A growing literature of deep but also surficial fossilized remains of lithobiological life, often associated with igneous rocks, necessitates the unfolding of a sub-discipline within paleobiology. Here, we introduce the term paleolithobiology as the new auxiliary sub-discipline under which fossilized lithobiology should be handled. We present key criteria that distinguish the paleolithobiological archive from the traditional one and discuss sample strategies as well as scientific perspectives. A majority of paleolithobiological material consists of deep biosphere fossils, and in order to highlight the relevance of these, we present new data on fungal fossils from the Lockne impact crater. Fungal fossils in the Lockne drill cores have been described previously but here we provide new insights into the presence of reproductive structures that indicate the fungi to be indigenous. We also show that these fungi frequently dissolve and penetrate secondary calcite, delineating the role lithobionts plays in geobiological cycles. We hope that the formalization of the sub-discipline paleolithobiology will not only highlight an overlooked area of paleobiology as well as simplify future studies of endo- and epilithic fossil material, but also improve our understanding of the history of the deep biosphere.

Serpentinization is a geological process involving the interaction of water and ultramafic rock, the chemical byproducts of which can serve as an energy source for microbial communities. Although serpentinite systems are known to host active microbial life, it is unclear to what extent fossil evidence of these communities may be preserved over time. Here we report the detection of biosignatures preserved in a mineralized fracture within drill cores from the Samail Ophiolite in Oman. Two varieties of filamentous structures were identified in association with iron oxide precipitates. The first type are interpreted as likely microbial remains, while the second type are recognized as potentially microbiological dubiofossils. Additionally, laminated structures composed of carbon and nitrogen rich material were identified and interpreted as having a microbially-associated origin. Our observations affirm the potential to detect subsurface microbial communities within serpentinizing environments and highlight a unique taphonomic window to preserve evidence of rock-hosted life.

Micrometer sized stromatolitic structures called Frutexites are features observed in samples from the deep subsurface, and hot-spring environments. These structures are comprised of fine laminations, columnar morphology, and commonly consist of iron oxides, manganese oxides, and/or carbonates. Although a biological origin is commonly invoked, few reports have shown direct evidence of their association with microbial activity. Here, we report for the first time the occurrence of subsurface manganese-dominated Frutexites preserved within carbonate veins in ultramafic rocks. To determine the biogenicity of these putative biosignatures, we analyzed their chemical and isotopic composition using Raman spectroscopy and secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS). These structures were found to contain macromolecular carbon signal and have a depleted 13C/12C carbon isotopic composition of – 35.4 ± 0.50‰ relative to the entombing carbonate matrix. These observations are consistent with a biological origin for the observed Frutexites structures.