WANG Xian-bin

Key Laboratory of Petroleum Resources, Gansu Province/Key Laboratory of Petroleum Resources Research, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China

Abstract: The origin and evolution of life is the most important and disputable scientific question. Important information about pre-life and life organic compounds in early Earth history could be deduced through the study on the microbial communities in serpentinized ultramafic rocks. This paper has comprehensively reviewed the questions and arguments on evidences for exploring origin and evolution of ancient life of Mars and sedimentary rocks on earth, and the related analytical methods and technological applications, discussed basic theories on the generation of molecular hydrogen through the serpentinization of ultramafic rocks and the generation of alkane through the Fischer-Tropsch Type polymerization of the molecular hydrogen and their relationship to the life's origin and evolution, and briefly discribed the compositions and distribution patterns of carbon and hydrogen isotopes of alkane for identifying source of the organic matters in the serpentinized ultramafic rocks, as well as the isotopic and molecular biological characteristics of the organic matters. The abiogenic hydrocarbons and other organic compounds formed through the serpentinization of ultramafic rocks could provide necessary energy and raw materials for supporting chemosynthetic microbial communities, which probably was the most important hydration reaction for the origin and early evolution of life. Serpentinization generally occurs in slow expanding mid-ocean ridges and continental ophiolites tectonic environment, etc. The overprint of biological and abiological processes will create a big challenge to identify the biogenic organic materials in serpentinite-hosted ecosystem.

Keywords: serpentinization abiogenic biogenic organic compounds origin and evolution of life

E-Mail: xbwang@lzb.ac.cn  

Bulletin of Mineralogy, Petrology and Geochemistry Vol.35, No.2, 2016, page 205-211