Rapid recovery of life at ground zero of the end-Cretaceous mass extinction.

The Cretaceous/Palaeogene mass extinction eradicated 76% of species on Earth1,2. It was caused by the impact of an asteroid3,4 on the Yucatán carbonate platform in the southern Gulf of Mexico 66 million years ago 5 , forming the Chicxulub impact crater6,7. After the mass extinction, the recovery of the global marine ecosystem-measured as primary productivity-was geographically heterogeneous 8 ; export production in the Gulf of Mexico and North Atlantic-western Tethys was slower than in most other regions8-11, taking 300 thousand years (kyr) to return to levels similar to those of the Late Cretaceous period. Delayed recovery of marine productivity closer to the crater implies an impact-related environmental control, such as toxic metal poisoning 12 , on recovery times. If no such geographic pattern exists, the best explanation for the observed heterogeneity is a combination of ecological factors-trophic interactions 13 , species incumbency and competitive exclusion by opportunists 14 -and 'chance'8,15,16. The question of whether the post-impact recovery of marine productivity was delayed closer to the crater has a bearing on the predictability of future patterns of recovery in anthropogenically perturbed ecosystems. If there is a relationship between the distance from the impact and the recovery of marine productivity, we would expect recovery rates to be slowest in the crater itself. Here we present a record of foraminifera, calcareous nannoplankton, trace fossils and elemental abundance data from within the Chicxulub crater, dated to approximately the first 200 kyr of the Palaeocene. We show that life reappeared in the basin just years after the impact and a high-productivity ecosystem was established within 30 kyr, which indicates that proximity to the impact did not delay recovery and that there was therefore no impact-related environmental control on recovery. Ecological processes probably controlled the recovery of productivity after the Cretaceous/Palaeogene mass extinction and are therefore likely to be important for the response of the ocean ecosystem to other rapid extinction events.

Serpentinimonas gen. nov., Serpentinimonas raichei sp. nov., Serpentinimonas barnesii sp. nov. and Serpentinimonas maccroryi sp. nov., hyperalkaliphilic and facultative autotrophic bacteria isolated from terrestrial serpentinizing springs.

Three highly alkaliphilic bacterial strains designated as A1T, H1T and B1T were isolated from two highly alkaline springs at The Cedars, a terrestrial serpentinizing site. Cells from all strains were motile, Gram-negative and rod-shaped. Strains A1T, H1T and B1T were mesophilic (optimum, 30 °C), highly alkaliphilic (optimum, pH 11) and facultatively autotrophic. Major cellular fatty acids were saturated and monounsaturated hexadecenoic and octadecanoic acids. The genome size of strains A1T, H1T and B1T was 2 574 013, 2 475 906 and 2 623 236 bp, and the G+C content was 66.0, 66.2 and 66.1 mol%, respectively. Analysis of the 16S rRNA genes showed the highest similarity to the genera Malikia (95.1-96.4 %), Macromonas (93.0-93.6 %) and Hydrogenophaga (93.0-96.6 %) in the family Comamonadaceae. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene and phylogenomic analysis based on core gene sequences revealed that the isolated strains diverged from the related species, forming a distinct branch. Average amino acid identity values of strains A1T, H1T and B1T against the genomes of related members in this family were below 67 %, which is below the suggested threshold for genera boundaries. Average nucleotide identity by blast values and digital DNA-DNA hybridization among the three strains were below 92.0 and 46.6 % respectively, which are below the suggested thresholds for species boundaries. Based on phylogenetic, genomic and phenotypic characterization, we propose Serpentinimonas gen. nov., Serpentinimonas raichei sp. nov. (type strain A1T=NBRC 111848T=DSM 103917T), Serpentinimonas barnesii sp. nov. (type strain H1T= NBRC 111849T=DSM 103920T) and Serpentinimonas maccroryi sp. nov. (type strain B1T=NBRC 111850T=DSM 103919T) belonging to the family Comamonadaceae. We have designated Serpentinimonas raichei the type species for the genus because it is the dominant species in The Cedars springs.

A primordial noble gas component discovered in the Ryugu asteroid and its implications.

Ryugu is the C-type asteroid from which material was brought to Earth by the Hayabusa2 mission. A number of individual grains and fine-grained samples analysed so far for noble gases have indicated that solar wind and planetary (known as P1) noble gases are present in Ryugu samples with concentrations higher than those observed in CIs, suggesting the former to be more primitive compared to the latter. Here we present results of analyses of three fine-grained samples from Ryugu, in one of which Xe concentration is an order of magnitude higher than determined so far in other samples from Ryugu. Isotopically, this Xe resembles P1, but with a much stronger isotopic fractionation relative to solar wind and significantly lower 36Ar/132Xe ratio than in P1. This previously unknown primordial noble gas component (here termed P7) provides clues to constrain how the solar composition was fractionated to form the planetary components.

A dehydrated space-weathered skin cloaking the hydrated interior of Ryugu.

Without a protective atmosphere, space-exposed surfaces of airless Solar System bodies gradually experience an alteration in composition, structure and optical properties through a collective process called space weathering. The return of samples from near-Earth asteroid (162173) Ryugu by Hayabusa2 provides the first opportunity for laboratory study of space-weathering signatures on the most abundant type of inner solar system body: a C-type asteroid, composed of materials largely unchanged since the formation of the Solar System. Weathered Ryugu grains show areas of surface amorphization and partial melting of phyllosilicates, in which reduction from Fe3+ to Fe2+ and dehydration developed. Space weathering probably contributed to dehydration by dehydroxylation of Ryugu surface phyllosilicates that had already lost interlayer water molecules and to weakening of the 2.7 µm hydroxyl (-OH) band in reflectance spectra. For C-type asteroids in general, this indicates that a weak 2.7 µm band can signify space-weathering-induced surface dehydration, rather than bulk volatile loss.

Copper-Nanocoated Ultra-Small Cells in Grain Boundaries Inside an Extinct Vent Chimney.

Chemosynthetic organisms flourish around deep-sea hydrothermal vents where energy-rich fluids are emitted from metal sulfide chimneys. However, microbial life hosted in mineral assemblages in extinct chimneys lacking fluid venting remains largely unknown. The interior of extinct chimneys remains anoxic where the percolation of oxygenated seawater is limited within tightly packed metal sulfide grains. Given the scarcity of photosynthetic organics in deep seawater, anaerobic microbes might inhabit the grain boundaries energetically depending on substrates derived from rock-water interactions. In this study, we reported ultra-small cells directly visualized in grain boundaries of CuFeS2 inside an extinct metal sulfide chimney from the southern Mariana Trough. Nanoscale solid analyses reveal that ultra-small cells are coated with Cu2O nanocrystals in grain boundaries enriched with C, N, and P. In situ spectroscopic and spectrometric characterizations demonstrate the distribution of organics with amide groups and a large molecular organic compound in the grain boundaries. We inferred that the ultra-small cells are anaerobes because of the fast dissolution of Cu2O nanocrystals in oxygenated solution. This Cu2O property also excludes the possibility of microbial contamination from ambient seawater during sampling. It is shown by 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis that the chimney interior is dominated by Pacearchaeota known to have anaerobic metabolisms and ultra-small cells. Our results support the potential existence of photosynthesis-independent microbial ecosystems in grain boundaries in submarine metal sulfides deposits on the early Earth.

Ultrafast olivine-ringwoodite transformation during shock compression.

Meteorites from interplanetary space often include high-pressure polymorphs of their constituent minerals, which provide records of past hypervelocity collisions. These collisions were expected to occur between kilometre-sized asteroids, generating transient high-pressure states lasting for several seconds to facilitate mineral transformations across the relevant phase boundaries. However, their mechanisms in such a short timescale were never experimentally evaluated and remained speculative. Here, we show a nanosecond transformation mechanism yielding ringwoodite, which is the most typical high-pressure mineral in meteorites. An olivine crystal was shock-compressed by a focused high-power laser pulse, and the transformation was time-resolved by femtosecond diffractometry using an X-ray free electron laser. Our results show the formation of ringwoodite through a faster, diffusionless process, suggesting that ringwoodite can form from collisions between much smaller bodies, such as metre to submetre-sized asteroids, at common relative velocities. Even nominally unshocked meteorites could therefore contain signatures of high-pressure states from past collisions.

Deep microbial proliferation at the basalt interface in 33.5-104 million-year-old oceanic crust.

The upper oceanic crust is mainly composed of basaltic lava that constitutes one of the largest habitable zones on Earth. However, the nature of deep microbial life in oceanic crust remains poorly understood, especially where old cold basaltic rock interacts with seawater beneath sediment. Here we show that microbial cells are densely concentrated in Fe-rich smectite on fracture surfaces and veins in 33.5- and 104-million-year-old (Ma) subseafloor basaltic rock. The Fe-rich smectite is locally enriched in organic carbon. Nanoscale solid characterizations reveal the organic carbon to be microbial cells within the Fe-rich smectite, with cell densities locally exceeding 1010 cells/cm3. Dominance of heterotrophic bacteria indicated by analyses of DNA sequences and lipids supports the importance of organic matter as carbon and energy sources in subseafloor basalt. Given the prominence of basaltic lava on Earth and Mars, microbial life could be habitable where subsurface basaltic rocks interact with liquid water.

Development of a sample holder for synchrotron radiation-based computed tomography and diffraction analysis of extraterrestrial materials.

A sample holder for a suite of synchrotron radiation measurements on extraterrestrial materials, which are fragile and irregularly shaped, was developed using carbon nanotubes and polyimide. The holder enables investigation of such samples with multiple analytical instruments, which means that we can reduce the number of sample transfers between holders. The holder developed in our study also enables investigation of such samples without exposure to the terrestrial atmosphere, which contains abundant contaminants, such as water vapor and organic substances. The stability of the samples in the holder during the measurements and disturbance of the analysis result by the holder were evaluated, which showed that sample drift motion and image disturbance due to x-ray attenuation and scattering of the holder materials are insignificant.

Probing the hydrothermal system of the Chicxulub impact crater.

The ~180-km-diameter Chicxulub peak-ring crater and ~240-km multiring basin, produced by the impact that terminated the Cretaceous, is the largest remaining intact impact basin on Earth. International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) and International Continental Scientific Drilling Program (ICDP) Expedition 364 drilled to a depth of 1335 m below the sea floor into the peak ring, providing a unique opportunity to study the thermal and chemical modification of Earth's crust caused by the impact. The recovered core shows the crater hosted a spatially extensive hydrothermal system that chemically and mineralogically modified ~1.4 × 105 km3 of Earth's crust, a volume more than nine times that of the Yellowstone Caldera system. Initially, high temperatures of 300° to 400°C and an independent geomagnetic polarity clock indicate the hydrothermal system was long lived, in excess of 106 years.

Iron-rich Smectite Formation in Subseafloor Basaltic Lava in Aged Oceanic Crust.

Basalt weathering in oceanic crust controls long-term elemental cycling on Earth. It is unknown whether basalt weathering tends to continue in unsedimented oceanic crust with formation ages of >10-20 million years (Ma), when fluid circulation is restricted by the formation of secondary minerals in fractures/veins. We investigated basalt weathering in 13.5-, 33.5- and 104-Ma oceanic crust below the South Pacific Gyre by combining bulk and in-situ clay mineral characterisations. Here we show the formation of iron-rich smectite at the rims of fractures/veins in 33.5-Ma and 104-Ma core samples from depths as great as 121 metres below the seafloor. In contrast, iron-rich smectite formation was not observed in three 13.5-Ma core samples, which suggests that iron-rich smectite formation may be affected by the dilution of aqueous silica supplied from basalt dissolution by actively circulating fluid. As iron-rich smectite from the 33.5-Ma and 104-Ma core samples was more enriched in Mg and K than that typically found at hydrothermal mounds, iron-rich smectite formation appears to result from basalt weathering rather than hydrothermal alteration. Our results suggest that unsedimented basaltic basement is permeable and reactive to host microbial life in aged oceanic crust on Earth and possibly in the deep subsurface on Mars.

Extended chondrule formation intervals in distinct physicochemical environments: Evidence from Al-Mg isotope systematics of CR chondrite chondrules with unaltered plagioclase.

Al-Mg isotope systematics of twelve FeO-poor (type I) chondrules from CR chondrites Queen Alexandra Range 99177 and Meteorite Hills 00426 were investigated by secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS). Five chondrules with Mg#'s of 99.0 to 99.2 and Δ17O of -4.2‰ to -5.3‰ have resolvable excess 26Mg. Their inferred (26Al/27Al)0 values range from (3.5 ± 1.3) × 10‒6 to (6.0 ± 3.9) × 10‒6. This corresponds to formation times of 2.2 (-0.5/+1.1) Myr to 2.8 (‒0.3/+0.5) Myr after CAIs, using a canonical (26Al/27Al)0 of 5.23 × 10-5, and assuming homogeneously distributed 26Al that yielded a uniform initial 26Al/27Al in the Solar System. Seven chondrules lack resolvable excess 26Mg. They have lower Mg#'s (94.2 to 98.7) and generally higher Δ17O (-0.9‰ to -4.9‰) than chondrules with resolvable excess 26Mg. Their inferred (26Al/27Al)0 upper limits range from 1.3 × 10‒6 to 3.2 × 10‒6, corresponding to formation >2.9 to >3.7 Myr after CAIs. Al-Mg isochrons depend critically on chondrule plagioclase, and several characteristics indicate the chondrule plagioclase is unaltered: (1) SIMS 27Al/24Mg depth profile patterns match those from anorthite standards, and SEM/EDS of chondrule SIMS pits show no foreign inclusions; (2) transmission electron microscopy (TEM) reveals no nanometer-scale micro-inclusions and no alteration due to thermal metamorphism; (3) oxygen isotopes of chondrule plagioclase match those of coexisting olivine and pyroxene, indicating a low extent of thermal metamorphism; and (4) electron microprobe data show chondrule plagioclase is anorthite-rich, with excess structural silica and high MgO, consistent with such plagioclase from other petrologic type 3.00-3.05 chondrites. We conclude that the resolvable (26Al/27Al)0 variabilities among chondrules studied are robust, corresponding to a formation interval of at least 1.1 Myr. Using relationships between chondrule (26Al/27Al)0, Mg#, and Δ17O, we interpret spatial and temporal features of dust, gas, and H2O ice in the FeO-poor chondrule-forming environment. Mg# ≥ 99, Δ17O ~-5‰ chondrules with resolvable excess 26Mg initially formed in an environment that was relatively anhydrous, with a dust-to-gas ratio of ~100×. After these chondrules formed, we interpret a later influx of 16O-poor H2O ice into the environment, and that dust-to-gas ratios expanded (100× to 300×). This led to the later formation of more oxidized Mg# 94-99 chondrules with higher Δ17O (-5‰ to -1‰), with low (26Al/27Al)0, and hence no resolvable excess 26Mg. We refine the mean CR chondrite chondrule formation age via mass balance, by considering that Mg# ≥ 99 chondrules generally have resolved positive (26Al/27Al)0 and that Mg# < 99 chondrules generally have no resolvable excess 26Mg, implying lower (26Al/27Al)0. We obtain a mean chondrule formation age of 3.8 ± 0.3 Myr after CAIs, which is consistent with Pb-Pb and Hf-W model ages of CR chondrite chondrule aggregates. Overall, this suggests most CR chondrite chondrules formed immediately before parent body accretion.

Discovery of fossil asteroidal ice in primitive meteorite Acfer 094.

Carbonaceous chondrites are meteorites believed to preserve our planet's source materials, but the precise nature of these materials still remains uncertain. To uncover pristine planetary materials, we performed synchrotron radiation-based x-ray computed nanotomography of a primitive carbonaceous chondrite, Acfer 094, and found ultraporous lithology (UPL) widely distributed in a fine-grained matrix. UPLs are porous aggregates of amorphous and crystalline silicates, Fe─Ni sulfides, and organics. The porous texture must have been formed by removal of ice previously filling pore spaces, suggesting that UPLs represent fossils of primordial ice. The ice-bearing UPLs formed through sintering of fluffy icy dust aggregates around the H2O snow line in the solar nebula and were incorporated into the Acfer 094 parent body, providing new insight into asteroid formation by dust agglomeration.

Significant contribution of subseafloor microparticles to the global manganese budget.

Ferromanganese minerals are widely distributed in subseafloor sediments and on the seafloor in oceanic abyssal plains. Assessing their input, formation and preservation is important for understanding the global marine manganese cycle and associated trace elements. However, the extent of ferromanganese minerals buried in subseafloor sediments remains unclear. Here we show that abundant (108-109 particles cm-3) micrometer-scale ferromanganese mineral particles (Mn-microparticles) are found in the oxic pelagic clays of the South Pacific Gyre (SPG) from the seafloor to the ~100 million-year-old sediments above the basement. Three-dimensional micro-texture, and major and trace element compositional analyses revealed that these Mn-microparticles consist of poorly crystalline ferromanganese oxides precipitating from bottom water. Based on our findings, we extrapolate that 1.5-8.8 × 1028 Mn-microparticles, accounting for 1.28-7.62 Tt of manganese, are globally present in oxic subseafloor sediments. This estimate is at least two orders of magnitude larger than the manganese budget for nodules and crusts on the seafloor. Subseafloor Mn-microparticles thus contribute significantly to the global manganese budget.

Quasielastic neutron scattering of brucite to analyse hydrogen transport on the atomic scale.

It is demonstrated that quasielastic neutron scattering is a novel and effective method to analyse atomic scale hydrogen transport processes occurring within a mineral crystal lattice. The method was previously characterized as sensitive for analysing the transport frequency and distance of highly diffusive hydrogen atoms or water molecules in condensed matter. Here are shown the results of its application to analyse the transport of much slower hydrogen atoms which are bonded into a crystal lattice as hydroxyls. Two types of hydrogen transport process were observed in brucite, Mg(OH)2: a jump within a single two-dimensional layer of the hydrogen lattice and a jump into the next nearest layer of it. These transport processes observed within the prototypical structure of brucite have direct implications for hydrogen transport phenomena occurring within various types of oxides and minerals having layered structures.

Discovery of moganite in a lunar meteorite as a trace of H2O ice in the Moon's regolith.

Moganite, a monoclinic SiO2 phase, has been discovered in a lunar meteorite. Silica micrograins occur as nanocrystalline aggregates of mostly moganite and occasionally coesite and stishovite in the KREEP (high potassium, rare-earth element, and phosphorus)-like gabbroic-basaltic breccia NWA 2727, although these grains are seemingly absent in other lunar meteorites. We interpret the origin of these grains as follows: alkaline water delivery to the Moon via carbonaceous chondrite collisions, fluid capture during impact-induced brecciation, moganite precipitation from the captured H2O at pH 9.5 to 10.5 and 363 to 399 K on the sunlit surface, and meteorite launch from the Moon caused by an impact at 8 to 22 GPa and >673 K. On the subsurface, this captured H2O may still remain as ice at estimated bulk content of >0.6 weight %. This indicates the possibility of the presence of abundant available water resources underneath local sites of the host bodies within the Procellarum KREEP and South Pole Aitken terranes.

A new high-pressure form of Mg2SiO4 highlighting diffusionless phase transitions of olivine.

High-pressure polymorphism of olivine (α-phase of Mg2SiO4) is of particular interest for geophysicists aiming to understand the structure and dynamics of the Earth's interior because of olivine's prominent abundance in the upper mantle. Therefore, natural and synthetic olivine polymorphs have been actively studied in the past half century. Here, we report a new high-pressure polymorph, the ε*-phase, which was discovered in a heavily shocked meteorite. It occurs as nanoscale lamellae and has a topotaxial relationship with the host ringwoodite (γ-phase of Mg2SiO4). Olivine in the host rock entrapped in a shock-induced melt vein initially transformed into polycrystalline ringwoodite through a nucleation and growth mechanism. The ringwoodite grains then coherently converted into the ε*-phase by shear transformation during subsequent pressure release. This intermediate metastable phase can be formed by all Mg2SiO4 polymorphs via a shear transformation mechanism. Here, we propose high-pressure transformations of olivine that are enhanced by diffusionless processes, not only in shocked meteorites but also in thick and cold lithosphere subducting into the deep Earth.

Cyanobacterial exopolymer properties differentiate microbial carbonate fabrics.

Although environmental changes and evolution of life are potentially recorded via microbial carbonates, including laminated stromatolites and clotted thrombolites, factors controlling their fabric are still a matter of controversy. Herein, we report that the exopolymer properties of different cyanobacterial taxa primarily control the microbial carbonates fabrics in modern examples. This study shows that the calcite encrustation of filamentous Phormidium sp. secreting acidic exopolymers forms the laminated fabric of stromatolites, whereas the encrustation of coccoid Coelosphaeriopsis sp. secreting acidic exopolymers and poor calcification of filamentous Leptolyngbya sp. secreting non-acidic exopolymers form peloids and fenestral structures, respectively, i.e. the clotted fabric of thrombolites. Based on these findings, we suggest that the rise and decline of cyanobacteria possessing different exopolymer properties caused the expansion of thrombolites around the Proterozoic/Cambrian boundary.

Discovery of natural MgSiO3 tetragonal garnet in a shocked chondritic meteorite.

MgSiO3 tetragonal garnet, which is the last of the missing phases of experimentally predicted high-pressure polymorphs of pyroxene, has been discovered in a shocked meteorite. The garnet is formed from low-Ca pyroxene in the host rock through a solid-state transformation at 17 to 20 GPa and 1900° to 2000°C. On the basis of the degree of cation ordering in its crystal structure, which can be deduced from electron diffraction intensities, the cooling rate of the shock-induced melt veins from ~2000°C was estimated to be higher than 10(3)°C/s. This cooling rate sets the upper bound for the shock-temperature increase in the bulk meteorite at ~900°C.

Quantitative analysis of hydrogen sites and occupancy in deep mantle hydrous wadsleyite using single crystal neutron diffraction.

Evidence from seismological and mineralogical studies increasingly indicates that water from the oceans has been transported to the deep earth to form water-bearing dense mantle minerals. Wadsleyite [(Mg, Fe2+)2SiO4] has been identified as one of the most important host minerals incorporating this type of water, which is capable of storing the entire mass of the oceans as a hidden reservoir. To understand the effects of such water on the physical properties and chemical evolution of Earth's interior, it is essential to determine where in the crystal structure the hydration occurs and which chemical bonds are altered and weakened after hydration. Here, we conduct a neutron time-of-flight single-crystal Laue diffraction study on hydrous wadsleyite. Single crystals were grown under pressure to a size suitable for the experiment and with physical qualities representative of wet, deep mantle conditions. The results of this neutron single crystal diffraction study unambiguously demonstrate the method of hydrogen incorporation into the wadsleyite, which is qualitatively different from that of its denser polymorph, ringwoodite, in the wet mantle. The difference is a vital clue towards understanding why these dense mantle minerals show distinctly different softening behaviours after hydration.

The formation of peak rings in large impact craters.

Large impacts provide a mechanism for resurfacing planets through mixing near-surface rocks with deeper material. Central peaks are formed from the dynamic uplift of rocks during crater formation. As crater size increases, central peaks transition to peak rings. Without samples, debate surrounds the mechanics of peak-ring formation and their depth of origin. Chicxulub is the only known impact structure on Earth with an unequivocal peak ring, but it is buried and only accessible through drilling. Expedition 364 sampled the Chicxulub peak ring, which we found was formed from uplifted, fractured, shocked, felsic basement rocks. The peak-ring rocks are cross-cut by dikes and shear zones and have an unusually low density and seismic velocity. Large impacts therefore generate vertical fluxes and increase porosity in planetary crust.