Drilling into an active mofette: pilot-hole study of the impact of CO&amp;lt;sub&amp;gt;2&amp;lt;/sub&amp;gt;-rich mantle-derived fluids on the geo–bio interaction in the western Eger Rift (Czech Republic)

Bussert, Robert; Kämpf, Horst; Flechsig, Christina; Hesse, Katja; Nickschick, Tobias; Liu, Qi; Umlauft, Josefine; Vylita, Tomáš; Wagner, Dirk; Wonik, Thomas; Flores, Hortencia; Alawi, Mashal

doi:10.5194/sd-23-13-2017

Cited by 22 publications

(42 citation statements)

References 59 publications

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“…However, it cannot be ruled out that the particular geochemical setting of the fluids enable marine species, introduced through meteoric waters, to proliferate. In 2016, a drilling campaign was conducted at one of the mofette fields in the Cheb Basin (Bussert et al, 2017 ). The 108.5 m deep drilling into a CO 2 conduit will provide further insights into microbial processes and the origin of these microorganisms.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microbiological and Geochemical Survey of CO2-Dominated Mofette and Mineral Waters of the Cheb Basin, Czech Republic

et al. 2017

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The Cheb Basin (NW Bohemia, Czech Republic) is a shallow, neogene intracontinental basin. It is a non-volcanic region which features frequent earthquake swarms and large-scale diffuse degassing of mantle-derived CO2 at the surface that occurs in the form of CO2-rich mineral springs and wet and dry mofettes. So far, the influence of CO2 degassing onto the microbial communities has been studied for soil environments, but not for aquatic systems. We hypothesized, that deep-trenching CO2 conduits interconnect the subsurface with the surface. This admixture of deep thermal fluids should be reflected in geochemical parameters and in the microbial community compositions. In the present study four mineral water springs and two wet mofettes were investigated through an interdisciplinary survey. The waters were acidic and differed in terms of organic carbon and anion/cation concentrations. Element geochemical and isotope analyses of fluid components were used to verify the origin of the fluids. Prokaryotic communities were characterized through quantitative PCR and Illumina 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Putative chemolithotrophic, anaerobic and microaerophilic organisms connected to sulfur (e.g., Sulfuricurvum, Sulfurimonas) and iron (e.g., Gallionella, Sideroxydans) cycling shaped the core community. Additionally, CO2-influenced waters form an ecosystem containing many taxa that are usually found in marine or terrestrial subsurface ecosystems. Multivariate statistics highlighted the influence of environmental parameters such as pH, Fe2+ concentration and conductivity on species distribution. The hydrochemical and microbiological survey introduces a new perspective on mofettes. Our results support that mofettes are either analogs or rather windows into the deep biosphere and furthermore enable access to deeply buried paleo-sediments.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microbiological and Geochemical Survey of CO2-Dominated Mofette and Mineral Waters of the Cheb Basin, Czech Republic

et al. 2017

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“…Mineral water found in the same mofette in a depth of ca. 82 m had a pH of 6.4 and a sulfate concentration 1470 mg L -1 ( Bussert et al, 2017 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The basin formed at the intersection of the Eger Rift ( Kopecký, 1979 ) and the Regensburg–Leipzig–Rostock fault zone ( Bankwitz et al, 2003b ; Geissler et al, 2004 ) where four Quaternary volcanoes existed ( Mrlina et al, 2009 ; Rohrmüller et al, 2018 ). The western Eger Rift has been well studied regarding structure of the lithosphere, seismic activity, sedimentology, and fault characteristics ( Dobeš et al, 1986 ; Bucha, et al, 1990 ; Špičáková et al, 2000 ; Bankwitz et al, 2003a ; Kämpf et al, 2005 , 2007 , 2013 ; Flechsig et al, 2008 ; Fischer et al, 2014 ; Nickschick et al, 2015 ; Bussert et al, 2017 ). The seismic activity in this area occurs as “earthquake swarms,” which are typically numerous small earthquakes at upper crustal depths that cluster in time and space ( Fischer et al, 2014 ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Due to magmatic activity beneath the Cheb Basin, large-scale degassing of mantle-derived CO 2 (>99%) occurs, and traces of gases such as He, N 2 , Ar, and CH 4 are emitted ( Weinlich et al, 1999 ; Kämpf et al, 2013 ; Hrubcová et al, 2017 ; Bräuer et al, 2018 ). The gas migrates through the upper lithospheric mantle and the crust to the surface and mixes with water of deep thermal and shallow groundwater aquifers ( Bussert et al, 2017 ). Mofettes are local degassing phenomena that often occur as larger DDS on the scale of up to a few square kilometers.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Influence of CO2 Degassing on the Microbial Community in a Dry Mofette Field in Hartoušov, Czech Republic (Western Eger Rift)

et al. 2018

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The Cheb Basin (CZ) is a shallow Neogene intracontinental basin filled with fluvial and lacustrine sediments that is located in the western part of the Eger Rift. The basin is situated in a seismically active area and is characterized by diffuse degassing of mantle-derived CO2 in mofette fields. The Hartoušov mofette field shows a daily CO2 flux of 23–97 tons of CO2 released over an area of 0.35 km2 and a soil gas concentration of up to 100% CO2. The present study aims to explore the geo–bio interactions provoked by the influence of elevated CO2 concentrations on the geochemistry and microbial community of soils and sediments. To sample the strata, two 3-m cores were recovered. One core stems from the center of the degassing structure, whereas the other core was taken 8 m from the ENE and served as an undisturbed reference site. The sites were compared regarding their geochemical features, microbial abundances, and microbial community structures. The mofette site is characterized by a low pH and high TOC/sulfate contents. Striking differences in the microbial community highlight the substantial impact of elevated CO2 concentrations and their associated side effects on microbial processes. The abundance of microbes did not show a typical decrease with depth, indicating that the uprising CO2-rich fluid provides sufficient substrate for chemolithoautotrophic anaerobic microorganisms. Illumina MiSeq sequencing of the 16S rRNA genes and multivariate statistics reveals that the pH strongly influences microbial composition and explains around 38.7% of the variance at the mofette site and 22.4% of the variance between the mofette site and the undisturbed reference site. Accordingly, acidophilic microorganisms (e.g., OTUs assigned to Acidobacteriaceae and Acidithiobacillus) displayed a much higher relative abundance at the mofette site than at the reference site. The microbial community at the mofette site is characterized by a high relative abundance of methanogens and taxa involved in sulfur cycling. The present study provides intriguing insights into microbial life and geo–bio interactions in an active seismic region dominated by emanating mantle-derived CO2-rich fluids, and thereby builds the basis for further studies, e.g., focusing on the functional repertoire of the communities. However, it remains open if the observed patterns can be generalized for different time-points or sites.

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“…The Plesná river runs through the area and forms a valley, where wet and dry mofettes-cold emission spots of CO 2 -are present. The thickness of Neogene sediments in the HMF (mudstones, sandstones, and lignite coals, deposited in a lacustrine environment) amounts to~90 m [24]. The crystalline basement up to the final depth of the pilot hole HJB-1 consists of altered or/and weathered Palaeozoic mica schists.…”

Section: Research Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

Nonvolcanic Carbon Dioxide Emission at Continental Rifts: The Bublak Mofette Area, Western Eger Rift, Czech Republic

et al. 2019

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This study presents the results of gas flux measurements of cold, mantle-derived CO2 release at the Bublák mofette field (BMF), located inside of the N-S directed Počátky Plesná fault zone (PPFZ). The PPFZ is presently seismically active, located in the eastern part of the Cheb Basin, western Eger Rift, Central Europe. The goal of the work was to identify the linkage between tectonics and gas flux. The investigated area has a size of 0,43 km2 in which 1.115 locations have been measured. Besides classical soil CO2 gas flux measurements using the closed chamber method (West Systems), drone-based orthophotos were used in combination with knowledge of plant zonation to find zones of high degassing in the agriculturally unused part of the BMF. The highest observed soil CO2 gas flux is 177.926,17 g m-2 d-1, and the lowest is 0,28 g m-2 d-1. Three statistical methods were used for the calculation of the gas flux: arithmetic mean, kriging, and trans-Gaussian kriging. The average CO2 soil degassing of the BMF is 30 t d-1 for an area of 0,43 km2. Since the CO2 soil degassing of the Hartoušov mofette field (HMF) amounts to 23 t d-1 for an area of 0,35 km2, the average dry degassing values of the BMF and HMF are in the same magnitude of order. The amount of CO2 flux from wet mofettes is 3 t d-1 for the BMF and 0,6 t d-1 for the HMF. It was found that the degassing in the BMF and HMF is not in accordance with the pull-apart basin interpretation, based on the direction of degassing as well as topography and sediment fill of the suggested basins. En-echelon faults inside of the PPFZ act as fluid channels to depth (CO2 conduits). These structures inside the PPFZ show beginning faulting and act as tectonic control of CO2 degassing.

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Drilling into an active mofette: pilot-hole study of the impact of CO<sub>2</sub>-rich mantle-derived fluids on the geo–bio interaction in the western Eger Rift (Czech Republic)

Cited by 22 publications

References 59 publications

Microbiological and Geochemical Survey of CO2-Dominated Mofette and Mineral Waters of the Cheb Basin, Czech Republic

Microbiological and Geochemical Survey of CO2-Dominated Mofette and Mineral Waters of the Cheb Basin, Czech Republic

Influence of CO2 Degassing on the Microbial Community in a Dry Mofette Field in Hartoušov, Czech Republic (Western Eger Rift)

Nonvolcanic Carbon Dioxide Emission at Continental Rifts: The Bublak Mofette Area, Western Eger Rift, Czech Republic

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