Canadian Salty Lake Offers Clue to Earth’s Origin

A recent study, featured in the journal Nature, introduces a groundbreaking perspective on the origins of life on Earth, proposing that life’s cradle may have been carbonate-rich lakes on volcanic terrains, not the primordial oceans as previously thought. This hypothesis is inspired by the unique environment of Last Chance Lake, a shallow, saline water body nestled on volcanic rock in British Columbia, Canada, which exhibits remarkably high levels of phosphate.

David Catling, a geosciences professor at the University of Washington and co-author of the study, highlighted the significance of this discovery, stating that the lake’s conditions closely resemble the theoretical requirements for the synthesis of life’s building blocks found in nature. This finding positions Last Chance Lake as a potential focal point for understanding life’s emergence.

The lake’s distinction came to light through a literature review that uncovered a 1990s thesis documenting its unusually high phosphate concentrations. Notably, Last Chance Lake, merely a foot deep and situated on a volcanic plateau, boasts the highest phosphate levels ever recorded in a natural water body.

Phosphate plays an essential role in life’s biochemistry, being a key component of RNA, DNA, and ATP, the molecule that powers life’s energy processes. According to Sebastian Haas, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Washington, the phosphate concentration in Last Chance Lake surpasses typical levels in oceans or lakes by over a thousand-fold, driven by the presence of the mineral dolomite, which facilitates phosphorus accumulation.

Field trips to Last Chance Lake in 2021 and 2022 allowed the research team to confirm the lake’s rich phosphate and dolomite content. This setting offers a credible model for environments conducive to life’s origin, reinforcing the plausibility of volcanic lakes as sites for the advent of life.

While Last Chance Lake itself is relatively young, estimated to be less than 10,000 years old, it serves as a contemporary window into Earth’s ancient past, potentially mirroring the conditions present on the planet’s first landmasses around 4 billion years ago. The study suggests that similar volcanic lakes, enriched with soda lake water chemistry essential for high phosphate levels, could have been prevalent and vital for the genesis of life on early Earth.