On the biogenic origin of phosphorites

Resumo

The history of concepts of phosphorite accumulation in the last 150 years and several hypotheses of the origin of phosphorites are discussed. The electron microscopic study of phosphorites from the Khubsugul Deposit allowed the hypothesis of their biological origin to be confirmed for the first time. This was an important contribution to all subsequent studies of phosphorites, which became the first model object of bacterial paleontology.