Thursday, June 11, 2026

Did Life Start When Impacts Created Vast Hydrothermal Systems in Earth's Crust?

During the first couple of billion years of Earth's history, impactors bombarded the planet's surface. Some of the largest created hydrothermal systems that were at least 100 times larger than the system in Yellowstone Park in the USA. Some of these systems lasted a long time, and provided near-ideal environments for prebiotic chemistry. Did life start in one of these systems? Image Credit: SwRI/Simone Marchi

Earth was bombarded by impactors in its first couple billion years. These impacts created a vast network of hydrothermal systems in the crust that could've spawned life. New research examines their extent.



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