Chapter 2 -The Fire Beneath the Sea: How Volcanic Minerals Forged Life’s First Energy

Deep in volcanic darkness, heat and minerals joined forces to forge the planet’s earliest metabolism long before sunlight powered the surface.

The Origin of Cellular Life On Planet Earth

There is significant scientific evidence and consensus that the origin of life is closely tied to the unique electrochemical properties of minerals in Earth’s early rocks.

I bet you didn’t know this, but scientists believe the first life forms on Earth appeared approximately 3.5 billion (yes, billion) years ago. Where and how did the first life forms appear, you ask? Although the two places might seem disparate, they are more similar than not - you can choose from alkaline hydrothermal vents in the ocean or geothermal hot springs on land.

For reasons you will soon learn about, my money is on the deep oceans of our planet. At depths where sunlight is absent (if you thought the sun kicked this whole thing off, you would be wrong) and temperatures are so low that life shouldn’t exist, marine biologists have been stunned to find a plethora of abundant sea life near the presence of underwater volcanic vents. Check out this amazing deep sea underwater photo:

The Birthplace of Life: Fire, Minerals, and Electrical Gradients

These volcanic vents pictured above are teeming with life. They spew black ash—a detail that will matter later—and the scene is visible only because a submarine drone illuminates the abyss. Without it, there would be total darkness. Yet in that darkness exist heat, iron, sulfur (also important later), and the focus of this book—biotite mica.

Life was likely sparked here, where a free-energy gradient—a difference in electrical charge—developed between the acidic, proton-rich early ocean and the alkaline fluids venting from the seafloor. The iron- and sulfur-rich minerals emitted with the black ash formed primitive electrochemical membranes, creating the first natural energy gradients.

These same minerals possessed a “magical” property: they acted as natural catalysts, electrically concentrating and organizing molecules to facilitate the formation of amino acids, lipids, and nucleic acids. Their interplay with hydrogen ions (protons) generated the energetic reactions that built the precursors of living systems.

In this way, minerals functioned like microscopic batteries, powering the earliest metabolic networks—a central concept of the alkaline hydrothermal vent hypothesis, which proposes that life began in mineral-rich, electrically active ocean environments.

Renowned mineralogist and astrobiologist Robert Hazen has demonstrated through pioneering research that minerals were essential to life’s emergence. They served not only as catalysts but also as protective scaffolds—vital drivers, not accidental bystanders, in bridging the gulf between non-living chemistry and the first living systems.

The Critical Contribution Of Volcanoes

Thus, volcanoes are also considered a key contributor to the origin of life on Earth, providing several critical ingredients and conditions. However, they were not the only factor responsible for the spark of living matter.

Recent studies and hypotheses suggest that volcanic eruptions, accompanied by intense lightning in ash clouds, produce large quantities of nitrates and other compounds essential for life. Volcanic gases like carbonyl sulfide (COS), released by eruptions, can catalyze the formation of peptides—short chains of amino acids—fundamental to life’s chemistry.

Laboratory experiments demonstrate that when volcanic gases interact with lightning or energy discharges—like the famous Miller-Urey experiment in 1952—they can form amino acids and other ‘building blocks of life.’ If you don’t find that as fascinating as I do, there is something wrong with you (or me).

Microbial life discovered at these vents survives purely on chemical (i.e. mineral) energy from the Earth, not sunlight, supporting the idea that similar volcanic systems could have seeded the earliest life forms on Earth’s surface as well.

Paraphrased from the amazing book, The Untold Truth by Elmer Heinrich, a man who obsessively studied and advocated for the supplementation of diverse trace minerals to promote and restore health:

“Life as we know it requires liquid water, energy, and organic and inorganic molecules. These inorganic molecules are minerals, the very source of physical life. Minerals initiate, regulate and control every organ and function in your body. Proper breathing depends on minerals. Mental and physical ability depend on minerals. Heart and blood pressure stabilization are directly related to minerals. A complete spectrum of minerals strengthens the immune system, enhances appearance, produces energy, fights off disease and common colds, eliminates depression, reduces stress and produces more positive attitudes.”

Thus, minerals control millions of chemical and enzymatic processes and reactions that occur in our one-trillion-cell body at all times. The same is true for animals.

I know the above sounds so cool, full of vitality and wonder. But remember, this is Medical Musings, and I don’t typically dwell in that space long. So here we go—this time, not only am I exposing a disturbing reality, but I will lead you to a (potential) solution.

Next: Chapter 3 - The Dying Ground: How Modern Agriculture Is Unmineralizing the Earth—and Ourselves

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Upcoming Book Publications

Yup — not one, but two books are dropping from yours truly. At the same time? What?

1. From Volcanoes to Vitality: if, instead of (or in addition to) this Substack version, you prefer the feel of a real book—or the smell of paper—or like to give holiday gifts, pre-order my grand mineral saga, shipping before Christmas.

2. The War on Chlorine Dioxide: if you want to read (or gift) another chronicle of suppression, science, and survival, grab the sequel you didn’t see coming—shipping mid-January. On this one, I say: “Buy it before they ban it.” Hah!© 2025 Pierre Kory. All rights reserved.

This chapter is original material and protected under international copyright law. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author.