Identification

Data Identification:

citation:

Citation:

Title:

Characterization results of the synthesis of iron sulfide phases (NERC grant NE/J008745/1)

Date:

CI_Date:

Date Type:

creation

date:

2016-05

Identifier:

RS_Identifier:

code:

http://data.bgs.ac.uk/id/dataHolding/13607030

Abstract:

Data produced from NERC Grant NE/J008745/1. Grant Abstract: Iron sulfides are widespread in the environment, where they regulate and control the global geochemical iron and sulfur cycles. However, despite their application as indicators for seawater anoxia and recorders of early-life isotopic and paleomagnetic data, iron sulfide minerals are still largely unexplored compared to, for example, iron oxide minerals or the silicates or carbonates. Numerous iron sulfide phases are known, but many are highly unstable or only partially stable for a short time in the environment. Even the least reactive iron sulfide, pyrite, is no longer stable once exposed to air at the Earth's surface. Its dissolution leads to the problem of acid mine drainage, where sulfuric acid and any trapped toxic metals are released with devastating effects on the environment near the mine. However, iron sulfides also have beneficial effects on the environment, as they easily incorporate metals within their structure, and thus could be sinks for toxic metals or radioactive elements. An intriguing aspect of iron sulfides is the crucial role they may have played in the Origin of Life. Thin layers of iron-nickel sulfide are believed to have formed in the warm, alkaline springs on the bottom of the oceans on Early Earth. They are increasingly considered to have been the early catalysts for a series of chemical reactions leading to the emergence of life. The oxygen-free production of various organic compounds, including amino acids and nucleic acid bases - the building blocks of DNA - is thought to have been catalyzed by small iron-nickel-sulfur clusters, which are structurally similar to the highly reactive present day iron sulfide minerals greigite and mackinawite, yet we know little about how they form. In view of the likely role of such reactive minerals in the conversion of pre-biotic CO2 on Early Earth, we may well be able to harness iron sulfides as present-day catalysts for the same process, thereby potentially aiding the slowing down of climate change by converting the CO2 we produce into useful chemicals. In today's world, the importance of such iron-nickel-sulfide clusters as catalysts has been confirmed, as several life-essential iron-sulfur proteins help transform volatiles such as H2, CO and CO2 into other useful and less harmful chemicals. In all of the above examples, it is important to understand that the reactions that lead to the formation of all these minerals which are necessary for any of the geologically stable minerals to exist (i.e., pyrite) all rely on our understanding of the nucleation and growth of unstable precursors or of the reaction transforming one phase to another. Furthermore, the structure and reactivity of each of these phase determines its role and potential application in the environment. A few research groups in the UK and abroad have carried out high quality investigations of the properties of a number of iron sulfide minerals, but it is particularly difficult to investigate events early on in the nucleation process, even though they set the scene for all subsequent transformations. In this project we propose to employ a robust combination of state-of-the-art computation and experiment to unravel the nucleation of iron sulfide mineral phases. We aim to follow the reactions from the emergence of the first building block in solution, through agglomeration into larger clusters, their aggregation into nano-particles and the eventual transformation into the final crystal. We anticipate that this project, investigating short-lived processes which are only now accessible to study through the development of high temporal and spatial resolution in-situ characterization techniques and High Performance Computing platforms, will lead to in-depth step-by-step quantitative insight into the iron sulfide formation pathways and enhance our fundamental understanding of how a mineral nucleates in solution.

Point of Contact:

Responsible Party:

Individual Name:

Prof Liane G Benning

Organisation Name:

University of Leeds

Position Name:

School of Earth and Environment

Contact Info:

CI_Contact:

Address:

city:

Leeds

Postal Code:

LS2 9JT

e-mail:

not available

role:

pointOfContact

Resource Maintenance:

MD_MaintenanceInformation:

maint. / update frequency:

notApplicable

Graphic overview:

Browse Graphic:

File Name:

https://resources.bgs.ac.uk/images/geonetworkThumbs/40c7c18a-b121-04fc-e054-002128a47908.png

Descriptive Keywords:

Keywords:

keyword:

http://www.eionet.europa.eu/gemet/concept?cp=13&langcode=en&ns=5

keyword:

Geology

Thesaurus Name:

Citation:

Title:

GEMET - INSPIRE themes, version 1.0

Date:

CI_Date:

date:

2008-06-01

Date Type:

publication

Keywords:

keyword:

NGDC Deposited Data

keyword:

Iron sulphides

Thesaurus Name:

Citation:

Title:

BGS Thesaurus of Geosciences

Date:

CI_Date:

date:

2022

Date Type:

revision

Keywords:

keyword:

NGDC Deposited Data

keyword:

https://webapps.bgs.ac.uk/services/ngdc/accessions/index.html

Type:

dataCentre

Keywords:

keyword:

NERC_DDC

Resource Constraints:

MD_LegalConstraints:

Access Constraints:

otherRestrictions

Other Constraints:

http://inspire.ec.europa.eu/metadata-codelist/LimitationsOnPublicAccess/noLimitations

Other Constraints:

no limitations

Other Constraints:

The dataset is made freely available for access, e.g. via the Internet. Either no third party data / information is contained in the dataset or BGS has secured written permission from the owner(s) of any third party data / information contained in the dataset to make the dataset freely accessible.

MD_LegalConstraints:

Use Constraints:

otherRestrictions

Other Constraints:

The copyright of materials derived from the British Geological Survey's work is vested in the Natural Environment Research Council [NERC]. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a retrieval system of any nature, without the prior permission of the copyright holder, via the BGS Intellectual Property Rights Manager. Use by customers of information provided by the BGS, is at the customer's own risk. In view of the disparate sources of information at BGS's disposal, including such material donated to BGS, that BGS accepts in good faith as being accurate, the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) gives no warranty, expressed or implied, as to the quality or accuracy of the information supplied, or to the information's suitability for any use. NERC/BGS accepts no liability whatever in respect of loss, damage, injury or other occurence however caused.

Other Constraints:

Available under the Open Government Licence subject to the following acknowledgement accompanying the reproduced NERC materials "Contains NERC materials ©NERC [year]"

language:

eng

topicCategory:

geoscientificInformation

Extent:

Temporal Element:

TemporalExtent:

extent:

begin / end:

begin:

unknown

end:

before

Supplemental Information:

NERC grant NE/J008745/1

Distribution

Distribution:

Distribution Format:

Format:

Format Name:

tif files

Format:

Format Name:

txt files

Format:

Format Name:

dat files

Transfer Options:

Digital Transfer Options:

onLine:

CI_OnlineResource:

linkage:

http://www.bgs.ac.uk/services/ngdc/accessions/index.html#item71229

function:

download

Data Quality

Data Quality:

Scope:

DQ_Scope:

level:

nonGeographicDataset

Level Description:

MD_ScopeDescription:

other:

non geographic dataset

Report:

Domain Consistency:

Result:

Conformance Result:

specification:

Citation:

Title:

INSPIRE Implementing rules laying down technical arrangements for the interoperability and harmonisation of Geology

Date:

CI_Date:

Date Type:

publication

date:

2011

explanation:

See the referenced specification

pass:

Domain Consistency:

Result:

Conformance Result:

specification:

Citation:

Title:

Commission Regulation (EU) No 1089/2010 of 23 November 2010 implementing Directive 2007/2/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards interoperability of spatial data sets and services

Date:

CI_Date:

Date Type:

publication

date:

2010-12-08

explanation:

See http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2010:323:0011:0102:EN:PDF

pass:

Lineage:

LI_Lineage:

statement:

No lineage information provided

Metadata

File Identifier:

40c7c18a-b121-04fc-e054-002128a47908

language:

eng

Resource type:

nonGeographicDataset

Hierarchy Level Name:

non geographic dataset

Metadata Contact:

Responsible Party:

Organisation Name:

British Geological Survey

Contact Info:

CI_Contact:

phone:

CI_Telephone:

voice:

+44 115 936 3100

Address:

Delivery Point:

Environmental Science Centre,Keyworth

city:

NOTTINGHAM

administrative Area:

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE

Postal Code:

NG12 5GG

country:

United Kingdom

e-mail:

enquiries@bgs.ac.uk

role:

pointOfContact

Date Stamp:

2024-04-24

Metadata Standard Name:

http://vocab.nerc.ac.uk/collection/M25/current/GEMINI/

Metadata Standard Name:

UK GEMINI

Metadata Standard Version:

2.3

Dataset URI:

http://data.bgs.ac.uk/id/dataHolding/13607030