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Possible Biogenic Magnetite Fossils from the Late Miocene Potamida Clays of Crete

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Magnetite Biomineralization and Magnetoreception in Organisms

Part of the book series: Topics in Geobiology ((TGBI,volume 5))

Abstract

In the 23 years since Lowenstam (1962) first discovered the mineral magnetite in chiton teeth, many other organisms have been reported to be able to form this mineral as well (Blakemore, 1975; Gould et al., 1978; Frankel et al., 1979; Walcott et al., 1979; Kirschvink, 1981a; Walker and Dizon, 1981; Lins de Barros et al., 1981). Magnetite is now the fourth most common biogenic mineral after carbonate, opal, and ferrihydrite and related ferric oxide in terms of its production by different groups of organisms (Lowenstam and Weiner, 1982). A variety of magnetite-forming organisms live in aquatic environments and hence there is the question whether magnetite formed by organisms can be preserved in sediments. In particular, one group of magnetite-synthesizing organisms, the magnetotactic bacteria, are cosmopolitan in their aquatic distribution. Based on calculations considering their natural population density, sedimentation rates, and volume of magnetite per cell, the biologic contribution of magnetic remanence in sediments has been estimated by Kirschvink and Lowenstam (1979) to reach the 10−4 A/m level. Towe and Moench (1981) revised this estimate upwards to 10−3 A/m which is more compatible with the remanence generally observed in sediments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, 91125, USA

    Shih-Bin R. Chang & Joseph L. Kirschvink

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  1. Shih-Bin R. Chang
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  2. Joseph L. Kirschvink
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA

    Joseph L. Kirschvink

  2. University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA

    Douglas S. Jones

  3. Florida State Museum, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA

    Bruce J. MacFadden

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© 1985 Plenum Press, New York

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Chang, SB.R., Kirschvink, J.L. (1985). Possible Biogenic Magnetite Fossils from the Late Miocene Potamida Clays of Crete. In: Kirschvink, J.L., Jones, D.S., MacFadden, B.J. (eds) Magnetite Biomineralization and Magnetoreception in Organisms. Topics in Geobiology, vol 5. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-0313-8_36

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-0313-8_36

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