Formation and evolution of carbonate chimneys at the Lost City Hydrothermal Field

Ludwig, K. R.; Kelley, Deborah S.; Butterfield, D. A.; Nelson, Bruce K.; Früh-Green, Gretchen L.

doi:10.1016/j.gca.2006.04.016

Cited by 210 publications

(253 citation statements)

References 71 publications

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“…In many instances, dendritic calcite forms intergrowths with brucite ( Fig. 2 D and E), similar to fragile brucite−carbonate intergrowths found in Lost City chimneys (7). Vein brucite associated with calcite is of virtually pure endmember composition (Table S1).…”

Section: Serpentinization Beneath the Iberia Abyssal Plainsupporting

confidence: 54%

“…SW SF Nascent Lost City chimneys are dominated by aragonite and brucite, whereas older structures are dominated by calcite. During aging, brucite undersaturated in seawater dissolves and aragonite recrystallizes to calcite (7). Actively venting chimneys host a microbial community with a relatively high proportion of methanogenic archaea (the Lost City Methanosarcinales), methanotrophic bacteria, and sulfuroxidizing bacteria, whereas typical sulfate-reducing bacteria are rare (8)(9)(10).…”

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confidence: 99%

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Fluid mixing and the deep biosphere of a fossil Lost City-type hydrothermal system at the Iberia Margin

Klein

Humphris

Guo

et al. 2015

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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Subseafloor mixing of reduced hydrothermal fluids with seawater is believed to provide the energy and substrates needed to support deep chemolithoautotrophic life in the hydrated oceanic mantle (i.e., serpentinite). However, geosphere-biosphere interactions in serpentinite-hosted subseafloor mixing zones remain poorly constrained. Here we examine fossil microbial communities and fluid mixing processes in the subseafloor of a Cretaceous Lost City-type hydrothermal system at the magma-poor passive Iberia Margin (Ocean Drilling Program Leg 149, Hole 897D). Brucite−calcite mineral assemblages precipitated from mixed fluids ca. 65 m below the Cretaceous paleo-seafloor at temperatures of 31.7 ± 4.3°C within steep chemical gradients between weathered, carbonate-rich serpentinite breccia and serpentinite. Mixing of oxidized seawater and strongly reducing hydrothermal fluid at moderate temperatures created conditions capable of supporting microbial activity. Dense microbial colonies are fossilized in brucite−calcite veins that are strongly enriched in organic carbon (up to 0.5 wt.% of the total carbon) but depleted in 13 C (δ 13 C TOC = −19.4‰). We detected a combination of bacterial diether lipid biomarkers, archaeol, and archaeal tetraethers analogous to those found in carbonate chimneys at the active Lost City hydrothermal field. The exposure of mantle rocks to seawater during the breakup of Pangaea fueled chemolithoautotrophic microbial communities at the Iberia Margin, possibly before the onset of seafloor spreading. Lost City-type serpentinization systems have been discovered at midocean ridges, in forearc settings of subduction zones, and at continental margins. It appears that, wherever they occur, they can support microbial life, even in deep subseafloor environments.serpentinization | microfossils | lipid biomarkers | brucite−calcite | passive margin

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Section: Serpentinization Beneath the Iberia Abyssal Plainsupporting

confidence: 54%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Fluid mixing and the deep biosphere of a fossil Lost City-type hydrothermal system at the Iberia Margin

Klein

Humphris

Guo

et al. 2015

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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“…Fracture and fault networks in the basement below Lost City provide pathways for the fluids both vertically, forming the spire structures, and horizontally, forming carbonate growths parallel to the foliation in the serpentinites (Kelley et al, 2001(Kelley et al, , 2005Ludwig et al, 2006;Denny et al, 2015). The nearly horizontal sheet-like style of flow is very different from the vertical conduits that typify black smoker environments (Kelley et al, 2005).…”

Section: Lost City Hydrothermal Fieldmentioning

confidence: 99%

Expedition 357 summary

Früh-Green¹,

Orcutt²,

Green³

et al. 2017

Proceedings of the International Ocean Discovery Program

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Contents AbstractInternational Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Expedition 357 successfully cored an east-west transect across the southern wall of Atlantis Massif on the western flank of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR) to study the links between serpentinization processes and microbial activity in the shallow subsurface of highly altered ultramafic and mafic sequences that have been uplifted to the seafloor along a major detachment fault zone. The primary goals of this expedition were to (1) examine the role of serpentinization in driving hydrothermal systems, sustaining microbial communities, and sequestering carbon; (2) characterize the tectonomagmatic processes that lead to lithospheric heterogeneities and detachment faulting; and (3) assess how abiotic and biotic processes change with variations in rock type and progressive exposure on the seafloor. To accomplish these objectives, we developed a coring and sampling strategy centered on the use of seabed drills-the first time that such systems have been used in the scientific ocean drilling programs. This technology was chosen in the hope of achieving high recovery of the carbonate cap sequences and intact contact and deformation relationships. The expedition plans also included several engineering developments to assess geochemical parameters during drilling; sample bottom water before, during, and after drilling; supply synthetic tracers during drilling for contamination assessment; acquire in situ electrical resistivity and magnetic susceptibility measurements for assessing fractures, fluid flow, and extent of serpentinization; and seal boreholes to provide opportunities for future experiments.Seventeen holes were drilled at nine sites across Atlantis Massif, with two sites on the eastern end of the southern wall (Sites M0068 and M0075), three sites in the central section of the southern wall north of the Lost City hydrothermal field (Sites M0069, M0072, and M0076), two sites on the western end (Sites M0071 and M0073), and two sites north of the southern wall in the direction of the central dome of the massif and Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Site U1309 (Sites M0070 and M0074). Use of seabed drills enabled collection of more than 57 m of core, with borehole penetration ranging from 1.30 to 16.44 meters below seafloor and core recoveries as high as 74.76% of total penetration. This high level of recovery of shallow mantle sequences is unprecedented in the history of ocean drilling. The cores recovered along the southern wall of Atlantis Massif have highly heterogeneous lithologies, types of alteration, and degrees of deformation. The ultramafic rocks are dominated by harzburgites with intervals of dunite and minor pyroxenite veins, as well as gabbroic rocks occurring as melt impregnations and veins, all of which provide information about early magmatic processes and the magmatic evolution in the southernmost portion of Atlantis Massif. Dolerite dikes and basaltic rocks represent the latest stage of magmatic activity. Overall, the ultramafic rocks recovered ...

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“…Instead, a single phylotype belonging to the ANME-1 group of anaerobic methanotrophic archaea is the dominant archaeon (5). The outer walls of carbonate chimneys, where mineralogy and fluid chemistry can be substantially different compared with the chimney interiors (2,6), harbor bacteria with high similarity to sulfur-and methane-oxidizers, but archaea are much more abundant in chimneys venting up to 90°C, high pH fluid (2).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Serpentinization of subsurface ultramafic minerals is one of the most likely sources of CH 4 on Mars (8). At the LCHF, serpentinization reactions produce alkaline (pH 9-11) fluids that are rich in calcium (up to 30 mmol/kg), low in metals, and have near-zero concentrations of CO 2 (1,4,6). Serpentinization also provides an abiogenic source of H 2 (14 mmol/kg), CH 4 (2 mmol/kg), and low-molecular-weight hydrocarbons (3,4).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Archaea and bacteria with surprising microdiversity show shifts in dominance over 1,000-year time scales in hydrothermal chimneys

Brazelton

Ludwig

Sogin

et al. 2010

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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The Lost City Hydrothermal Field, an ultramafic-hosted system located 15 km west of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, has experienced at least 30,000 years of hydrothermal activity. Previous studies have shown that its carbonate chimneys form by mixing of ∼90°C, pH 9-11 hydrothermal fluids and cold seawater. Flow of methane and hydrogen-rich hydrothermal fluids in the porous interior chimney walls supports archaeal biofilm communities dominated by a single phylotype of Methanosarcinales. In this study, we have extensively sampled the carbonate-hosted archaeal and bacterial communities by obtaining sequences of >200,000 amplicons of the 16S rRNA V6 region and correlated the results with isotopic ( 230 Th) ages of the chimneys over a 1,200-year period. Rare sequences in young chimneys were commonly more abundant in older chimneys, indicating that members of the rare biosphere can become dominant members of the ecosystem when environmental conditions change. These results suggest that a long history of selection over many cycles of chimney growth has resulted in numerous closely related species at Lost City, each of which is preadapted to a particular set of reoccurring environmental conditions. Because of the unique characteristics of the Lost City Hydrothermal Field, these data offer an unprecedented opportunity to study the dynamics of a microbial ecosystem's rare biosphere over a thousand-year time scale.biofilm | preadaptation | rare biosphere | geochronology

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Formation and evolution of carbonate chimneys at the Lost City Hydrothermal Field

Cited by 210 publications

References 71 publications

Fluid mixing and the deep biosphere of a fossil Lost City-type hydrothermal system at the Iberia Margin

Fluid mixing and the deep biosphere of a fossil Lost City-type hydrothermal system at the Iberia Margin

Expedition 357 summary

Archaea and bacteria with surprising microdiversity show shifts in dominance over 1,000-year time scales in hydrothermal chimneys

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