Alkaline fluid circulation in ultramafic rocks and formation of nucleotide constituents: a hypothesis |
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| Authors: | Nils G Holm Marion Dumont Magnus Ivarsson Cécile Konn |
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| Institution: | (1) Dept. of Geology and Geochemistry, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden |
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| Abstract: | Seawater is constantly circulating through oceanic basement as a low-temperature hydrothermal fluid (<150°C). In cases when
ultramafic rocks are exposed to the fluids, for instance during the initial phase of subduction, ferromagnesian minerals are
altered in contact with the water, leading to high pH and formation of secondary magnesium hydroxide, among other – brucite,
that may scavenge borate and phosphate from seawater. The high pH may promote abiotic formation of pentoses, particularly
ribose. Pentoses are stabilized by borate, since cyclic pentoses form a less reactive complex with borate. Analyses have shown
that borate occupies the 2' and 3' positions of ribose, thus leaving the 5' position available for reactions like phosphorylation.
The purine coding elements (adenine, in particular) of RNA may be formed in the same general hydrothermal environments of
the seafloor. |
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