Item Number
2107
Type
image
Description
Banded iron formation
Age
Precambrian, Archean
Status
Out of Inventory
Notes
Banded iron formations (BIF), also known as banded ironstone, are most widely recognized for their exquisite banding/layers. For the most part the black layers are made up of iron oxides and the red layers are made of red jasper. BIFs are evidence for some of the very first living things on earth, Cyanobacteria (blue/green algae). BIFs are formed when cyanobacteria produce gaseous oxygen as a waste product of photosynthesis, the oxygen then reacted with ionized iron in the shallow nearshore marine habitat to form iron oxide. The iron oxide precipitated out in layers on the seafloor, creating iron rich layers (indicated by the black coloration of iron oxides) and iron poor layers (typically indicated by the red coloration of red quartz/jasper). Bacteria, including the photosynthetic cyanobacteria, were the only forms of life for the first 2 billion years that life existed on Earth. In the modern-day BIFs are hosts to some of the oldest fossil microbes, as well as being a primary source of iron ore in the steel production industry.
Preview
Description
Banded iron formations (BIF), also known as banded ironstone, are most widely recognized for their exquisite banding/layers. For the most part the black layers are made up of iron oxides and the red layers are made of red jasper. BIFs are evidence for some of the very first living things on earth, Cyanobacteria (blue/green algae). BIFs are formed when cyanobacteria produce gaseous oxygen as a waste product of photosynthesis, the oxygen then reacted with ionized iron in the shallow nearshore marine habitat to form iron oxide. The iron oxide precipitated out in layers on the seafloor, creating iron rich layers (indicated by the black coloration of iron oxides) and iron poor layers (typically indicated by the red coloration of red quartz/jasper). Bacteria, including the photosynthetic cyanobacteria, were the only forms of life for the first 2 billion years that life existed on Earth. In the modern-day BIFs are hosts to some of the oldest fossil microbes, as well as being a primary source of iron ore in the steel production industry.
Keywords
Banded iron formation Banded iron formations (BIF), also known as banded ironstone, are most widely recognized for their exquisite banding/layers. For the most part the black layers are made up of iron oxides and the red layers are made of red jasper. BIFs are evidence for some of the very first living things on earth, Cyanobacteria (blue/green algae). BIFs are formed when cyanobacteria produce gaseous oxygen as a waste product of photosynthesis, the oxygen then reacted with ionized iron in the shallow nearshore marine habitat to form iron oxide. The iron oxide precipitated out in layers on the seafloor, creating iron rich layers (indicated by the black coloration of iron oxides) and iron poor layers (typically indicated by the red coloration of red quartz/jasper). Bacteria, including the photosynthetic cyanobacteria, were the only forms of life for the first 2 billion years that life existed on Earth. In the modern-day BIFs are hosts to some of the oldest fossil microbes, as well as being a primary source of iron ore in the steel production industry. Precambrian, Archean Sphere
Keywords
Banded iron formation Banded iron formations (BIF), also known as banded ironstone, are most widely recognized for their exquisite banding/layers. For the most part the black layers are made up of iron oxides and the red layers are made of red jasper. BIFs are evidence for some of the very first living things on earth, Cyanobacteria (blue/green algae). BIFs are formed when cyanobacteria produce gaseous oxygen as a waste product of photosynthesis, the oxygen then reacted with ionized iron in the shallow nearshore marine habitat to form iron oxide. The iron oxide precipitated out in layers on the seafloor, creating iron rich layers (indicated by the black coloration of iron oxides) and iron poor layers (typically indicated by the red coloration of red quartz/jasper). Bacteria, including the photosynthetic cyanobacteria, were the only forms of life for the first 2 billion years that life existed on Earth. In the modern-day BIFs are hosts to some of the oldest fossil microbes, as well as being a primary source of iron ore in the steel production industry. Precambrian, Archean Sphere