Schopf J W, Packer B M
Department of Earth and Space Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles 90024, USA.
Science. 1987 Jul 3;237:70-3. doi: 10.1126/science.11539686.
Cellularly preserved filamentous and colonial fossil microorganisms have been discovered in bedded carbonaceous cherts from the Early Archean Apex Basalt and Towers Formation of northwestern Western Australia. The cell types detected suggest that cyanobacteria, and therefore oxygen-producing photosynthesis, may have been extant as early as 3.3 billion to 3.5 billion years ago. These fossils are among the oldest now known from the geologic record; their discovery substantiates previous reports of Early Archean microfossils in Warrawoona Group strata.
在西澳大利亚西北部早太古代阿佩克斯玄武岩和塔楼组的层状碳质燧石中发现了细胞结构保存完好的丝状和群体化石微生物。检测到的细胞类型表明，蓝细菌以及产氧光合作用可能早在33亿至35亿年前就已存在。这些化石是目前地质记录中已知最古老的化石之一；它们的发现证实了之前关于瓦拉伍纳群地层中早太古代微化石的报道。
