Serpentinite
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, Savoie, French Alps , California, United States serpentinite ( across), Styria Province, Austria. Protolith was a Proterozoic-Early Paleozoic upper mantle dunite peridotite that has been multiply metamorphosed during the Devonian, Permian, and Mesozoic. , Austria. Closeup view about . Serpentinite is a metamorphic rock composed predominantly of serpentine group minerals formed by serpentinization of mafic or ultramafic rocks. The ancient origin of the name is uncertain; it may be from the similarity of its texture or color to snake skin. Greek pharmacologist Dioscorides (AD 50) recommended this rock to prevent snakebite. Serpentinite has been called serpentine or serpentine rock, particularly in older geological texts and in wider cultural settings. Most of the chemical reactions necessary to synthesize acetyl-CoA, essential to basic biochemical pathways of life, take place during serpentinization. Serpentinite thermal vents are therefore considered a candidate for the origin of life on Earth.
, Savoie, French Alps]] , California, United States]] serpentinite ( across), Styria Province, Austria. Protolith was a Proterozoic-Early Paleozoic upper mantle dunite peridotite that has been multiply metamorphosed during the Devonian, Permian, and Mesozoic.]] , Austria. Closeup view about .]] Serpentinite is a metamorphic rock composed predominantly of serpentine group minerals formed by serpentinization of mafic or ultramafic rocks. The ancient origin of the name is uncertain; it may be from the similarity of its texture or color to snake skin. Greek pharmacologist Dioscorides (AD 50) recommended this rock to prevent snakebite. Serpentinite has been called serpentine or serpentine rock, particularly in older geological texts and in wider cultural settings. Most of the chemical reactions necessary to synthesize acetyl-CoA, essential to basic biochemical pathways of life, take place during serpentinization. Serpentinite thermal vents are therefore considered a candidate for the origin of life on Earth.
Potential 'cradle of life'
Serpentinite thermal vents are a candidate for the environment in which life on Earth originated. Most of the chemical reactions necessary to synthesize acetyl-CoA, essential to basic biochemical pathways of life, take place during serpentinization. The sulfide-metal clusters that activate many enzymes resemble sulfide minerals formed during serpentinization. File:Serpentinite_Walrus_2012.jpg|Magnetic serpentine walrus File:Qulliq_1999-04-01.jpg|Inuit Elder tending the Qulliq, a ceremonial oil lamp made of serpentinite.
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