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Genuine modern analogues of Precambrian stromatolites from caldera lakes of Niuafoʻou Island, Tonga

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Abstract

Calcareous or dolomitic, often secondarily silicified, laminated microbial structures known as stromatolites are important keys to reconstruct the chemical and biotic evolution of the early ocean. Most authors assume that cyanobacteria-associated microbialitic structures described from Shark Bay, Western Australia, and Exuma Sound, Bahamas, represent modern marine analogues for Precambrian stromatolites. Although they resemble the Precambrian forms macroscopically, their microstructure and mineralogical composition differ from those characterizing their purported ancient counterparts. Most Precambrian stromatolites are composed of presumably in situ precipitated carbonates, while their assumed modern marine analogues are predominantly products of accretion of grains trapped and bound by microbial, predominantly cyanobacterial, benthic mats and biofilms and only occasionally by their physicochemical activity. It has therefore been suggested that the carbonate chemistry of early Precambrian seawater differed significantly from modern seawater, and that some present-day quasi-marine or non-marine environments supporting growth of calcareous microbialites reflect the hydrochemical conditions controlling the calcification potential of Precambrian microbes better than modern seawater. Here we report the discovery of a non-marine environment sustaining growth of calcareous cyanobacterial microbialites showing macroscopic and microscopic features resembling closely those described from many Precambrian stromatolites.

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Acknowledgements

We especially thank Mr. Semisi Halaholo, the government representative on Niuafoʻou, for organizing human and logistic help during our stay on the island. We also thank Ralf Hinsch for field assistance. 14C dating of stromatolites and wood samples and δ13C analyses of water samples were performed by J. van der Plicht (Centrum voor Isotopen Onderzoek, Groningen). The laboratory assistance of C. Kulicki and M. Kuzniarski (Warsaw) is greatly appreciated. Financial support was provided by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Polish Academy of Sciences and the Foundation for Polish Science.

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  1. Institute of Paleobiology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Twarda 51/55, 00818, Warsaw, Poland

    Józef Kazmierczak

  2. Institut für Angewandte Geowissenschaften, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Schnittspahnstr. 9, 64287, Darmstadt, Germany

    Stephan Kempe

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  1. Józef Kazmierczak
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Correspondence to Józef Kazmierczak.

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Kazmierczak, J., Kempe, S. Genuine modern analogues of Precambrian stromatolites from caldera lakes of Niuafoʻou Island, Tonga. Naturwissenschaften 93, 119–126 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00114-005-0066-x

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