Articles | Volume 20, issue 10
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-1901-2023
© Author(s) 2023. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-1901-2023
© Author(s) 2023. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| Highlight paper
| 
24 May 2023
Research article | Highlight paper |
| 24 May 2023
| 24 May 2023
The Volyn biota (Ukraine) – indications of 1.5 Gyr old eukaryotes in 3D preservation, a spotlight on the “boring billion”
Gerhard Franz
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Institut für Angewandte Geowissenschaften, Technische
Universität Berlin, 10587 Berlin, Germany
Vladimir Khomenko
Institut für Angewandte Geowissenschaften, Technische
Universität Berlin, 10587 Berlin, Germany
M.P. Semenenko Institute of Geochemistry, Mineralogy and Ore
Formation, The National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, 34 Palladina ave.,
Kyiv, 03142, Ukraine
Peter Lyckberg
Luxembourg National Museum of Natural History, 25 Rue Münster,
2160 Luxembourg, Luxembourg
Vsevolod Chournousenko
Volyn Quartz Samotsvety Company, Khoroshiv (Volodarsk-Volynski),
Ukraine
Ulrich Struck
Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz-Institut für Evolutions- und
Biodiversitätsforschung, Invalidenstraße 43, 10115 Berlin,
Germany
Ulrich Gernert
Zentraleinrichtung Elektronenmikroskopie, Technische Universität
Berlin, 10623 Berlin, Germany
Jörg Nissen
Zentraleinrichtung Elektronenmikroskopie, Technische Universität
Berlin, 10623 Berlin, Germany
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Gerhard Franz, Vladimir Khomenko, Peter Lyckberg, Vsevolod Chournousenko, and Ulrich Struck
Biogeosciences, 21, 4119–4131, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-4119-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-4119-2024, 2024
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The Volyn biota (Ukraine), previously assumed to be an extreme case of natural abiotic synthesis of organic matter, is more likely a diverse assemblage of fossils from the deep biosphere. Although contamination by modern organisms cannot completely be ruled out, it is unlikely, considering all aspects, i.e., their mode of occurrence in the deep biosphere, their fossilization and mature state of organic matter, their isotope signature, and their large morphological diversity.
Gerhard Franz, Peter Lyckberg, Vladimir Khomenko, Vsevolod Chournousenko, Hans-Martin Schulz, Nicolaj Mahlstedt, Richard Wirth, Johannes Glodny, Ulrich Gernert, and Jörg Nissen
Biogeosciences, 19, 1795–1811, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-1795-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-1795-2022, 2022
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In pegmatites from Ukraine Precambrian fossils between 1.5 Ga and 1.76 Ga were preserved in cavities connected to the surface in a geyser system. The fossilization process is silicification of the outermost rim of the fossils, stabilizing the remaining part of the organisms. The variety of organisms points to an ecosystem of several microorganisms which was active in the continental environment, and igneous rocks such as the pegmatites seem to be an ideal habitat for the deep biosphere.
Gerhard Franz, Masafumi Sudo, and Vladimir Khomenko
Eur. J. Mineral., 34, 7–18, https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-34-7-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-34-7-2022, 2022
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The age of formation of buddingtonite, ammonium-bearing feldspar, can be dated with the Ar–Ar method; however, it may often give only minimum ages due to strong resetting. In the studied example it gives a Precambrian minimum age of fossils, associated with this occurrence, and the age of the accompanying mineral muscovite indicates an age near 1.5 Ga. We encourage more dating attempts of buddingtonite, which will give valuable information of diagenetic or hydrothermal events.
Leonid Shumlyanskyy, Gerhard Franz, Sarah Glynn, Oleksandr Mytrokhyn, Dmytro Voznyak, and Olena Bilan
Eur. J. Mineral., 33, 703–716, https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-33-703-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-33-703-2021, 2021
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In the paper we discuss the origin of large chamber pegmatite bodies which contain giant gem-quality crystals of black quartz (morion), beryl, and topaz. We conclude that these pegmatites develop under the influence of later intrusions of mafic rocks that cause reheating of the partly crystallized granite massifs and that they supply a large amount of fluids that facilitate the
inflationof pegmatite chambers and crystallization of giant crystals of various minerals.
Gerhard Franz, Martin Kutzschbach, Eleanor J. Berryman, Anette Meixner, Anselm Loges, and Dina Schultze
Eur. J. Mineral., 33, 401–423, https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-33-401-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-33-401-2021, 2021
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Metamorphic rocks contain information about their original rocks and thus provide insight into the earlier stages of a region of interest. Here, we used the whole-rock chemical composition and stable boron isotopes of a suite of rocks from the Alps (Italy–Austria), which were deposited in a restricted intramontane basin before the Alpine orogeny. It is possible to reconstruct the depositional conditions for these sediments, which are now common metamorphic rocks such as schists and gneisses.
Gerhard Franz, Vladimir Khomenko, Peter Lyckberg, Vsevolod Chournousenko, and Ulrich Struck
Biogeosciences, 21, 4119–4131, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-4119-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-4119-2024, 2024
Short summary
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The Volyn biota (Ukraine), previously assumed to be an extreme case of natural abiotic synthesis of organic matter, is more likely a diverse assemblage of fossils from the deep biosphere. Although contamination by modern organisms cannot completely be ruled out, it is unlikely, considering all aspects, i.e., their mode of occurrence in the deep biosphere, their fossilization and mature state of organic matter, their isotope signature, and their large morphological diversity.
Nariman Mahmoodi, Ulrich Struck, Michael Schneider, and Christoph Merz
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-2024-214, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-2024-214, 2024
Preprint under review for HESS
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Understanding water balance in lakes is complex. We studied Lake Gross Glienicke in Germany, using an innovative method that combines isotope measurements and a hydrological model to improve estimates of water inflow and evaporation. Our findings show a high correlation between the two approaches, leading to better predictions of lake water dynamics. This research offers a reliable way to evaluate the model outputs.
Gabrielle Rodrigues de Faria, David Lazarus, Johan Renaudie, Jessica Stammeier, Volkan Özen, and Ulrich Struck
Clim. Past, 20, 1327–1348, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-20-1327-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-20-1327-2024, 2024
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Export productivity is part of the global carbon cycle, influencing the climate system via biological pump. About 34 million years ago, the Earth's climate experienced a climate transition from a greenhouse state to an icehouse state with the onset of ice sheets in Antarctica. Our study shows important productivity events in the Southern Ocean preceding this climatic shift. Our findings strongly indicate that the biological pump potentially played an important role in that past climate change.
Richard M. Besen, Kathleen Schindler, Andrew S. Gale, and Ulrich Struck
J. Micropalaeontol., 42, 117–146, https://doi.org/10.5194/jm-42-117-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/jm-42-117-2023, 2023
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Turonian–Coniacian agglutinated foraminiferal assemblages from calcareous deposits from the temperate European shelf realm were studied. Acmes of agglutinated foraminifera correlate between different sections and can be used for paleoenvironmental analysis expressing inter-regional changes. Agglutinated foraminiferal morphogroups display a gradual shift from Turonian oligotrophic environments towards more mesotrophic conditions in the latest Turonian and Coniacian.
Gerhard Franz, Peter Lyckberg, Vladimir Khomenko, Vsevolod Chournousenko, Hans-Martin Schulz, Nicolaj Mahlstedt, Richard Wirth, Johannes Glodny, Ulrich Gernert, and Jörg Nissen
Biogeosciences, 19, 1795–1811, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-1795-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-1795-2022, 2022
Short summary
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In pegmatites from Ukraine Precambrian fossils between 1.5 Ga and 1.76 Ga were preserved in cavities connected to the surface in a geyser system. The fossilization process is silicification of the outermost rim of the fossils, stabilizing the remaining part of the organisms. The variety of organisms points to an ecosystem of several microorganisms which was active in the continental environment, and igneous rocks such as the pegmatites seem to be an ideal habitat for the deep biosphere.
Gerhard Franz, Masafumi Sudo, and Vladimir Khomenko
Eur. J. Mineral., 34, 7–18, https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-34-7-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-34-7-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
The age of formation of buddingtonite, ammonium-bearing feldspar, can be dated with the Ar–Ar method; however, it may often give only minimum ages due to strong resetting. In the studied example it gives a Precambrian minimum age of fossils, associated with this occurrence, and the age of the accompanying mineral muscovite indicates an age near 1.5 Ga. We encourage more dating attempts of buddingtonite, which will give valuable information of diagenetic or hydrothermal events.
Richard M. Besen, Ulrich Struck, and Ekbert Seibertz
Foss. Rec., 24, 395–441, https://doi.org/10.5194/fr-24-395-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/fr-24-395-2021, 2021
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The agglutinated foraminiferal fauna in carbonate rocks from the mid-Cretaceous of Lower Saxony is documented and applied to reconstruct former paleoenvironmental conditions. Especially, sea level fluctuations are possible to reconstruct from changes in the foraminiferal record. Differences of the foraminiferal assemblages in different locations, closer or further away from the former coast, are discussed. Described bio-events of the time interval are linked to foraminiferal bio-events.
Leonid Shumlyanskyy, Gerhard Franz, Sarah Glynn, Oleksandr Mytrokhyn, Dmytro Voznyak, and Olena Bilan
Eur. J. Mineral., 33, 703–716, https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-33-703-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-33-703-2021, 2021
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In the paper we discuss the origin of large chamber pegmatite bodies which contain giant gem-quality crystals of black quartz (morion), beryl, and topaz. We conclude that these pegmatites develop under the influence of later intrusions of mafic rocks that cause reheating of the partly crystallized granite massifs and that they supply a large amount of fluids that facilitate the
inflationof pegmatite chambers and crystallization of giant crystals of various minerals.
Gerhard Franz, Martin Kutzschbach, Eleanor J. Berryman, Anette Meixner, Anselm Loges, and Dina Schultze
Eur. J. Mineral., 33, 401–423, https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-33-401-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-33-401-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
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Foss. Rec., 24, 171–192, https://doi.org/10.5194/fr-24-171-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/fr-24-171-2021, 2021
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Permian–Triassic boundary sections at Baghuk Mountain are investigated with respect to their lithological succession, biostratigraphy and chemostratigraphy. Ammonoids enable the clear separation of Wuchiapingian, Changhsingian and Dienerian assemblages. Early Triassic microbialites occur in various horizons. The carbon isotope curve shows a late Changhsingian negative excursion and the lightest values at the base of the Triassic.
Jana Gliwa, Abbas Ghaderi, Lucyna Leda, Martin Schobben, Sara Tomás, William J. Foster, Marie-Béatrice Forel, Nahideh Ghanizadeh Tabrizi, Stephen E. Grasby, Ulrich Struck, Ali Reza Ashouri, and Dieter Korn
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The Permian–Triassic boundary section of the Aras Valley (NW Iran) shows a complete sedimentary succession, bearing great potential for studying the change of environmental conditions that paralleled the end-Permian mass extinction. The lithological succession; carbonate microfacies characteristics; stable isotope dynamics; and conodont, ostracod, and ammonoid stratigraphy allow for a detailed study of the chronological succession of the events.
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Co-editor-in-chief
The study by Franz et al. provides exciting new insights into deep biosphere processes during the 'boring billion', indicating that fungi-like eukaryotic organisms developed before 1 Ga and that a deep continental biosphere was already present in the Early Mesoproterozoic/Late Paleoproterozoic.
The study by Franz et al. provides exciting new insights into deep biosphere processes during...
Short summary
This research describes the occurrence of Precambrian fossils, with exceptionally well preserved morphology in 3D. These microfossils reach a size of millimeters (possibly up to centimeters) and thus indicate the presence of multicellular eukaryotes. Many of them are filamentous, but other types were also found. These fossils lived in a depth of several hundred meters and thus provide good evidence of a continental the deep biosphere, from a time generally considered as the
boring billion.
This research describes the occurrence of Precambrian fossils, with exceptionally well preserved...
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