Abstract
Banded iron formations (BIF) represent the largest source of iron in the world. They formed throughout the Precambrian, and today are globally distributed on the remnants of the ancient cratons. The first BIF dates back to at least 3.9–3.8 billion years. Little is known about this early period in earth’s history, in particular about the presence of molecular oxygen, O2, and therefore also about the deposition mechanisms of BIF at that time.
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Acknowledgements
This work was supported by research grants from the German Research Foundation (DFG) made to AK (KA 1736/2-1, 2-2, 4-1, and 12-1), funding from the DFG and the University of Tuebingen to IK, and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada to KK. We would also like to thank Nicole Posth and Merle Eickhoff for helpful comments.
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Koehler, I., Konhauser, K., Kappler, A. (2010). Role of Microorganisms in Banded Iron Formations. In: Barton, L., Mandl, M., Loy, A. (eds) Geomicrobiology: Molecular and Environmental Perspective. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-9204-5_14
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