Distinguishing abiotic from biological pattern formation in geology

Develop robust criteria and integrative methodologies to discriminate geological patterns formed by purely abiotic self-organization from those with biological origins, combining morphological, mineralogical, chemical, isotopic, and contextual evidence applicable to early Earth and planetary life detection.

Background

The review assembles numerous cases where abiotic self-organization mimics biological morphologies and, conversely, where biological processes produce forms resembling abiotic structures. This ambiguity complicates the identification of biosignatures in rocks on Earth and other planets.

The authors conclude that the central challenge—reliably discriminating abiotic from biotic pattern formation—persists, underscoring the need for multi-proxy approaches and improved understanding of the abiotic baseline.