Scientists Discover Unexpected Signs of Ancient Life in Deep-Water Sediments

Wrinkle structures found in ancient turbidite deposits suggest chemosynthetic microbes thrived in the dark depths of an ancient ocean.

Published on Mar. 8, 2026

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While exploring ancient seabeds in Morocco, scientists discovered strange wrinkle-like textures in deep-water sediments that should not have been there. These structures are usually made by sunlight-loving microbial mats in shallow waters, but the rocks formed far below the reach of light, suggesting a different explanation. Evidence points to chemosynthetic microbes - organisms powered by chemical reactions - creating the mats in the dark depths of an ancient ocean.

Why it matters

The discovery of these wrinkle structures in deep-water turbidite deposits challenges the long-standing assumption that such features are only created by photosynthetic microbial mats in shallow environments. It suggests chemosynthetic microbes may have played a more significant role in the early evolution of life than previously thought, and could lead to the identification of more ancient microbial communities in unexpected places.

The details

Dr. Rowan Martindale, a paleoecologist and geobiologist at the University of Texas at Austin, was hiking through the Dadès Valley in Morocco's Central High Atlas Mountains when she noticed small ridges and wrinkles layered on top of ripple patterns in deep-water turbidite deposits. Wrinkle structures are typically found in shallow tidal environments where sunlight supports photosynthetic algae, but these were discovered at depths of at least 180 meters, far too deep for sunlight to penetrate. Chemical testing revealed elevated carbon levels in the sediment beneath the wrinkles, indicating a biological origin. By comparing the features to modern deep-sea environments, the researchers concluded that chemosynthetic bacteria, which obtain energy from chemical reactions instead of photosynthesis, had likely created the wrinkle structures.

  • The rocks containing the wrinkle structures are approximately 180 million years old.
  • The discovery was made in March 2026 during the research team's field expedition in Morocco.

The players

Dr. Rowan Martindale

A paleoecologist and geobiologist at the University of Texas at Austin who led the research team that discovered the unexpected wrinkle structures.

Stéphane Bodin

A researcher from Aarhus University who was part of Martindale's team exploring the ancient reef systems in Morocco's Dadès Valley.

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What they’re saying

“As we're walking up these turbidites, I'm looking around and this beautifully rippled bedding plane caught my eye. I said, 'Stéphane, you need to get back here. These are wrinkle structures!'”

— Dr. Rowan Martindale, Paleoecologist and Geobiologist (Science Daily)

“Let's go through every single piece of evidence that we can find to be sure that these are wrinkle structures in turbidites, because wrinkle structures, usually photosynthetic in origin, shouldn't be in this deep-water setting.”

— Dr. Rowan Martindale, Paleoecologist and Geobiologist (Science Daily)

What’s next

Martindale plans to conduct laboratory experiments to better understand how wrinkle structures might develop within turbidite environments, and hopes the discovery will encourage scientists to rethink the long-standing assumption that wrinkle structures are created only by photosynthetic microbial mats, leading to the identification of more ancient microbial communities in unexpected places.

The takeaway

This discovery challenges the conventional understanding of wrinkle structures and suggests that chemosynthetic microbes may have played a more significant role in the early evolution of life than previously thought, opening up new avenues for the exploration of ancient microbial communities in deep-water environments.