Search for Supernova-Produced 60Fe in the Earth's Fossil Record

Approximately 1.8 to 2.8 Myr before the present our planet was subjected to the debris of a supernova explosion. The terrestrial proxy for this event was the discovery of live atoms of 60Fe in a deep-sea ferromanganese crust [Knie et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. (2004)]. The signature for this supernova event should also reside in magnetite (Fe3O4) magnetofossils produced by magnetotactic bacteria, which live in the ocean sediments, extant at the time of the Earth-supernova interaction. We have conducted accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) measurements, searching for live 60Fe in the magnetofossil component of a Pacific Ocean sediment core (ODP Core 848); additional AMS measurements are now ongoing with a second sediment core (ODP Core 851) in which we expect to find a higher 60Fe signal. This talk will present the current preliminary status of our 60Fe search results for both sediment cores.