Ancient Methane Sealed in Quartz

Ancient gas traped inside quartz (viewed in cross-polarized light).(Source: Ueno et al. Nature 2006, 440, 516)

The air bubbles sealed in ancient rocks carry the information on the atmosphere and the life during the past. In this quartz from Western Australia, scientists found metane in it and particually the isotope ratio C-13/C-12 is low. The low isotope ratio indicates that the methane had a biological origin. The results suggest that there might exist such organisms that produce methane and change the content of the atmosphere back to 700,000 years ago, the so-called Archean era.