Microbes play an important role in the alteration of oceanic crust

Thorseth, Ingunn H.; Torsvik, Terje; Furnes, Harald; Muehlenbachs, Karlis

doi:10.1016/0009-2541(95)00114-8

Cited by 173 publications

(162 citation statements)

References 32 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

153

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…This biosphere contains 5% to 50% of Earth's biomass [Parkes et al, 1994;Gold, 1992;Whitman et al, 1998]. Some of this biomass has been found in sediments and sedimentary rocks [Balkwill, 1989 In basaltic crust on land, microbial activity is associated with the weathering of volcanic rocks [Thorseth et al, 1991[Thorseth et al, , 1992[Thorseth et al, , 1995aStevens and McKinley, 1995]. In experiments, microbes are known to attach to basaltic glass, cover it with a biofilm, and produce pits [Thorseth et al, 1995b].…”

Section: Earth's Subsurface Biospherementioning

confidence: 99%

Sources of nutrients and energy for a deep biosphere on Mars

Fisk¹,

Giovannoni²

1999

J. Geophys. Res.

118

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Section: Earth's Subsurface Biospherementioning

confidence: 99%

Sources of nutrients and energy for a deep biosphere on Mars

Fisk¹,

Giovannoni²

1999

J. Geophys. Res.

118

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

“…These observations raise intriguing questions about the role that microorganisms play in biogeochemical cycling in basalts. Biological alteration of basalt by microorganisms has been the focus of numerous studies, with compelling evidence suggesting that they do play a part in this process (Thorseth et al, 1995;Giovannoni et al, 1996;Fisk et al, 1998Fisk et al, , 2003Torsvik et al, 1998;Furnes and Staudigel, 1999;Furnes et al, 2001Furnes et al, , 2004Banerjee and Muehlenbachs, 2003).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prokaryotic diversity, distribution, and insights into their role in biogeochemical cycling in marine basalts

et al. 2008

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

We used molecular techniques to analyze basalts of varying ages that were collected from the East Pacific Rise, 91 N, from the rift axis of the Juan de Fuca Ridge and from neighboring seamounts. Cluster analysis of 16S rDNA terminal restriction fragment polymorphism data revealed that basalt endoliths are distinct from seawater and that communities clustered, to some degree, based on the age of the host rock. This age-based clustering suggests that alteration processes may affect community structure. Cloning and sequencing of bacterial and archaeal 16S rRNA genes revealed 12 different phyla and subphyla associated with basalts. These include the Gemmatimonadetes, Nitrospirae, the candidate phylum SBR1093 in the bacteria, and in the Archaea Marine Benthic Group B, none of which have been previously reported in basalts. We delineated novel ocean crust clades in the c-Proteobacteria, Planctomycetes and Actinobacteria that are composed entirely of basalt-associated microflora, and may represent basalt ecotypes. Finally, microarray analysis of functional genes in basalt revealed that genes coding for previously unreported processes such as carbon fixation, methane oxidation, methanogenesis and nitrogen fixation are present, suggesting that basalts harbor previously unrecognized metabolic diversity. These novel processes could exert a profound influence on ocean chemistry.

show abstract

“…16c), it is important to highlight that, in submarine glasses on Earth, there is increasing evidence that bacterial communities may actually cause the alteration of basaltic glasses (Thorseth et al, 1995;Torsvik et al, 1998;Cockell et al, 2009;Cavalazzi et al, 2011). Therefore, if subsurface palagonitization of volcanic glass is taking place on Mars, it will be important to fully understand this process, given that on Earth it is a process commonly associated with microbial activity (Thorseth et al, 1995;Torsvik et al, 1998;Cockell et al, 2009). Similarly, microbial activity is also considered to play an important role in the alteration of Si-rich minerals and glasses (Brehm et al, 2005;Herrera et al, 2008).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

A Conspicuous Clay Ovoid in Nakhla: Evidence for Subsurface Hydrothermal Alteration on Mars with Implications for Astrobiology

Chatzitheodoridis

Haigh

Lyon³

2014

Astrobiology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

A conspicuous biomorphic ovoid structure has been discovered in the Nakhla martian meteorite, made of nanocrystalline iron-rich saponitic clay and amorphous material. The ovoid is indigenous to Nakhla and occurs within a late-formed amorphous mesostasis region of rhyolitic composition that is interstitial to two clinopyroxene grains with Al-rich rims, and contains acicular apatite crystals, olivine, sulfides, Ti-rich magnetite, and a new mineral of the rhoenite group. To infer the origin of the ovoid, a large set of analytical tools was employed, including scanning electron microscopy and backscattered electron imaging, wavelength-dispersive X-ray analysis, X-ray mapping, Raman spectroscopy, time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry analysis, high-resolution transmission electron microscope imaging, and atomic force microscope topographic mapping. The concentric wall of the ovoid surrounds an originally hollow volume and exhibits internal layering of contrasting nanotextures but uniform chemical composition, and likely inherited its overall shape from a preexisting vesicle in the mesostasis glass. A final fibrous layer of Fe-rich phases blankets the interior surfaces of the ovoid wall structure. There is evidence that the parent rock of Nakhla has undergone a shock event from a nearby bolide impact that melted the rims of pyroxene and the interstitial matter and initiated an igneous hydrothermal system of rapidly cooling fluids, which were progressively mixed with fluids from the melted permafrost. Sharp temperature gradients were responsible for the crystallization of Al-rich clinopyroxene rims, rhoenite, acicular apatites, and the quenching of the mesostasis glass and the vesicle. During the formation of the ovoid structure, episodic fluid infiltration events resulted in the precipitation of saponite rinds around the vesicle walls, altered pyrrhotite to marcasite, and then isolated the ovoid wall structure from the rest of the system by depositing a layer of iron oxides/hydroxides. Carbonates, halite, and sulfates were deposited last within interstitial spaces and along fractures. Among three plausible competing hypotheses here, this particular abiotic scenario is considered to be the most reasonable explanation for the formation of the ovoid structure in Nakhla, and although compelling evidence for a biotic origin is lacking, it is evident that the martian subsurface contains niche environments where life could develop.

show abstract

Microbes play an important role in the alteration of oceanic crust

Cited by 173 publications

References 32 publications

Sources of nutrients and energy for a deep biosphere on Mars

Sources of nutrients and energy for a deep biosphere on Mars

Prokaryotic diversity, distribution, and insights into their role in biogeochemical cycling in marine basalts

A Conspicuous Clay Ovoid in Nakhla: Evidence for Subsurface Hydrothermal Alteration on Mars with Implications for Astrobiology

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About