Pumice from the ∼3460 Ma Apex Basalt, Western Australia: A natural laboratory for the early biosphere

► Abundant pumice clasts are found in the ∼3460 Ma Apex Basalt. ► This discovery enables the testing of the hypothesis that pumice provided a cradle for early life. ► Pumice clasts contain potential biominerals including sulfides and phosphates, plus intimate associations of C, N, P and S. ► Pumice clasts contain catalytic minerals such as titanium oxide, plus altered clays and zeolites. ► Catalysts and molecules needed for the earliest stages of life were found in pumice rafts in the earliest oceans on Earth.