Silica botryoids from chemically oscillating reactions and as Precambrian environmental proxies

Abstract In this petrographic and geochemical study, we differentiated diverse quartz botryoids, including circular-concentric, twinned, columnar, wavy, stromatolite-like structures versus synchronous biotic patterns of similar geometry size dimensions (filamentous traits stromatolites) in Precambrian cherts Barberton, South Africa, Gunflint, Canada. The botryoidal habits explored retained self-similar radially aligned acicular with concentric laminae, which are not documented biologically built stromatolites. These ancient fractals their composition imitate those chemically oscillating reactions, implying that the precipitation botryoids was fueled by abiotic diagenetic degradation organic matter subsequently metamorphosed into chert.