Methane from microbial hydrogenolysis of sediment organic matter before the Great Oxidation Event

Microbial CH4 kept the early Earth warm under the faint young sun, but clear records are lacking. Here the authors present isotopic evidence that CH4 seepage in the Canadian shield is from hydrogen biodegradation in a Neoarchean ecosystem rather than an abiotic synthesis product.

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Xinyu Xia, Yongli Gao
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Publishing Group 2021-08-01
Series:Nature Communications
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-25336-6