Scientists Find 180-Million-Year-Old Deep-Sea Microbial Wrinkles in Morocco
Updated
Updated · ScienceDaily · Jun 27
Scientists Find 180-Million-Year-Old Deep-Sea Microbial Wrinkles in Morocco
1 articles · Updated · ScienceDaily · Jun 27
Summary
Morocco’s Dadès Valley yielded wrinkle structures in 180-million-year-old turbidites, pointing to microbial mats preserved at least 180 meters below the ancient ocean surface.
Carbon enrichment beneath the ridges, confirmation of deep-water deposition, and modern submersible footage of dark-ocean mats led researchers to identify chemosynthetic—not sunlight-driven—microbes as the likely source.
The team says nutrient-rich debris flows and low-oxygen sediment could have let bacterial mats spread between underwater avalanches, with occasional burial preserving the textures.
Because wrinkle structures are usually tied to shallow, sunlit settings and are rare in rocks younger than 540 million years, the find suggests deep-ocean microbial ecosystems were more widespread than assumed.
How many signs of ancient life have geologists overlooked, thinking they were simply strange rocks?
If life thrived in Earth's dark oceans, what does this mean for finding aliens on sunless worlds?
180-Million-Year-Old Fossil Microbial Mats Found in Deep Sea: New Evidence for Ancient Chemosynthetic Life
Overview
In early 2026, Dr. Rowan Martindale's team made a surprising discovery in Morocco’s Dadès Valley, uncovering 180-million-year-old wrinkle structures in deep-sea rocks. These were identified as fossilized microbial mats from chemosynthetic communities that once thrived in the Jurassic ocean. The finding, published in Geology, challenged long-held beliefs about ancient deep-sea environments, as no one expected such life forms in this setting. The discovery was not planned, but resulted from the team’s careful observation and persistent research, opening new possibilities for understanding the diversity and history of life in Earth’s ancient oceans.