Fool's gold yields clues about early Earth

EDINBURGH, Scotland, July 22 (UPI) -- Scottish scientists say pyrite, often called fool's gold, is yielding insights into a turning point that took place billions of years ago in Earth's evolution.

Researchers at the University of Edinburgh are recreating ancient forms of the mineral -- dubbed fool's gold for its metallic luster -- that reveal details of past geological events.

Detailed analysis of the mineral is giving fresh insight into the composition of Earth before what is called the Great Oxygenation Event, 2.4 billion years ago, when oxygen released by early forms of bacteria gave rise to new forms of plant and animal life, transforming Earth's oceans and atmosphere, a university release said Friday.

"Technology allows us to trace scientific processes that we can't see from examining the mineral composition alone, to understand how compounds were formed," research leader Ian Butler said.

This enables better understanding of geological conditions at the time and how the oceans and atmosphere evolved, he said.

"This new information about pyrite gives us a much sharper tool with which to analyze the early evolution of the Earth, telling us more about how our planet was formed."