Experimental low-grade alteration of biogenic magnetite indicates microbial involvement in generation of banded iron formations

During the deposition of banded iron formation (BIF), the downward flux of ferric oxyhydroxides and phytoplankton biomass should have facilitated Fe(III) reduction during burial, with the end product being ferrous iron-containing minerals including magnetite. Although earlier studies have attempted to quantify the significance of this pathway based on models of the ancient Fe cycle, the only direct evidences of a biological role in magnetite formation in BIF are their iron isotope compositions and unique crystallography which are reminiscent of biologically-generated magnetite. However, the biogenesis hypothesis lacks an explanation as to why modern biogenic magnetite crystals are generally a few hundred nm or smaller in size, yet the magnetite crystals in BIF are mostly tens of micrometers or larger in size. In this study, we demonstrate that biogenic magnetite crystals can grow in size upon reaction between oxyhydroxide and microbial biomass after compression and heating to 1 kbar and 150 °C, respectively. The magnetite crystals previously produced by Thermoanaerobacter spp. TOR39 reach sizes in excess of 700 nm after the P–T experiments, while new magnetite grains >400 nm formed from the superparamagnetic magnetite-dominated end product of Shewanella sp. culture. This study indicates that the large magnetite crystals observed in BIF can be derived through a three-stage sequence, beginning with dissimilatory iron reduction of an initial ferric iron-rich sediment coupled to the oxidation of dead phytoplankton biomass, followed by magnetite crystal aging, and ultimately pressure–temperature induced abiotic alteration of the biogenic magnetite during metamorphism.

► Is magnetite in the Precambrian BIF related to bacterial ferric iron metabolism?
► Biogenic magnetite depositions are similar to primary deposition of Precambrian BIF.
► What will happen when the biogenic magnetite experiences low-grade metamorphism?
► We show a three-step pathway from biogenic magnetite to magnetite in BIF.