Item

Abstract

This study explores the mechanism of abiotic organic synthesis in the oceanic crust, a process crucial for deep carbon cycle, deep biosphere, and potentially life's origin. We reveal a unique link between carbonaceous matter and iron-based compounds in mafic crustal rocks at the Southwest Indian Ridge (SWIR). Using nano-geochemical tools and quantum mechanical modeling, we uncover potential pathways for nonbiological organic synthesis from CO2 and H2, emphasizing the catalytic cycle of hydrogen in carbon?carbon bond formation. Having identified abiotic organic compounds in specific mafic rock clasts, our study indicates possible avenues for nonbiological processes in analogous formations. Consequently, the mafic oceanic crust of the SWIR emerges as a prospective area for delving deeper into low-temperature abiotic organic synthesis. The aqueous alteration of the oceanic lithosphere provides significant energy that impacts the synthesis and diversity of organic compounds, which are crucial for the deep carbon cycle and may have provided the first building blocks for life. Although abiotic organic synthesis has been documented in mantle-derived rocks, the formation mechanisms and complexity of organic compounds in crustal rocks remain largely unknown. Here, we show the specific association of aliphatic carbonaceous matter with Fe oxyhydroxides in mafic crustal rocks of the Southwest Indian Ridge (SWIR). We determine potential Fe-based pathways for abiotic organic synthesis from CO2 and H2 using multimodal and molecular nano-geochemical tools. Quantum mechanical modeling is further employed to constrain the catalytical activity of Fe oxyhydroxides, revealing that the catalytic cycle of hydrogen may play a key role in carbon?carbon bond formation. This approach offers the possibility of interpreting physicochemical organic formation and condensation mechanisms at an atomic scale. The findings expand our knowledge of the existence of abiotic organic carbon in the oceanic crustal rocks and emphasize the mafic oceanic crust of the SWIR as a potential site for low-temperature abiotic organic synthesis.