Quantifying the constraints on the environment of early earth: the cradle for emerging life on a young planet

• Grant number: 11/12682-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: November 01, 2011
• End date: October 31, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Geosciences - Geology
• Principal Investigator: Carlos Roberto de Souza Filho
• Grantee: Alexey Novoselov
• Host Institution: Instituto de Geociências (IG). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The environmental conditions during the Hadean, the period of Earth's history before 4 billion years ago, are highly uncertain largely because of the lack of any rock record for this period. During this time interval the planet probably developed from a magma ocean, with extreme surface temperatures, to a state in which life could emerge. The only record of this critical transition, which may provide insights into the requirements for life to develop on other planets, is in small crystals of the mineral zircon that come from this time interval. The geochemistry of these crystals has been used extensively to make a wide range of claims about the surface environment at this time. The goal of the proposed research is to develop a quantitative model of the Hadean atmosphere-hydrosphere-lithosphere system that predicts the compositional range of zircons that would form under different model conditions. A rigorous assessment of how well the Hadean zircon compositions constrain Earth's early environment will allow insight into a number of related questions of broad public interest. These include: (i) understanding the linkages between different aspects of the earth system, it is critical if we are to act as responsible stewards of the planet's environment, (ii) understanding complex interlinked systems can often be aided by studying at how they operate at their extremes - the Hadean environment is the "hot-house" extreme of Earth's climate, and (iii) there is a huge general interest within the public at large in understanding how our planet developed from a molten ball of rock to a habitable planet. This will also provide insight into how other planets in the "Goldilocks zone" evolve and hence impact the ongoing search for life elsewhere in the Universe. (AU)

Scientific publications

(5)

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

NOVOSELOV, ALEXEY A.; POPOV, SERGUEI; DE SOUZA FILHO, CARLOS ROBERTO. Evaluation of uncertainties in solid-aqueous-gas chemical equilibrium calculations. Computers & Geosciences, v. 79, p. 118-128, JUN 2015. (11/12682-3)

NOVOSELOV, ALEXEY A.; SILVA, DAILTO; SCHNEIDER, JERUSA; ABREVAYA, XIMENA CELESTE; CHAFFIN, MICHAEL S.; SERRANO, PALOMA; NAVARRO, MARGARETH SUGANO; CONTI, MARIA JOSIANE; DE SOUZA FILHO, CARLOS ROBERTO. Geochemical constraints on the Hadean environment from mineral fingerprints of prokaryotes. SCIENTIFIC REPORTS, v. 7, JUN 21 2017. (11/12682-3)

NOVOSELOV, ALEXEY A.; DE SOUZA FILHO, CARLOS ROBERTO. Potassium metasomatism of Precambrian paleosols. Precambrian Research, v. 262, p. 67-83, JUN 2015. (11/12682-3)

NOVOSELOV, ALEXEY A.; SOUZA FILHO, CARLOS ROBERTO. CRONO-A code for the simulation of chemical weathering. Computers & Geosciences, v. 60, p. 168-175, OCT 2013. (11/12682-3)

ALFIMOVA, NADEZHDA A.; NOVOSELOV, ALEXEY A.; MATRENICHEV, VJACHESLAVA.; DE SOUZA FILHO, CARLOS ROBERTO. Conditions of subaerial weathering of basalts in the Neoarchean and Paleoproterozoic. Precambrian Research, v. 241, p. 1-16, FEB 2014. (11/12682-3)