Microbiology of Concretions, Sediments and Mechanisms Influencing the Preservation of Submerged Archaeological Artifacts

Abstract

Research conducted at deep-ocean ship wreck sites in the North Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea and in the Gulf of Mexico have revealed that microorganisms play a significant role in both the preservation and loss of submerged artifacts. Research to be reported concentrates on the influence of microbiologically induced concretions on the survival of maritime artifacts. Rusticles, a common form of concretion, have been found to provide valuable information to archeology (Garzke et al. 1997, Proceedings of the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers). The role of rusticles in the preservation of recalcitrant materials such as coal and glass fragments that become embedded within these growths, as well as forensic chemical analysis can be used to determine the nature of goods or munitions being carried by the ship at the time of its sinking, and will form examples.

Mini-review: the morphology, mineralogy and microbiology of accumulated iron corrosion products

“…Cullimore and Johnston (2008) consistently identified iron-related bacteria (both oxidizing [FeOB] and reducing [FeRB]), sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) and heterotrophic bacteria associated with rusticles from five different wreck locations. They also reported significant populations of fungi on the outer walls of rusticles.…”

Analysis of Deepwater Shipwrecks in the Gulf of Mexico: Artificial Reef Effect of Six World War II Shipwrecks

“…From these parallel rusticle investigations, an estimate of rusticle growth can be made for Alcoa Puritan, where current rusticle development may be similar to that of Titanic during the mid-1970s when it had been submerged for a similar length of time (Cullimore et al, 2001;Cullimore and Johnston, 2005). refereNces…”

X‐ray micro‐computed tomography analysis of accumulated corrosion products in deep‐water shipwrecks

“…There are many similarities between tubercles and rusticles. For instance, several investigators have demonstrated that the presence of active microorganisms within both tubercles and rusticles are mainly the iron bacteria communities . Several previous research articles on metal corrosion have mentioned that tubercle formation refers to iron corrosion products in, for instance, carbon steel and stainless steel .…”