Ng. Holm et Jl. Charlou, Initial indications of abiotic formation of hydrocarbons in the Rainbow ultramafic hydrothermal system, Mid-Atlantic Ridge, EARTH PLAN, 191(1-2), 2001, pp. 1-8
In the presence of water, olivine of ultramafic rock is oxidized during the
process referred to as 'serpentinization'. Water in contact with the olivi
ne is reduced to molecular hydrogen (H-2) with the concomitant oxidation of
Fe(II). The molecular hydrogen formed may be used as an energy source by l
ithotrophic bacteria, but may, at high temperature, also be combined with C
O2 for the abiotic formation of organic compounds such as hydrocarbons and
fatty acids through Fischer-Tropsch type (FTT) synthesis. Our analyses of f
luids from the peridotite-hosted Rainbow hydrothermal field on the Mid-Atla
ntic Ridge indicate de novo synthesis of linear saturated hydrocarbons. The
chain length of the hydrocarbons is between 16 and 29 carbon atoms. The di
scovery of FTT reactions in ultramafic hydrothermal systems on Earth provid
es an alternative pathway for the formation of early membranes and the orig
in of life. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science BN. All rights reserved.