NEW YORK, BRONX (ORDO News) — French geologists have delved into the composition of nitrates within Neogene volcanic deposits, uncovering compelling evidence that lightning occurring within ash clouds could have played a pivotal role in fixing atmospheric nitrogen. This revelation opens intriguing insights into the potential mechanisms that facilitated the emergence of life on Earth.
Nitrogen, a fundamental element for life, is abundant in the Earth’s atmosphere but exists in a form inaccessible to living organisms.
The conversion of atmospheric nitrogen into a bioavailable form, known as nitrogen fixation, is essential for the synthesis of proteins and nucleic acids—the building blocks of life.
While modern-day microorganisms and nitrogen fertilizers facilitate nitrogen fixation, the prebiotic Earth likely relied on alternative mechanisms, including thunderstorms and volcanic lightning.
Laboratory experiments have demonstrated the plausibility of nitrogen fixation during volcanic eruptions, particularly in the presence of sulfur and halogens released into the atmosphere.
Within ash clouds, lightning discharges oxidize atmospheric nitrogen, resulting in the formation of nitrates that subsequently precipitate to the ground with volcanic emissions. Despite theoretical validation, geological evidence of this phenomenon has remained elusive.
In a groundbreaking study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, French geologists meticulously analyzed nitrate deposits within volcanic sediments following major Neogene eruptions in arid regions of Peru and Turkey.
Their findings unveiled substantial quantities of nitrates alongside sulfides and chlorine—indicating a volcanic origin for these compounds.
Through comprehensive isotopic analysis, the researchers traced the oxidation pathways of nitrogen and sulfur, uncovering distinctive signatures indicative of atmospheric origins.
The presence of the oxygen-17 isotope, inherited from ozone produced by lightning discharges, further supported the hypothesis of atmospheric nitrogen fixation during volcanic lightning events.
By extrapolating data from sediment layers and nitrate concentrations, the researchers estimated that approximately 60 teragrams of nitrogen—equivalent to 60 million tons—could have been fixed by volcanic lightning during nine major eruptive events.
This staggering volume underscores the potential significance of volcanic lightning as a crucial mechanism for nitrogen fixation in Earth’s early history.
Moreover, the study’s authors postulate that massive volcanic eruptions, coupled with lightning activity, may have significantly contributed to the origins of life on primordial Earth. Additionally, volcanic lightning may have played a pivotal role in the conversion of mineral phosphorus into biologically accessible forms—a crucial step in the emergence of life as we know it.
In essence, the investigation sheds new light on the dynamic interplay between geological processes and atmospheric phenomena, offering tantalizing clues about the mechanisms underlying the genesis of life on our planet.
The role of volcanic lightning in nitrogen fixation underscores its profound implications for our understanding of Earth’s evolutionary history and the conditions conducive to the emergence of life.
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News agencies contributed to this report, edited and published by ORDO News editors.
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