The Archean record of the Singhbhum Craton - A new window into early life on Earth

The Singhbhum Craton of India contains well-preserved volcano-sedimentary sequences with traces of early life. Based on our preliminary observations, we find that the Paleoarchean Badampahar Group, situated in greenstone belts similar to those of the Kaapvaal and Pilbara cratons, hosts carbonaceous sedimentary rocks, fossil microbial mats, and rare microbial microstructures. The Meso- to Neoarchean Koira Group contains bona fide stromatolites and microfossils in a cratonic cover succession. We note that microbial cooperation, as evidenced by colonial structures in Singhbhum Craton sedimentary rocks, played a role in cellular life histories during the Archean. This is important for understanding the ecology of the earliest microbial communities.