What are Magentofossils?

Magentofossils are the fossilised remains of magnetic particles created by magnetotactic bacteria, also known as magnetobacteria, and found preserved within the geological records.

What are Magentofossils?

About Magentofossils

  • These are the fossilised remains of magnetic particles created by magnetotactic bacteria, also known as magnetobacteria, and found preserved within the geological records.
  • What are Magnetotactic bacteria?
    • These are mostly prokaryotic organisms that arrange themselves along the earth’s magnetic field.
    • These organisms were believed to follow the magnetic field to reach places that had optimal oxygen concentration.
    • These bacteria contained “novel structured particles, rich in iron” in small sacs that essentially worked as a compass.
    • These magnetotactic bacteria create tiny crystals made of the iron-rich minerals magnetite or greigite. The crystals help them navigate the changing oxygen levels in the water body they reside in.

What did the study find?

  • The three-metre-long sediment core from the southwestern Bay of Bengal consisted mainly of “pale green silty clays,”.
  • Researchers reported finding abundant benthic and planktic foraminifera — single-celled organisms with shells found near the sea bed and free-floating in water.
  • The microscopy also confirmed the presence of ‘conventional’ magnetofossils along with giant ones. 
  • At a depth of around 1,000-1,500 m, the Bay of Bengal has a distinctively low oxygen concentration.
  • Analysis of the sediment sample confirmed fluctuations in the monsoon took place as the scientists found particles of magnetic minerals from the two distinct geological periods.
  • The rivers Godavari, Mahanadi, Ganga-Brahmaputra, Cauvery, and Penner, which empty into the Bay of Bengal, played a crucial role in the formation of the magnetofossils.
  • The nutrient-rich sediment carried in by these rivers provided a sufficient supply of reactive iron, which combined with the available organic carbon in the suboxic conditions of the Bay of Bengal to create a favourable environment for the growth of magnetotatic bacteria.
  • The freshwater discharge from these rivers along with the other oceanographic processes, like eddy formation, rendered the oxygen content in these waters that isn’t usually found in other low-oxygen zones.
  • The scientists also said the presence of the magnetofossils showed that the suboxic conditions of the Bay of Bengal persisted for a long time, allowing the bacteria to thrive.

Q1) What are Prokaryotes?

These are organisms whose cells lack a nucleus and other organelles. Prokaryotes are divided into two distinct groups: the bacteria and the archaea, which scientists believe have unique evolutionary lineages. Most prokaryotes are small, single-celled organisms that have a relatively simple structure.

Source: Goa scientists find 50,000-year-old magnetic fossils in Bay of Bengal

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