Another one bites the rust: Microbes weathering subsurface oceanic crust

Abstract:

The marine deep biosphere consists of deeply buried sediment and igneous oceanic crust; yet, the existence, extent, and activity of life hosted in igneous oceanic crust is considerably less understood than in the sedimentaty realm. The role of microbial metabolic reactions in altering basaltic crust is not yet clear. This presentation will summarize what is currently known or speculated about rates of microbial activity in crust, focusing on the cycling of iron and oxygen, based on data from a few basalt-dominated sites that have been examined recently, including the eastern flank of the Juan de Fuca Ridge, the western flank of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, and the Dorado Outcrop. Microbial community diversity, activity and genomic data will seek to address the question: how do you think microbes get along without iron when it's gone?