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Abstract
Parallel with ongoing exploration of the planets, particularly those that might harbor life, attention is again focusing on deciphering the origins of life on Earth. Multidisciplinary research on ancient rocks in Greenland has become an important part of that focus and may clarify the environmental conditions of the Earth's surface at a time when those conditions were favorable for life to begin. Greenland's Isua greenstone belt (IGB) abounds in metamorphosed volcanic and sedimentary rocks from about 3.75–3.70 Gyr, a time in Earth's history that perhaps stands at the very boundary between two contrasting tectonic and environmental regimes. Deposition of the IGB rocks may be close to when Earth's atmosphere, oceans, emerging land masses, and developing sedimentary basins provided the necessary conditions for life not only to start or recommence, but also to survive. These rocks may contain chemofossils— chemical remnants of very early life—a possibility suggested by carbon isotope ratios, though not proven.
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