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A colossal asteroid transformed life on Earth 3.26 billion years ago.

About three billion years ago, our planet was a world of primordial oceans and active volcanoes. During this period, Earth experienced a collision with an asteroid whose mass was 200 times greater than that of the celestial body that struck Earth 66 million years ago. A research team from Harvard and Stanford universities in the United States concluded that this monumental event had a significant impact on early life forms and contributed to their flourishing.
Огромный астероид изменил судьбу Земли 3,26 миллиарда лет назад.

Traces of an ancient impact, known as the S2 event, have been preserved in sedimentary rocks in the Barberton Greenstone Belt of South Africa. The celestial body that collided with Earth approximately 3.26 billion years ago had a diameter ranging from 37 to 58 kilometers. During that period, asteroid impacts were a common occurrence.

In a scientific paper, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, geologists revealed the effects of the collision on the environment and early forms of life. It was found that the so-called S2 event generated a massive tsunami that mixed iron-rich deep waters with surface waters, causing nutrients to reach shallow areas and altering the chemical balance of the oceans. The tsunami also resulted in significant changes to marine ecosystems.

“Imagine standing on the shores of present-day Cape Cod, in a shallow-water zone with calm seas and no strong currents. Suddenly, a gigantic tsunami rolls in and devastates the seabed,” described this event geologist Nadja Drabon (Nadja Drabon) from Harvard University in the USA.

The impact also led to atmospheric darkening: a vast amount of dust and particles temporarily restricted sunlight from reaching the surface. This effect likely lasted from several months to a few years and resulted in the extinction of photosynthesizing microbes, while changes in the water's chemical composition caused a mass extinction of organisms unable to adapt to the new conditions. Nevertheless, the S2 event facilitated the flourishing of certain life forms.

In particular, deep-sea organisms and thermophiles inhabiting hot springs could continue their activities without interruption. The increased concentration of iron in surface waters and phosphorus (which came directly from the meteorite and erosion of land) created ideal conditions for the growth of iron-oxidizing bacteria. Their utilization of key life elements subsequently led to the formation of iron-rich minerals like siderite, which geologists discovered in the studied rocks.

Thus, despite the catastrophic consequences, the S2 event was a turning point in Earth's history and resulted in the creation of new ecological niches. The enhanced availability of nutrients may have contributed to the emergence of new species.

The findings of the study highlight that such catastrophic collisions bring not only destruction but also new opportunities for the development of life. Scientists will now be better equipped to understand how microorganisms on other planets arise and adapt to environmental conditions following similar impacts.

“Meteorite impacts are considered devastating to life, but our research showed that these events may have had positive effects, particularly in the early stages of life's development, and possibly contributed to its flourishing,” the authors of the scientific paper concluded.