The findings can help us in our exploration of Mars.
Scientifically called halite, this rock salt is nothing but sodium chloride, a common finding in ancient saltwater environments. Researchers haven't previously looked into these natural minerals as clues to explain ancient lives. But with the discovery of 830-million-year-old organisms, the field of geology could be up for a major change. Conventionally organisms from millions of years ago, have been found pressed into rock formations.
Instead, organic material can only survive in the small amounts that may be trapped inside the salt as it crystallizes. Called fluid inclusions, these are small samples of the waters in which the salt crystallized and can be used to study water and atmospheric temperatures as well as water chemistry at the time of the mineral formation.
The researchers studied a sample from the Browne Formation in Australia, an area characterized by sedimentary layers of rock with extensive halite formations. This is indicative of a salty sea that existed millions of years ago. Using non-invasive methods such as transmitted-light and ultraviolet photography, the geologists found traces of organic solids and liquids which are consistent with both prokaryotic as well as eukaryotic organisms. Interestingly, while the range of fluorescence exhibited displayed signs of organic decay, it also demonstrated signs of unaltered organic material, which is suggestive of modern organisms, Science Alert reported.
"Ancient chemical sediments, both of terrestrial and extraterrestrial origin, should be considered potential hosts for ancient microorganisms and organic compounds," the researchers write in the paper published in the journalPrimary fluid inclusions in bedded halite from the 830-m.y.-old Browne Formation of central Australia contain organic solids and liquids, as documented with transmitted light and ultraviolet–visible petrography.
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