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Origin of 3.45 Ga Coniform Stromatolites in Warrawoona Group, Western Australia

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Origin of 3.45 Ga Coniform Stromatolites in Warrawoona Group, Western Australia Origin of 3.45 Ga coniform stromatolites in Warrawoona Group, Western Australia H. J. Hofmann* Department of Geology, University of Montreal, P.O. Box 6128, Station A, Montreal, Quebec H3C 3J7, Canada K. Grey Geological Survey of Western Australia, 100 Plain Street, East Perth 6004, A. H. Hickman } Western Australia, Australia R. I. Thorpe Geological Survey of Canada, 601 Booth Street, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0E8, Canada ABSTRACT crofossils constitute the most tangible morpho- bialite (Burne and Moore, 1987, p. 10) refers to logic evidence for early biologic activity on both laminated and unlaminated structures of A new occurrence of conical and branched Earth. More than 30 Archean stromatolite oc- undisputed microbial origin, and thus includes pseudocolumnar stromatolites in Archean currences are now known worldwide (Hofmann, biogenic stromatolites. dolostones in the Pilbara region, Australia, con- 1999), although the biogenicity of those in We here present a first report of a new occur- tributes significant new morphologic informa- rocks older than 3.2 Ga has been questioned rence of stromatolites in dolostone in the War- tion on such structures. These remains are in- (Lowe, 1992, 1994, 1995; Buick et al., 1995). rawoona Group of Western Australia. These are terpreted as probably representing, in part, Alternative explanations feature chemical pre- more convincingly biogenic than previously microbially mediated accretionary growth sur- cipitation and/or soft-sediment deformation as described stromatolites in chert in the same faces in an Archean hypersaline depositional originating causes, with arguments based on succession (Lowe, 1980, 1983; Walter et al., basin. The structures comprise laterally linked analogies with modern abiologic structures, 1980), revealing a nondeformational, accre- pseudocolumns of centimeter width and and on mathematical models (Grotzinger and tionary nature that probably involves biologic decimeter height, with first-order conical lami- Rothman, 1996). activity or biofilms. Microfossils were not ob- nae of as much as 15 cm of synoptic relief and Notwithstanding the fact that stromatolites served. apical angles of 30°– 80°. The conical laminae have often played a prominent role in demon- are modified by a second-order, centimeter- strating the nature and antiquity of the biosphere REGIONAL SETTING AND AGE scale, low-amplitude primary corrugate lami- and the benthos, there is a long-standing contro- nation, with crests and troughs occasionally versy revolving around the definition of the The Warrawoona Group of the Pilbara re- stacked to form satellitic, obliquely directed term stromatolite, and the involvement or par- gion of Western Australia is part of a 10–15- pseudocolumns; bedding surfaces exhibit a ticipation of organisms in the formation of such km-thick Archean volcanic-sedimentary se- preferred direction of elongation of the cones, structures. Although a biologic endowment is quence referred to as the Pilbara Supergroup an orientation that is orthogonal (and unre- readily established in modern stromatolites, (Hickman, 1983). This sequence now forms lated) to the trend of younger folding; the mi- such a contribution for ancient forms is only oc- the greenstone belt of one of the world’s best crostructure is secondary. The stromatolites are casionally demonstrable, because microbial re- exposed granite-greenstone terranes surround- better preserved than those previously known mains are rarely preserved. Various criteria for ing the small town of Marble Bar (Fig. 1). Pre- from chert in the Warrawoona succession. The biogenicity have been circulated (Walter, 1978, cise U-Pb dating of zircons from volcanic units remains exhibit certain distinct morphologic 1983, 1994; Buick et al., 1981), but under the has established that the oldest parts of the suc- attributes corresponding to those in younger most exacting ones, even Proterozoic stromato- cession are older than 3.51 Ga (Buick et al., stromatolites, such as displayed by Thyssagetes lites would mostly not be demonstrably bio- 1995), whereas the De Grey Group, at the top and Jacutophyton, whose biogenicity is gener- genic. Stromatolite specialists have had little of the Pilbara Supergroup, has an age of ally accepted (although difficult to demonstrate difficulty in accepting the vast majority of Prot- 3–2.95 Ga (data from west Pilbara; Nelson, conclusively); the conical Warrawoona forms erozoic stromatolites as biogenic (Walter, 1997). The new locale, here referred to as the may represent the oldest known precursor of 1996). Nevertheless, stromatolites are consid- Trendall locality, MBB 010, is in the Warra- these taxa. ered to be laminated constructs that formed at a woona Group, 50 km west of Marble Bar (Fig. water-substrate interface, and we here charac- 1). The host rocks of these structures are at the INTRODUCTION terize them for practical purposes as morpho- conformable contact between the Panorama logically circumscribed accretionary growth Formation and the Strelley Pool Chert. The The fossil record of the Archean Eon (>2.5 structures with primary lamination that is, or Panorama Formation was dated by Thorpe et al. Ga) is sparse. Stromatolites and very rare mi- may be, biogenic. The more recent term micro- (1992) as 3.46 Ga. *E-mail: [email protected]. GSA Bulletin; August 1999; v. 111; no. 8; p. 1256–1262; 3 figures. 1256 Downloaded from http://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/gsabulletin/article-pdf/111/8/1256/3383302/i0016-7606-111-8-1256.pdf by guest on 27 September 2021 STROMATOLITES, WARRAWOONA GROUP, WESTERN AUSTRALIA V V 120° Fortescue Group (2.77–2.68 Ga) 30 km V V De Grey Group (3.00–2.95 Ga) V V V V V V V Gorge Creek Group V Strelley Pool V V 21° V V Sulphur Springs Group (3.24 Ga) V V V V V V Wyman Formation (3.32 Ga) V NorthV V Pole V V V V V V Strelley Pool Chert and V V Marble Bar Panorama Formation V VV V V V V Warrawoona V Towers Formation V Group (3.47– V V V V V Duffer Formation V 3.43 Ga) V V V V V Talga Talga Subgroup V V V MBB 010 V V V V Coonterunah Group (3.51 Ga) V V V V V Archean granitoid rocks V V V V V V V (3.50–2.84 Ga) V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V ° V 22° 119 AUSTRALIA AHH72 04.03.99 Figure 1. Location map; generalized geologic map and stratigraphy. MBB 010 refers to new Trendall stromatolite occurrence. Latitude is in degrees south; longitude, in degrees east. SOURCE OF MATERIAL section ~20 m thick, within a unit of partly silici- DESCRIPTION OF NEW fied olive-brown–weathering dolostone with a STROMATOLITES The new stromatolite locality was discovered northerly strike and westerly dip. The samples il- by A. F. Trendall in 1984, and part of the out- lustrated in Figure 2 are in a 3.3-m-thick dolo- Macrostructure crop (but not the precise location) was subse- stone that overlies a 2-m-thick dolostone with quently examined by Grey (1984). She consid- large crystal fans pseudomorphic after aragonite, At the new locale, beds strike northerly, dip ered material from this locality to be abiogenic barite, or gypsum; they underlie several meters of moderately steeply west, and are cut by narrow, (enterolithic folding of evaporitic laminations). silicified stromatolites and massive black chert. very steeply dipping, westerly trending quartz The stromatolitic outcrop was visited again by Reference specimens are deposited at the Geo- veinlets, and minor fractures. Sections perpen- Hickman, Trendall, and Thorpe in 1990; photos logical Survey of Western Australia (GSWA), dicular to bedding display morphologically dis- and small samples were shown to Hofmann, catalogued under GSWA F50177 (GSWA sam- tinct pseudocolumnar laminated structures, com- who proposed that they be more fully studied, ple 138990). prising first-order conical forms, connected because of their strong similarity with Protero- The occurrence is at approximately the same laterally by planar to slightly wavy laminae (Fig. 2, zoic conically laminated structures, the bio- stratigraphic level, and is in a similar association A and B); all elements are stacked with high de- genicity of which is unquestioned. This site was of lithofacies, as the Strelley Pool Chert stroma- grees of inheritance. The cones are generally visited by Grey, Hickman, and Hofmann in tolites to the northwest, reported and discussed symmetrical and erect, 5–20 cm across at the 1997, during an examination of all reported by Lowe (1980, 1983, 1994). The environmental base, with as much as 15 cm of synoptic relief, stromatolite localities in the Archean rocks of setting for these rocks, a partially restricted, low- yielding apical angles that average 70°–80° the Pilbara region. From this investigation we energy shallow hypersaline basin, was discussed (Fig. 2, A, B, and D), but that can be as small as concluded that stromatolites are more wide- in detail by Lowe (1983). Lowe (1980, 1983) 30° (Fig. 2E). The apical portions are pointed spread in the Warrawoona Group than previ- characterized the stromatolites as unbranched, where the axis coincides with the present-day ously reported, but that preservation at many lo- laterally linked conical columnar stromatolites erosion surface, and more rounded in off-axial calities is generally poor. The Trendall locality with 2–6 cm of relief and as high as 0.6 m; apical sections. The first-order elements are modified described here is of particular significance be- angles average 70°–80° (locally as low as 30°), by stacked second-order, low-amplitude corru- cause of its exceptional preservation over a few and cross sections are circular to elliptical, with gate to sinusoidal lamination of centimeter wave- square meters; it exhibits morphologic attributes fine continuous laminae, and detrital sand grains length, the crests and troughs commonly forming consistent with biologic input.
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