Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

Impact frustration of the origin of life

Abstract

One possible definition for the origin of life on Earth is the time at which the interval between devastating environmental insults by impact exceeded the timescale for establishing self-replicating proto-organisms. A quantitative relationship for the Hadean (pre-3,800 Myr ago) and Early Archean (3,800 to 3,400 Myr) impact flux can be derived from the lunar and terrestrial impact records. Also, the effects of impact-related processes on the various environments proposed for abiogenesis (the development of life through chemical evolution from inorganic materials) can be estimated. Using a range of plausible values for the timescale for abiogenesis, the interval in time when life might first have bootstrapped itself into existence can be found for each environment. We find that if the deep marine hydrothermal setting provided a suitable site, abiogenesis could have happened as early as 4,000 to 4,200 Myr ago, whereas at the surface of the Earth abiogenesis could have occurred between 3,700 and 4,000 Myr.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Prices vary by article type

from$1.95

to$39.95

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

References

  1. Chang, S. Phys. Earth planet. Inter. 29, 261–280 (1982).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Alvarez, L. W. et al. Science 208, 1095–1108 (1980).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Alvarez, W. EOS 65, 649–658 (1986).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  4. Carr, M. H. et al. NASA, SP-469 (1984).

  5. Shoemaker, E. M. in The New Solar System (ed Beatty, J. K. et al.) 33–44 (Cambridge Univ. Press, 1982).

    Google Scholar 

  6. Shoemaker, E. M. A. Rev. Earth planet. Sci. 11, 461–494 (1983).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  7. Grieve, R. A. F. A. Rev. Earth planet Sci. 15, 245–270 (1987).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  8. Grieve, R. A. F. & Dence, M. R. Icarus 38, 230–242 (1979).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  9. Levine, J. S. & Augustsson, T. R. Origins of Life 15, 299–318 (1985).

    ADS  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Karhu, J. & Epstein, S. Geochim. cosmochim. Acta 50, 1745–1756 (1986).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Kasting, J. E. Origins of Life 14, 75–82 (1984).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Moorbath, S. Origins of Life 15, 251–261 (1984).

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  13. Froude, D. O. et al. Nature 304, 616–618 (1983).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Abbott, D. & Hoffman, S. Tectonics 3, 429–448 (1984).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  15. Awramik, S. M. et al. in Mineral Deposits and the Evolution of the Biosphere (ed. Holland, H. D. et al.) 309–320 (Springer, New York, 1982).

    Book  Google Scholar 

  16. Lazcano, A. et al. Precambr. Res. 20, 259–282 (1983).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Baross, J. A. & Hoffman, S. E. Origins of Life 15, 327–345 (1985).

    ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Cairn-Smith, A. G. Scient. Am. 256, 90–100 (1985).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Miller, S. L. in Mineral Deposits and the Evolution of the Biosphere (ed. Holland, W. D. et al.) 155–176 (Springer, New York, 1982).

    Book  Google Scholar 

  20. Shoemaker, E. M. & Morris, E. C. Icarus 12, 188–212 (1970).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  21. Grieve, R. A. F. & Parmentier, E. M. Proc. 27th Int. Geol. Cong. 19, 99–114 (1984).

    Google Scholar 

  22. Hartman, W. K. in Comets, Asteroids, Meteorites (ed. Delsemme, A. H.) 277–281 (Univ. Toledo Press, 1977).

    Google Scholar 

  23. Schmidt, R. M. & Holsapple, K. A. Geol. Soc. Am. Sp. Pap. 190, 93–102 (1982).

    Google Scholar 

  24. Shoemaker, E. M. et al. in Asteroids (ed. Gehrels, T.) 253–292 (Univ. Arizona Press, Tucson, 1979).

    Google Scholar 

  25. McGetchin, T. R. et al. Earth planet. Sci. Lett. 20, 226–236 (1973).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  26. Seebaugh, W. R. in Impact and Explosion Cratering (ed. Roddy, D. J.) 1043–1056 (Pergamon, New York, 1977).

    Google Scholar 

  27. Melosh, H. J. Geol. Soc. Am. Sp. Pap. 190, 121–127 (1982).

    Google Scholar 

  28. Gault, D. E. & Sonett, C. P. Geol. Soc. Am. Sp. Pap. 190, 69–92 (1982).

    Google Scholar 

  29. O'Keefe, J. D. & Ahrens, T. J. Nature 298, 123–127 (1982).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  30. Toon, O. B. et al. Geol. Soc. Am. Sp. Pap. 190, 187–200 (1982).

    Google Scholar 

  31. Prinn, R. G. EOS 46, 813 (1985).

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Maher, K., Stevenson, D. Impact frustration of the origin of life. Nature 331, 612–614 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1038/331612a0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/331612a0

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing