Discovered traces of life in the crater 375 million years

The 52km-diameter impact crater crashed into Earth became a favorable habitat for ancient microorganisms.

The team at Linnaeus University analyzed rock samples taken from Siljan basin, or Siljan Ring, the largest impact crater in Europe with a diameter of about 52km, IFL Science reported on 23/10. This crater formed about 375 million years ago, when a large meteorite struck the land of present-day Sweden.

Picture 1 of Discovered traces of life in the crater 375 million years
Small crystals were found in rock samples in the Siljan crater.(Photo: Henrik Drake).

The rock sample contains small crystals of calcium carbonate (CaCO 3 ) and sulfides , most likely formed by microbial activity. " The sample of minerals containing relatively different carbon and sulfur isotopes shows that this place once appeared the type of microorganism that produces and consumes greenhouse gases as well as the type of sulfate reduction to sulfide," Henrik Drake, author of Main study, said.

The team uses radiometric dating technology to find out when microorganisms start to function. As a result, the crystals formed 80-22 million years ago, meaning that life appeared in the Siljan basin after the meteorite struck about 300 million years.

Life not only exists on the surface of the Earth, but it is also hidden underground in the deep biosphere. The habitat of these creatures is often thought to be caused by meteorite impacts. This proves that, if there are organisms living on other planets, they may also appear due to the meteor crash. Such collisions help life develop by creating holes for microorganisms to live inside and regulating hydrothermal convection.

A thorough understanding of the life of microorganisms at impact craters has led to many inferences in the field of cosmic biology, according to research co-author Magnus Ivarsson."Our findings help confirm that the impact crater is a favorable habitat for microorganisms on Earth, maybe even in other places in outer space , " Drake added.

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