Published 2019 | Version v1
Journal article

Review of the nine requirements for the birthplace of life and the nuclear geyser model. The only possible site for the birthplace of life on Hadean Earth

  • 1. Tokyo Institute of Technology, Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo (Japan)
  • 2. RIKEN, Wako, Saitama (Japan)

Description

Several models of the birthplace of life have long been proposed and discussed. However, those discussions are chaotic. To test the birthplace models, we introduce nine requirements that must be met for the emergence of life. These requirements are: (1) energy source (ionizing radiation and thermal energy), (2) supplies of nutrients such as phosphorus and potassium, (3) supplies of main life constituent elements (C, H, O, and N), (4) condensed reducing gas, (5) dry wet cycle, (6) Na poor water, (7) clean lacustrine environment, (8) diversified surface environment, and (9) cyclic nature. Based on these nine requirements, most proposed birthplaces, such as the mid-oceanic ridge hydrothermal system, do not meet the requirements for life to emerge. The only possible site is a nuclear geyser system. Under the Hadean surface environment, sites satisfying the nine requirements are extremely limited because it is significantly difficult to meet the nine requirements, including extrinsic conditions. This difficulty to fulfill all the requirements indicates that only one site is the birthplace of life on Hadean Earth. (author)

Availability note (English)

Available from https://doi.org/10.5026/jgeography.128.513

Additional details

Additional titles

Original title (Japanese)
地球生命誕生場に必要な9条件と生命誕生場としての自然原子炉間欠泉モデルの再考.生命誕生場は冥王代の地球表層の1か所

Identifiers

Publishing Information

Journal Title
Chigaku Zasshi (Online)
Journal Volume
128
Journal Issue
4
Series
雑誌名:地学雑誌
Journal Page Range
p. 513-548
ISSN
1884-0884

Optional Information

Notes
103 refs., 20 figs., 1 tab.