinites: Leg 1251. In: Fryer P, Coleman P, Pearce J A, et al, eds. Proceedings of the Ocean Drilling Program, Scientific Results. Texas Ocean Drilling Program. 387-395.
36. Han G Q, Liu Y J, Wen Q B, et al. 2011. The zircon chronology and its tectonic significance of Permian detrital sandstone in the west Lamulun river suture zone north (in Chinese with English abstract). Earth Sci, 36: 687-702.
37. Hennet R J C, Holm N G, Engel M H. 1992. Abiotic synthesis of amino acids under hydrothermal conditions and the origin of life-A perpetual phenomenon. Naturwissenschaften, 79: 361-365.
38. Holm N G, Andersson E M. 1998. Organic molecules on the primitive Earth: Hydrothermal systems. In: Brack A, ed. The Molecular Origins of Life: Assembling Pieces of the Puzzle. Cambriadge: Cambridge University Press. 86-99.
39. Holm N G, Charlou J L. 2001. Initial indications of abioti formation of hydrocarbons in the Rainbow ultramafic hydrothermal system, Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Earth Planet Sci Lett, 191: 1-8.
40. Horita J, Berndt M E. 1999. Abiogenic methane formation and isotopic fractionation under hydrothermal conditions. Science, 85: 1055-1057.
41. Hörst S M, Yelle R V, Buch A, et al. 2012. Formation of amino acids and nucleotide bases in a Titan atmosphere simulation experiment. Astrobiology, 12: 809-817.
42. Hosgormez H, Etiope G, Yalçin M N. 2008. New evidence for a mixed inorganic and organic origin of the Olympic Chimaera fire (Turkey): A large onshore seepage of abiogenic gas. Geofluids, 8: 263-275.
43. Ivarsson M. 2008. Fossilized microorganisms associated with zeolitecarbonate interfaces in sub-seafloor hydrothermal environments. Geobiology, 6: 155-170.
44. Iyer K, Austrheim H, John T, et al. 2008. Serpentinization of the oceanic lithosphere and some geochemical consequences: Constraints from the Leka Ophiolite Complex, Norway. Chem Geol, 249: 66-90.
45. Iyer K. 2007. Mechanisms of serpentinization and some geochemical effects. Dissertation for Doctoral Degree. Scientiarum: University of Oslo. 42.
46. 4 production in serpentinization systems at elevated P-T's. Geophys Res Lett, 37: 1-6.
47. Keir R S. 2010. A note on the fluxes of abiogenic methane and hydrogen from mid-ocean ridges. Geophys Res Lett, 37: L24609.
48. 2 storage. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 105: 17295-17300.
49. Kelley D S, Früh-Green G L. 1999. Abiogenic methane in deep-seated mid-ocean ridge environments: Insights from stable isotope analyses. J Geophys Res, 104: 10439-10460.
50. Kelley D S, Karston J A, Früh-Green G L, et al. 2005. A serpentinite-hosted ecosystem: the Lost City hydrothermal field. Science, 307: 1428-1434.
51. Konna C, Charloua J L, Donval J P, et al. 2009. Hydrocarbons and oxidized organic compounds in hydrothermal fluids from Rainbow and Lost City ultramafic-hosted vents. Chem Geol, 258: 299-314.
52. Kutcherov V G, Krayushkin V A. 2010. Deep-seated abiogenic origin of petroleum: From geological assessment to physical theory. Rev Geophys, 48: 1-30.
53. Lane N, Martin W. 2010. The energetics of genome complexity. Nature, 467: 929-934.
54. Lang S Q, Butterfield D A, Schulte M, et al. 2010. Elevated concentrations of formate, acetate and dissolved organic carbon found at the Lost City hydrothermal field. Geochim Cosmochim Acta, 74: 941-952.
55. Lang S Q, Früh-Green G L, Bernasconi S M, et al. 2012. Microbial utilization of abiogenic carbon and hydrogen in a serpentinite-hosted system. Geochim Cosmochim Acta, 92: 82-99.
56. Li X F, Peng S M, Shao M L, et al, 2009. Origin and gas source correlation of the deep gas in the Songliao Basin: A case study of the Yingcheng Formation gas reservoir in Changshen 1 Block of Changling fault depression (in Chinese with English abstract). Nat Gas Ind, 29: 5-8.
57. MacDonald G J. 1988. Major questions about deep continental structures. In: Bodén A, Eriksson K G, eds. Deep Drilling in Crystalline Bedrock. Berlin: Springer-Verlag. 28-48.
58. Mahfoud R F, Beck J N. 1995. Why the Middle East fields may produce oil forever. Offshore, 55: 56-62.
59. Marshall W L. 1994. Hydrothermal synthesis of amino acids. Geochim Cosmochim Acta, 58: 2099-2106.
60. Martin W, Baross J, Kelley D, et al. 2008. Hydrothermal vents and the origin of life. Nature Rev Microbiol, 6: 805-814.
61. McCollom T M, Amend J P. 2005. A thermodynamic assessment of energy requirements for biomass synthesis by chemolithoautotrophic micro-organisms in oxic and anoxic environments. Geobiology, 3: 135-144.
62. McCollom T M, Bach W. 2009. Thermodynamic constraints on hydrogen generation during serpentinization of ultramafic rocks. Geochim Cosmochim Acta, 73: 856-879.
63. McCollom T M, Lollar B S, Lacrampe-Couloume G, et al. 2010. The influence of carbon source on abiotic organic synthesis and carbon isotope fractionation under hydrothermal conditions. Geochim Cosmochim Acta, 74: 2717-2740.
64. 2 to hydrocarbons during serpentinization of olivine. Geochim Cosmochim Acta, 65: 3769-3778.
65. McCollom T M, Seewald J S. 2003. Experimental constraints on the hydrothermal reactivity of organic acids and acid anions: I. Formic acid and formate. Geochim Cosmochim Acta, 67: 3625-3644.
66. McCollom T M, Seewald J S. 2006. Carbon isotope composition of organic compounds produced by abiotic synthesis under hydrothermal conditions. Earth Planet Sci Lett, 243: 74-84.
67. McCollom T M, Seewald J S. 2007. Abiotic synthesis of organic compounds in deep-sea hydrothermal environments. Chem Rev, 107: 382-401.
68. McCollom T M, Seewald J S. 2013. Serpentinites, hydrogen, and life. Elements, 9: 129-134.
69. McCollom T M, Shock E L. 1998. Fluid-rock interactions in the lower oceanic crust: Thermodynamic models of hydrothermal alteration. J Geophys Res, 103: 547-576.
70. McCollom T M. 1999. Methanogenesis as a potential source of chemical energy for primary biomass production by autotrophic organisms in hydrothermal systems on Europa. J Geophys Res, 104: 30729-30742.
71. McCollom T M. 2007. Geochemical constraints on sources of metabolic energy for chemolithoautotrophy in ultramafic-hosted deep-sea hydrothermal systems. Astrobiology, 7: 933-950.
72. McCollom T M. 2013. Laboratory simulations of abiotic hydrocarbon formation in Earth's deep subsurface. Rev Mineral Geochem, 75: 467-494.
73. Melchert B, Devey C W, German C R, et al. 2008. First evidence for high-temperature off-axis venting of deep crustal/mantle heat: The Nibelungen hydrothermal field, southern Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Earth Planet Sci Lett, 275: 61-69.
74. Ménez B, Pasini V, Brunelli D. 2012. Life in the hydrated suboceanic mantle. Nat Geosci, 5: 133-137.
75. 2 the universal energy source for long-term survival? Microbiol Ecol, 38: 307-320.
76. Mottl M J, Komor S C, Fryer P, et al. 2003. Deep-slab fluids fuel extremophilic Archaea on a Mariana forearc serpentinite mud volcano: Ocean Drilling Program Leg 195. Geochem Geophys Geosyst, 4: 1-14.
77. Müntener O. 2010. Serpentine and serpentinization: A link between planet formation and life. Geology, 38: 959-960.
78. Mvel C. 2003. Serpentinization of abyssal peridotites at mid-ocean ridges. Comptes Rendus Geosci, 335: 825-852.
79. 4 by weathering of olivine at temperatures between 30 and 70°C. Geochem Trans, 12: 1-10.
80. Nisbet E G, Fowler C M R. 1983. Model for Archean plate tectonics. Geology, 11: 376-379.
81. Nna-Mvondo D, Martinez-Frias J. 2007. Komatiites: from Earth's geological settings to planetary and astrobiological contexts. Earth Moon Planets, 100: 157-179.
82. Proskurowski G, Lilley M D, Seewald J S, et al. 2008. Abiogenic hydrocarbon production at Lost City hydrothermal field. Science, 319: 604-607.
83. Raznitsin Y N. 2012. Geodynamics of ophiolites and formation of hydrocarbon fields on the shelf of eastern Sakhalin. Geotectonics, 46: 1-15.
84. Roussel E G, Bonavita M A C, Querellou J, et al. 2008. Extending the sub-sea-floor biosphere. Science, 320: 1046.
85. Rushdi A I, Simoneit B R T. 2004. Condensation reactions and formation of amides, esters, and nitriles under hydrothermal conditions. Astrobiology, 4: 211-224.
86. Rushdi A, Simoneit B R T. 2001. Lipid formation by aqueous Fischer-Tropsch-type synthesis over a temperature range of 100 to 400°C. Origins Life Evol Biospheres, 31: 103-118.
87. Russell M J, Daniel R M, Hall A J, et al. 1994. A hydrothermally precipitated catalytic iron sulphide membrane as a first step toward life. J Mol Evol, 39: 231-243.
88. Russell M J, Hall A J, Martin W. 2010. Serpentinization as a source of energy at the origin of life. Geobiology, 8: 355-371.
89. Russell M J, Hall A J. 1997. The emergence of life from iron monosulphide bubbles at a submarine hydrothermal redox and pH front. J Geol Soc London, 154: 377-402.
90. Schmidt K, Garbe-Schönberg D, Koschinsky A, et al. 2011. Fluid elemental and stable isotope composition of the Nibelungen hydrothermal field (8°18′S, Mid-Atlantic Ridge): Constraints on fluid-rock interaction in heterogeneous lithosphere. Chem Geol, 280: 1-18.
91. Schrenk M O, Brazelton W J, Lang S Q. 2013. Serpentinization, carbon, and deep life. Rev Mineral Geochem, 75: 575-606.
92. Schrenk M O, Huber J A, Edwards K J. 2010. Microbial provinces in the subseafloor. Annu Rev Mar Sci, 2: 279-304.
93. Scott H P, Hemley R J, Mao H K, et al. 2004. Generation of methane in the Earth's mantle: In situ high pressure-temperature measurements of carbonate reduction. Proc Natl Acad Sci, USA, 101: 14023-14026.
94. Sephton M A, Hazen R M. 2013. On the origins of deep hydrocarbons. Rev Mineral Geochem, 75: 449-465.
95. 2 in planetary surfaces. Icarus, 186: 557-561.
96. Sherwood L B, Frape S K, Weise S M, et al. 1993. Abiogenic methanogenesis in crystalline rocks. Geochem Cosmochem Acta, 57: 5087-5097.
97. Sherwood L B, Lacrampe-Couloumea G, Slatera G F, et al. 2006. Unravelling abiogenic and biogenic sources of methane in the Earth's deep subsurface. Cheml Geol, 226: 328-339.
98. Sherwood L B, Voglesonger K, Lin L H, et al. 2007. Hydrogeologic Controls on Episodic H2 Release from Precambrian Fractured Rocks-Energy for Deep Subsurface Life on Earth and Mars. Astrobiology, 7: 971-986.
99. Shock E L, Schulte M D. 1998. Organic synthesis during fluid mixing in hydrothermal systems. J Geophys Res, 103: 28513-28527.
100. Shock E L. 1990. Geochemical constraints on the origin of organic compounds in hydrothermal systems. Origins Life Evol Biosphere, 20: 331-367.
101. Sleep N H, Bird D K, Pope E C. 2011. Serpentinite and the dawn of life. Philos Trans Royal Soc London B, 366: 2857-2869.
102. 2-rich fluids from serpentinization: Geochemical and biotic implications. Proc Nat Acad Sci USA, 101: 12818-12823.
103. Sokolov S Y, Mazarovich A O. 2009. Gas hydrates in the sedimentary cover of passive oceanic margins: Possibilities of prediction based on satellite altimetry data in the Atlantic and Arctic. Lith Min Resour, 44: 441-450.
104. Szponar N, Brazelton W J, Schrenk M O, et al. 2012. Geochemistry of a continental site of serpentinization in the Tablelands Ophiolite, Gros Morne National Park: A Mars analogue. Icarus, 224: 286-296.
105. 4-enriched hydrothermal fluids of Socorro Island, Revillagigedo Archipelago, Mexico Evidence for serpentinization and abiogenic methane. Geofluids, 10: 542-555.
106. Trommsdorff V, Evans B M. 1972. Progressive metamorphism of antigorite schist in the Bergell tonalite aureole (Italy). Am J Sci, 272: 423-437.
107. Vance S, Harnmeijer J, Kimura J, et al. 2007. Hydrothermal systems in small ocean planets. Astrobiology, 7: 987-1005.
108. Waite Jr J H, Young D T, Cravens T E, et al. 2007. The process of Tholin Formation in Titan's upper atmosphere. Science, 316: 870-875.
109. Wang X B. 1994. The abiogenic gas. In: Xu Y C, ed. The Natural Gas Genetic Theory and Applications (in Chinese). Beijing: Science Press. 317-343.
110. Wang X B, Guo Z Q, Tuo J C, et al. 2009. Abiogenic hydrocarbons in commercial gases from the Songliao Basin, China. Sci China Ser D-Earth Sci, 52: 213-226.
111. Yang H D, Yao P, Zhang X, et al. 2008. Distribution of inorganic carbon dioxide in Southern Songliao Basin (in Chinese with English abstract). Nat Gas Geosci 19: 634-638.