Oldest microfossils on Earth (IMAGE) University College London Caption Centimeter-size pectinate-branching and parallel-aligned filaments composed of red hematite, some with twists, tubes and different kinds of hematite spheroids. These are the oldest microfossils on Earth, which lived on the sea-floor near hydrothermal vents, and they metabolized iron, sulfur and carbon dioxide. Nuvvuagittuq Supracrustal Belt, Québec, Canada. Credit Dominic Papineau Usage Restrictions Only in relation to this study License Original content Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.