1
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Etiope G, Ciotoli G, Benà E, Mazzoli C, Röckmann T, Sivan M, Squartini A, Laemmel T, Szidat S, Haghipour N, Sassi R. Surprising concentrations of hydrogen and non-geological methane and carbon dioxide in the soil. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 948:174890. [PMID: 39032737 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.174890] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2024] [Revised: 07/17/2024] [Accepted: 07/17/2024] [Indexed: 07/23/2024]
Abstract
Due to its potential use as a carbon-free energy resource with minimal environmental and climate impacts, natural hydrogen (H2) produced by subsurface geochemical processes is today the target of intensive research. In H2 exploration practices, bacteria are thought to swiftly consume H2 and, therefore, small near-surface concentrations of H2, even orders of 102 ppmv in soils, are considered a signal of active migration of geological gas, potentially revealing underground resources. Here, we document an extraordinary case of a widespread occurrence of H2 (up to 1 vol%), together with elevated concentrations of CH4 and CO2 (up to 51 and 27 vol%, respectively), in aerated meadow soils along Italian Alps valleys. Based on current literature, this finding would be classified as a discovery of pervasive and massive geological H2 seepage. Nevertheless, an ensemble of gas geochemical and soil microbiological analyses, including bulk and clumped CH4 isotopes, radiocarbon of CH4 and CO2, and DNA and mcrA gene quantitative polymerase chain reaction analyses, revealed that H2 was only coupled to modern microbial gas. The H2-CO2-CH4-H2S association, wet soil proximity, and the absence of other geogenic gases in soils and springs suggest that H2 derives from near-surface fermentation, rather than geological degassing. H2 concentrations up to 1 vol% in soils are not conclusive evidence of deep gas seepage. This study provides a new reference for the potential of microbial H2, CH4 and CO2 in soils, to be considered in H2 exploration guidelines and soil carbon and greenhouse-gas cycle research.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Etiope
- Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Sezione Roma 2, Rome, Italy; Faculty of Environmental Science and Engineering, Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
| | - G Ciotoli
- Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Sezione Roma 2, Rome, Italy; Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Istituto di Geologia Ambientale e Geoingegneria, Monterotondo, Italy
| | - E Benà
- Dipartimento di Geoscienze, Università di Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - C Mazzoli
- Dipartimento di Geoscienze, Università di Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - T Röckmann
- Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research Utrecht, Utrecht University, the Netherlands
| | - M Sivan
- Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research Utrecht, Utrecht University, the Netherlands
| | - A Squartini
- Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural Res., Animals and Environment, Università di Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - T Laemmel
- Department of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences & Oeschger Center for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - S Szidat
- Department of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences & Oeschger Center for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - N Haghipour
- Geological Institute & Laboratory of Ion Beam Physics, ETHZ, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - R Sassi
- Dipartimento di Geoscienze, Università di Padova, Padova, Italy
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2
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Liu Q, Wu X, Huang X, Zhu D, Meng Q, Zhu D, Xu H, Liu J, Li P, Zhou Z, Zhang K, Jin Z. Integrated geochemical identification of natural hydrogen sources. Sci Bull (Beijing) 2024:S2095-9273(24)00480-8. [PMID: 39048508 DOI: 10.1016/j.scib.2024.07.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2024] [Revised: 06/08/2024] [Accepted: 06/09/2024] [Indexed: 07/27/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- Quanyou Liu
- Institute of Energy, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resource, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China.
| | - Xiaoqi Wu
- Petroleum Exploration & Production Research Institute, SINOPEC, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Xiaowei Huang
- Institute of Energy, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Di Zhu
- Key Laboratory for Biomass Gasification Technology of Shandong Province, Energy Research Institute, Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences), Jinan 250014, China
| | - Qingqiang Meng
- Petroleum Exploration & Production Research Institute, SINOPEC, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Dongya Zhu
- Petroleum Exploration & Production Research Institute, SINOPEC, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Huiyuan Xu
- Petroleum Exploration & Production Research Institute, SINOPEC, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Jiayi Liu
- Petroleum Exploration & Production Research Institute, SINOPEC, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Pengpeng Li
- Institute of Energy, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Zheng Zhou
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YQ, UK
| | - Kaiqiang Zhang
- Institute of Energy, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Zhijun Jin
- Institute of Energy, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; Petroleum Exploration & Production Research Institute, SINOPEC, Beijing 102206, China.
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3
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Kaur H, Rauscher SA, Werner E, Song Y, Yi J, Kazöne W, Martin WF, Tüysüz H, Moran J. A prebiotic Krebs cycle analog generates amino acids with H 2 and NH 3 over nickel. Chem 2024; 10:1528-1540. [PMID: 38803519 PMCID: PMC7616004 DOI: 10.1016/j.chempr.2024.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/29/2024]
Abstract
Hydrogen (H2) has powered microbial metabolism for roughly 4 billion years. The recent discovery that it also fuels geochemical analogs of the most ancient biological carbon fixation pathway sheds light on the origin of metabolism. However, it remains unclear whether H2 can sustain more complex nonenzymatic reaction networks. Here, we show that H2 drives the nonenzymatic reductive amination of six biological ketoacids and glyoxylate to give the corresponding amino acids in good yields using ammonium concentrations ranging from 6 to 150 mM. Catalytic amounts of nickel or ground meteorites enable these reactions at 22°C and pH 8. The same conditions promote an H2-dependent ketoacid-forming reductive aldol chemistry that co-occurs with reductive amination, producing a continuous reaction network resembling amino acid synthesis in the metabolic core of ancient microbes. The results support the hypothesis that the earliest biochemical networks could have emerged without enzymes or RNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harpreet Kaur
- Institut de Science et d’Ingénierie Supramoléculaires (ISIS), CNRS UMR 7006, Université de Strasbourg, 8 alleé Gaspard Monge, 67000 Strasbourg, France
| | - Sophia A. Rauscher
- Institut de Science et d’Ingénierie Supramoléculaires (ISIS), CNRS UMR 7006, Université de Strasbourg, 8 alleé Gaspard Monge, 67000 Strasbourg, France
| | - Emilie Werner
- Institut de Science et d’Ingénierie Supramoléculaires (ISIS), CNRS UMR 7006, Université de Strasbourg, 8 alleé Gaspard Monge, 67000 Strasbourg, France
| | - Youngdong Song
- Max-Planck-Institut für Kohlenforschung, Kaiser-Wilhelm-Platz 1, 45470 Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany
| | - Jing Yi
- Institut de Science et d’Ingénierie Supramoléculaires (ISIS), CNRS UMR 7006, Université de Strasbourg, 8 alleé Gaspard Monge, 67000 Strasbourg, France
| | - Wahnyalo Kazöne
- Institut de Science et d’Ingénierie Supramoléculaires (ISIS), CNRS UMR 7006, Université de Strasbourg, 8 alleé Gaspard Monge, 67000 Strasbourg, France
| | - William F. Martin
- Institute for Molecular Evolution, Heinrich-Heine-University of Düsseldorf, Universitätsstr. 1, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Harun Tüysüz
- Max-Planck-Institut für Kohlenforschung, Kaiser-Wilhelm-Platz 1, 45470 Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany
| | - Joseph Moran
- Institut de Science et d’Ingénierie Supramoléculaires (ISIS), CNRS UMR 7006, Université de Strasbourg, 8 alleé Gaspard Monge, 67000 Strasbourg, France
- Institut Universitaire de France, 75005 Paris, France
- Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario K1N 6N5, Canada
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4
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Song M, Warr O, Telling J, Sherwood Lollar B. Hydrogeological controls on microbial activity and habitability in the Precambrian continental crust. GEOBIOLOGY 2024; 22:e12592. [PMID: 38445449 DOI: 10.1111/gbi.12592] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2023] [Revised: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 02/19/2024] [Indexed: 03/07/2024]
Abstract
Earth's deep continental subsurface is a prime setting to study the limits of life's relationship with environmental conditions and habitability. In Precambrian crystalline rocks worldwide, deep ancient groundwaters in fracture networks are typically oligotrophic, highly saline, and locally inhabited by low-biomass communities in which chemolithotrophic microorganisms may dominate. Periodic opening of new fractures can lead to penetration of surface water and/or migration of fracture fluids, both of which may trigger changes in subsurface microbial composition and activity. These hydrogeological processes and their impacts on subsurface communities may play a significant role in global cycles of key elements in the crust. However, to date, considerable uncertainty remains on how subsurface microbial communities may respond to these changes in hydrogeochemical conditions. To address this uncertainty, the biogeochemistry of Thompson mine (Manitoba, Canada) was investigated. Compositional and isotopic analyses of fracture waters collected here at ~1 km below land surface revealed different extents of mixing between subsurface brine and (paleo)meteoric waters. To investigate the effects this mixing may have had on microbial communities, the Most Probable Number technique was applied to test community response for a total of 13 different metabolisms. The results showed that all fracture waters were dominated by viable heterotrophic microorganisms which can utilize organic materials associated with aerobic/facultative anaerobic processes, sulfate reduction, or fermentation. Where mixing between subsurface brines and (paleo)meteoric waters occurs, the communities demonstrate higher cell densities and increased viable functional potentials, compared to the most saline sample. This study therefore highlights the connection between hydrogeologic heterogeneity and the heterogeneity of subsurface ecosystems in the crystalline rocks, and suggests that hydrogeology can have a considerable impact on the scope and scale of subsurface microbial communities on Earth and potentially beyond.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min Song
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Oliver Warr
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Jon Telling
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Barbara Sherwood Lollar
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris (IPGP), Université Paris Cité, Paris, France
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5
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Truche L, Donzé FV, Goskolli E, Muceku B, Loisy C, Monnin C, Dutoit H, Cerepi A. A deep reservoir for hydrogen drives intense degassing in the Bulqizë ophiolite. Science 2024; 383:618-621. [PMID: 38330123 DOI: 10.1126/science.adk9099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2023] [Accepted: 01/10/2024] [Indexed: 02/10/2024]
Abstract
Deep crustal production of hydrogen (H2) is a potential source of primary energy if recoverable accumulations in geological formations are sufficiently large. We report direct measurements of an elevated outgassing rate of 84% (by volume) of H2 from the deep underground Bulqizë chromite mine in Albania. A minimum of 200 tons of H2 is vented annually from the mine's galleries, making it one of the largest recorded H2 flow rates to date. We cannot attribute the flux solely to the release of paleo-fluids trapped within the rocks or to present-day active and pervasive serpentinization of ultramafic rocks; rather, our results demonstrate the presence of a faulted reservoir deeply rooted in the Jurassic ophiolite massif. This discovery suggests that certain ophiolites may host economically useful accumulations of H2 gas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laurent Truche
- Université Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, IRD, ISTERRE, UMR 5275, Grenoble, France
| | | | - Edmond Goskolli
- National Agency of Natural Resources, NANR-AKBN, Tirana, Albania
| | - Bardhyl Muceku
- Polytechnic University of Tirana, FGJM, Department of Earth Sciences, Tirana, Albania
| | - Corinne Loisy
- Université Bordeaux, CNRS, Bordeaux INP, EPOC, UMR 5805, Pessac, France
| | | | - Hugo Dutoit
- Université Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, IRD, ISTERRE, UMR 5275, Grenoble, France
| | - Adrian Cerepi
- Université Bordeaux, CNRS, Bordeaux INP, EPOC, UMR 5805, Pessac, France
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6
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Nisson DM, Walters CC, Chacón-Patiño ML, Weisbrod CR, Kieft TL, Sherwood Lollar B, Warr O, Castillo J, Perl SM, Cason ED, Freifeld BM, Onstott TC. Radiolytically reworked Archean organic matter in a habitable deep ancient high-temperature brine. Nat Commun 2023; 14:6163. [PMID: 37789019 PMCID: PMC10547683 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-41900-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2023] [Accepted: 09/20/2023] [Indexed: 10/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Investigations of abiotic and biotic contributions to dissolved organic carbon (DOC) are required to constrain microbial habitability in continental subsurface fluids. Here we investigate a large (101-283 mg C/L) DOC pool in an ancient (>1Ga), high temperature (45-55 °C), low biomass (102-104 cells/mL), and deep (3.2 km) brine from an uranium-enriched South African gold mine. Excitation-emission matrices (EEMs), negative electrospray ionization (-ESI) 21 tesla Fourier-transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS), and amino acid analyses suggest the brine DOC is primarily radiolytically oxidized kerogen-rich shales or reefs, methane and ethane, with trace amounts of C3-C6 hydrocarbons and organic sulfides. δ2H and δ13C of C1-C3 hydrocarbons are consistent with abiotic origins. These findings suggest water-rock processes control redox and C cycling, helping support a meagre, slow biosphere over geologic time. A radiolytic-driven, habitable brine may signal similar settings are good targets in the search for life beyond Earth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Devan M Nisson
- Department of Geosciences, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, 08540, USA.
| | | | | | - Chad R Weisbrod
- National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Tallahassee, FL, 32310, USA
| | - Thomas L Kieft
- Department of Biology, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Socorro, NM, 87801, USA
| | - Barbara Sherwood Lollar
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 3B1, Canada
- Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris (IPGP), Université Paris Cité, 1 rue Jussieu, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Oliver Warr
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Julio Castillo
- Department of Microbiology and Biochemistry, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, 9300, South Africa
| | - Scott M Perl
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, 91109, USA
| | - Errol D Cason
- Department of Animal Sciences, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, 9300, South Africa
| | | | - Tullis C Onstott
- Department of Geosciences, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, 08540, USA
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7
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Tyne RL, Barry PH, Lawson M, Lloyd KG, Giovannelli D, Summers ZM, Ballentine CJ. Identifying and Understanding Microbial Methanogenesis in CO 2 Storage. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2023. [PMID: 37327355 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c08652] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is an important component in many national net-zero strategies. Ensuring that CO2 can be safely and economically stored in geological systems is critical. To date, CCS research has focused on the physiochemical behavior of CO2, yet there has been little consideration of the subsurface microbial impact on CO2 storage. However, recent discoveries have shown that microbial processes (e.g., methanogenesis) can be significant. Importantly, methanogenesis may modify the fluid composition and the fluid dynamics within the storage reservoir. Such changes may subsequently reduce the volume of CO2 that can be stored and change the mobility and future trapping systematics of the evolved supercritical fluid. Here, we review the current knowledge of how microbial methanogenesis could impact CO2 storage, including the potential scale of methanogenesis and the range of geologic settings under which this process operates. We find that methanogenesis is possible in all storage target types; however, the kinetics and energetics of methanogenesis will likely be limited by H2 generation. We expect that the bioavailability of H2 (and thus potential of microbial methanogenesis) will be greatest in depleted hydrocarbon fields and least within saline aquifers. We propose that additional integrated monitoring requirements are needed for CO2 storage to trace any biogeochemical processes including baseline, temporal, and spatial studies. Finally, we suggest areas where further research should be targeted in order to fully understand microbial methanogenesis in CO2 storage sites and its potential impact.
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Affiliation(s)
- R L Tyne
- Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543, United States
| | - P H Barry
- Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543, United States
| | | | - K G Lloyd
- University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, United States
| | - D Giovannelli
- University of Naples Federico II, Naples 80138 Italy
| | - Z M Summers
- LanzaTech, Skokie, Illinois 60077, United States
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8
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Hu C, Cheng L, Zhou L, Jiang Z, Gan P, Cao S, Li Q, Chen C, Wang Y, Mostafavi M, Wang S, Ma J. Radiolytic Water Splitting Sensitized by Nanoscale Metal-Organic Frameworks. J Am Chem Soc 2023; 145:5578-5588. [PMID: 36812014 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c00547] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/24/2023]
Abstract
High-energy radiation that is compatible with renewable energy sources enables direct H2 production from water for fuels; however, the challenge is to convert it as efficiently as possible, and the existing strategies have limited success. Herein, we report the use of Zr/Hf-based nanoscale UiO-66 metal-organic frameworks as highly effective and stable radiation sensitizers for purified and natural water splitting under γ-ray irradiation. Scavenging and pulse radiolysis experiments with Monte Carlo simulations show that the combination of 3D arrays of ultrasmall metal-oxo clusters and high porosity affords unprecedented effective scattering between secondary electrons and confined water, generating increased precursors of solvated electrons and excited states of water, which are the main species responsible for H2 production enhancement. The use of a small quantity (<80 mmol/L) of UiO-66-Hf-OH can achieve a γ-rays-to-hydrogen conversion efficiency exceeding 10% that significantly outperforms Zr-/Hf-oxide nanoparticles and the existing radiolytic H2 promoters. Our work highlights the feasibility and merit of MOF-assisted radiolytic water splitting and promises a competitive method for creating a green H2 economy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Changjiang Hu
- College of Materials Science and Technology, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 211106, P. R. China
| | - Liwei Cheng
- State Key Laboratory of Radiation Medicine and Protection, School for Radiological and Interdisciplinary Sciences (RAD-X), Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, P. R. China.,Collaborative Innovation Center of Radiation Medicine of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, P. R. China
| | - Liheng Zhou
- College of Materials Science and Technology, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 211106, P. R. China
| | - Zhiwen Jiang
- College of Materials Science and Technology, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 211106, P. R. China
| | - Pingping Gan
- College of Materials Science and Technology, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 211106, P. R. China
| | - Shuiyan Cao
- College of Materials Science and Technology, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 211106, P. R. China
| | - Qiuhao Li
- College of Materials Science and Technology, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 211106, P. R. China
| | - Chong Chen
- College of Materials Science and Technology, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 211106, P. R. China
| | - Yunlong Wang
- College of Materials Science and Technology, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 211106, P. R. China
| | - Mehran Mostafavi
- Institut de Chimie Physique UMR8000, CNRS/Université Paris-Saclay, Orsay 91405, France
| | - Shuao Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Radiation Medicine and Protection, School for Radiological and Interdisciplinary Sciences (RAD-X), Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, P. R. China.,Collaborative Innovation Center of Radiation Medicine of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, P. R. China
| | - Jun Ma
- College of Materials Science and Technology, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 211106, P. R. China.,Collaborative Innovation Center of Radiation Medicine of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, P. R. China
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9
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Cheng A, Sherwood Lollar B, Gluyas JG, Ballentine CJ. Primary N 2-He gas field formation in intracratonic sedimentary basins. Nature 2023; 615:94-99. [PMID: 36859584 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-05659-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2022] [Accepted: 12/13/2022] [Indexed: 03/03/2023]
Abstract
Helium, nitrogen and hydrogen are continually generated within the deep continental crust1-9. Conceptual degassing models for quiescent continental crust are dominated by an assumption that these gases are dissolved in water, and that vertical transport in shallower sedimentary systems is by diffusion within water-filled pore space (for example, refs. 7,8). Gas-phase exsolution is crucial for concentrating helium and forming a societal resource. Here we show that crustal nitrogen from the crystalline basement alone-degassing at a steady state in proportion to crustal helium-4 generation-can reach sufficient concentrations at the base of some sedimentary basins to form a free gas phase. Using a gas diffusion model coupled with sedimentary basin evolution, we demonstrate, using a classic intracratonic sedimentary basin (Williston Basin, North America), that crustal nitrogen reaches saturation and forms a gas phase; in this basin, as early as about 140 million years ago. Helium partitions into this gas phase. This gas formation mechanism accounts for the observed primary nitrogen-helium gas discovered in the basal sedimentary lithology of this and other basins, predicts co-occurrence of crustal gas-phase hydrogen, and reduces the flux of helium into overlying strata by about 30 per cent because of phase solubility buffering. Identification of this gas phase formation mechanism provides a quantitative insight to assess the helium and hydrogen resource potential in similar intracontinental sedimentary basins found worldwide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anran Cheng
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
| | | | - Jon G Gluyas
- Department of Earth Sciences, Durham University, Durham, UK
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10
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Malvoisin B, Brunet F. Barren ground depressions, natural H 2 and orogenic gold deposits: Spatial link and geochemical model. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 856:158969. [PMID: 36162584 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.158969] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2022] [Revised: 09/19/2022] [Accepted: 09/19/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
A review of the localities in continental rocks where H2-rich gases have been reported, showed that they are mainly located near orogenic gold deposits. Two types of geomorphological features known as markers of gas venting in sedimentary basins were also systematically observed near orogenic gold deposits on satellite images. They consist in both barren ground depressions and high densities of small (<20 m in diameter) circular- and comet-shaped white spots in 32 and 7 localities, respectively. Point pattern analysis revealed that the white spots are self-organized, and similar to previously described vegetation patterns associated with termite mounds and fairy circles. We proposed a geochemical model to account for this relationship between orogenic gold deposits, H2 emanations and geomorphological features. Fe‑carbonates are ubiquitous mineral products associated with gold mineralization. They can further dissolve in the presence of aqueous fluid due to their high reactivity below 200 °C to produce magnetite and up to ∼1 mol H2 per kg of rock along with ∼3 mol/kg CO2. This process induces a solid volume decrease of 50 %. Therefore, we propose that Fe‑carbonate dissolution is (1) the primary source of H2 in orogenic gold deposit areas, and (2) involved in the formation of the geomorphological structures reported here, providing a new framework to understand their seemingly complex formation. Ground depressions and white spots are possible tools for gold exploration. Actually, we identified four new areas where we suspect possible orogenic gold deposits. The association between H2-rich gas and ground depressions was also made near other formations containing Fe‑carbonates such as iron formations and carbonatites. This suggests that H2 production through Fe‑carbonate dissolution is not restricted to gold deposits. The global H2 production in crustal rocks associated with Fe‑carbonate alteration is estimated to 3 × 105 mol/yr.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Malvoisin
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Univ. Savoie Mont Blanc, CNRS, IRD, Univ. Gustave Eiffel, ISTerre, 38000 Grenoble, France.
| | - Fabrice Brunet
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Univ. Savoie Mont Blanc, CNRS, IRD, Univ. Gustave Eiffel, ISTerre, 38000 Grenoble, France
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11
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Rauscher SA, Moran J. Hydrogen Drives Part of the Reverse Krebs Cycle under Metal or Meteorite Catalysis. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2022; 61:e202212932. [PMID: 36251920 PMCID: PMC10100321 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202212932] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Hydrogen (H2 ) is a geological source of reducing electrons that is thought to have powered the metabolism of the last universal common ancestor to all extant life, and that is still metabolized by various modern organisms. It has been suggested that H2 drove a geochemical analogue of some or all of the reverse Krebs cycle at the emergence of the metabolic network, catalyzed by metals, but this has yet to be demonstrated experimentally. Herein, we show that three consecutive steps of the reverse Krebs cycle, converting oxaloacetate into succinate, can be driven without enzymes and in one-pot by H2 as the reducing agent under mild conditions compatible with biological chemistry. Low catalytic amounts of nickel (10-20 mol %) or platinum group metals (0.1-1 mol %) or even small amounts of ground meteorites were found to promote the reductive chemistry at temperatures between 5 and 60 °C and over a wide pH range, including pH 7. These results lend additional support to the hypothesis that geologically produced hydrogen and metal catalysts could have initiated early metabolic networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophia A Rauscher
- Institut de Science et d'Ingénierie Supramoléculaires (ISIS), CNRS UMR 7006, University of Strasbourg, 8 Allée Gaspard Monge, 67000, Strasbourg, France
| | - Joseph Moran
- Institut de Science et d'Ingénierie Supramoléculaires (ISIS), CNRS UMR 7006, University of Strasbourg, 8 Allée Gaspard Monge, 67000, Strasbourg, France.,Institut Universitaire de France (IUF), France
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12
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Natural Radioactivity and Chemical Evolution on the Early Earth: Prebiotic Chemistry and Oxygenation. MOLECULES (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 27:molecules27238584. [PMID: 36500676 PMCID: PMC9740107 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27238584] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2022] [Revised: 11/30/2022] [Accepted: 12/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
It is generally recognized that the evolution of the early Earth was affected by an external energy source: radiation from the early Sun. The hypothesis about the important role of natural radioactivity, as a source of internal energy in the evolution of the early Earth, is considered and substantiated in this work. The decay of the long-lived isotopes 232Th, 238U, 235U, and 40K in the Global Ocean initiated the oxygenation of the hydro- and atmosphere, and the abiogenesis. The content of isotopes in the ocean and the kinetics of their decay, the values of the absorbed dose and dose rate, and the efficiency of sea water radiolysis, as a function of time, were calculated. The ocean served as both a "reservoir" that collected components of the early atmosphere and products of their transformations, and a "converter" in which further chemical reactions of these compounds took place. Radical mechanisms were proposed for the formation of simple amino acids, sugars, and nitrogen bases, i.e., the key structures of all living things, and also for the formation of oxygen. The calculation results confirm the possible important role of natural radioactivity in the evolution of terrestrial matter, and the emergence of life.
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13
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Trutschel LR, Chadwick GL, Kruger B, Blank JG, Brazelton WJ, Dart ER, Rowe AR. Investigation of microbial metabolisms in an extremely high pH marine-like terrestrial serpentinizing system: Ney Springs. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 836:155492. [PMID: 35476949 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.155492] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2021] [Revised: 04/06/2022] [Accepted: 04/20/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Ney Springs, a continental serpentinizing spring in northern California, has an exceptionally high reported pH (12.4) for a naturally occurring water source. With high conductivity fluids, it is geochemically more akin to marine serpentinizing systems than other terrestrial locations. Our geochemical analyses also revealed high sulfide concentrations (544 mg/L) and methane emissions (83% volume gas content) relative to other serpentinizing systems. Thermodynamic calculations were used to investigate the potential for substrates resulting from serpentinization to fuel microbial life, and were found to support the energetic feasibility of sulfate reduction, anaerobic methane oxidation, denitrification, and anaerobic sulfide oxidation within this system. Assessment of the microbial community via 16S rRNA taxonomic gene surveys and metagenome sequencing revealed a community composition dominated by poorly characterized members of the Izemoplasmatales and Clostridiales. The genomes of these dominant taxa point to a fermentative lifestyle, though other highly complete (>90%) metagenome assembled genomes support the potential for organisms to perform sulfate reduction, sulfur disproportionation and/or sulfur oxidation (aerobic and anaerobic). Two chemolithoheterotrophs identified in the metagenome, a Halomonas sp. and a Rhodobacteraceae sp., were isolated and shown to oxidize thiosulfate and were capable of growth in conditions up to pH 12.4. Despite being characteristic products of serpentinization reactions, little evidence was seen for hydrogen and methane utilization in the Ney Springs microbial community. Hydrogen is not highly abundant and could be consumed prior to reaching the spring community. Other metabolic strategies may be outcompeted by more energetically favorable heterotrophic or fermentation reactions, or even inhibited by other compounds in the spring such as ammonia. The unique geochemistry of Ney Springs provides an opportunity to study how local geology interacts with serpentinized fluids, while its microbial community can better inform us of the metabolic strategies employed in hyperalkaline environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leah R Trutschel
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Grayson L Chadwick
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | | | - Jennifer G Blank
- Blue Marble Space Institute of Science, Livermore, CA, USA; NASA Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley, Moffett Field, CA, USA
| | | | - Emily R Dart
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Annette R Rowe
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
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14
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86Kr excess and other noble gases identify a billion-year-old radiogenically-enriched groundwater system. Nat Commun 2022; 13:3768. [PMID: 35773264 PMCID: PMC9246980 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-31412-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2021] [Accepted: 06/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Deep within the Precambrian basement rocks of the Earth, groundwaters can sustain subsurface microbial communities, and are targets of investigation both for geologic storage of carbon and/or nuclear waste, and for new reservoirs of rapidly depleting resources of helium. Noble gas-derived residence times have revealed deep hydrological settings where groundwaters are preserved on millions to billion-year timescales. Here we report groundwaters enriched in the highest concentrations of radiogenic products yet discovered in fluids, with an associated 86Kr excess in the free fluid, and residence times >1 billion years. This brine, from a South African gold mine 3 km below surface, demonstrates that ancient groundwaters preserved in the deep continental crust on billion-year geologic timescales may be more widespread than previously understood. The findings have implications beyond Earth, where on rocky planets such as Mars, subsurface water may persist on long timescales despite surface conditions that no longer provide a habitable zone. Noble gases confirm billion-year groundwater residence times and external fluxes in deep crustal settings globally with implications for subsurface habitability and economic reservoir formation over planetary timescales both on Earth and beyond
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15
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Bell E, Lamminmäki T, Alneberg J, Qian C, Xiong W, Hettich RL, Frutschi M, Bernier-Latmani R. Active anaerobic methane oxidation and sulfur disproportionation in the deep terrestrial subsurface. THE ISME JOURNAL 2022; 16:1583-1593. [PMID: 35173296 PMCID: PMC9123182 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-022-01207-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2021] [Revised: 01/19/2022] [Accepted: 01/28/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Microbial life is widespread in the terrestrial subsurface and present down to several kilometers depth, but the energy sources that fuel metabolism in deep oligotrophic and anoxic environments remain unclear. In the deep crystalline bedrock of the Fennoscandian Shield at Olkiluoto, Finland, opposing gradients of abiotic methane and ancient seawater-derived sulfate create a terrestrial sulfate-methane transition zone (SMTZ). We used chemical and isotopic data coupled to genome-resolved metaproteogenomics to demonstrate active life and, for the first time, provide direct evidence of active anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) in a deep terrestrial bedrock. Proteins from Methanoperedens (formerly ANME-2d) are readily identifiable despite the low abundance (≤1%) of this genus and confirm the occurrence of AOM. This finding is supported by 13C-depleted dissolved inorganic carbon. Proteins from Desulfocapsaceae and Desulfurivibrionaceae, in addition to 34S-enriched sulfate, suggest that these organisms use inorganic sulfur compounds as both electron donor and acceptor. Zerovalent sulfur in the groundwater may derive from abiotic rock interactions, or from a non-obligate syntrophy with Methanoperedens, potentially linking methane and sulfur cycles in Olkiluoto groundwater. Finally, putative episymbionts from the candidate phyla radiation (CPR) and DPANN archaea represented a significant diversity in the groundwater (26/84 genomes) with roles in sulfur and carbon cycling. Our results highlight AOM and sulfur disproportionation as active metabolisms and show that methane and sulfur fuel microbial activity in the deep terrestrial subsurface.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma Bell
- Environmental Microbiology Laboratory, Environmental Engineering Institute, School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, 1015, Switzerland.
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, T2N 1N4, Canada.
| | | | - Johannes Alneberg
- Science for Life Laboratory, School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health, Department of Gene Technology, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, SE-17121, Sweden
| | - Chen Qian
- Chemical Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37830, USA
| | - Weili Xiong
- Chemical Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37830, USA
| | - Robert L Hettich
- Chemical Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37830, USA
| | - Manon Frutschi
- Environmental Microbiology Laboratory, Environmental Engineering Institute, School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, 1015, Switzerland
| | - Rizlan Bernier-Latmani
- Environmental Microbiology Laboratory, Environmental Engineering Institute, School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, 1015, Switzerland.
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16
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Ershov BG. Important role of seawater radiolysis of the World Ocean in the chemical evolution of the early Earth. Radiat Phys Chem Oxf Engl 1993 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.radphyschem.2022.109959] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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17
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Can Weathering of Banded Iron Formations Generate Natural Hydrogen? Evidence from Australia, Brazil and South Africa. MINERALS 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/min12020163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Oxidation of iron-rich rock is known to generate H2 in oceanic as well as in continental domains. Here we tested the possibility of H2 generation as the result of weathering of banded iron formations (BIF). The BIF constitute more than 60% of global iron ore reserves with low Fe3+/Fetot and total Fe ranging from 20 to 40 wt% and are therefore good candidates for H2 production potential. In the vicinity of BIF-hosted iron mines in Australia, Brazil and South Africa, satellite imaging has revealed the presence of sub-circular depressions that usually are the proxy of H2-emitting features. A morphological comparison of the sub-circular depressions with the ones observed in previous studies point to probable H2 seeping in these areas. In parallel, a petrological study conducted on altered and fresh BIF samples from the Hamersley Province in Western Australia also suggests H2 generation during BIF weathering. Indeed, mineral transitions from ferrous silicate (riebeckite and/or minnesotaite) to ferric iron oxi-hydroxides (goethite) or from ferrous and ferric oxides (magnetite) to exclusively ferric oxides (maghemite, hematite, goethite) were observed on the samples. The oxidation of ferrous iron by aqueous fluids circulating through and leaching the BIF is promising for H2 generation. The BIF weathering profile suggests that the limiting factor is the presence of water, and that this reaction is happening at, or near, surface temperature. This challenges the idea that high temperatures are required to generate H2 as it is the case during the serpentinization. The link between BIF and H2 will have however to be further investigated to better constrain the reactions and their kinetics.
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18
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Decreasing extents of Archean serpentinization contributed to the rise of an oxidized atmosphere. Nat Commun 2021; 12:7341. [PMID: 34930924 PMCID: PMC8688491 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-27589-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2021] [Accepted: 11/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
At present, molecular hydrogen (H2) produced through Fe(II) oxidation during serpentinization of ultramafic rocks represents a small fraction of the global sink for O2 due to limited exposures of ultramafic rocks. In contrast, ultramafic rocks such as komatiites were much more common in the Early Earth and H2 production via serpentinization was a likely factor in maintaining an O2-free atmosphere throughout most of the Archean. Using thermodynamic simulations, this work quantifies the global O2 consumption attributed to serpentinization during the past 3.5 billion years. Results show that H2 generation is strongly dependent on rock compositions where serpentinization of more magnesian lithologies generated substantially higher amounts of H2. Consumption of >2 Tmole O2 yr-1 via low-temperature serpentinization of Archean continents and seafloor is possible. This O2 sink diminished greatly towards the end of the Archean as ultramafic rocks became less common and helped set the stage for the Great Oxidation Event.
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19
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Song H, Ou X, Han B, Deng H, Zhang W, Tian C, Cai C, Lu A, Lin Z, Chai L. An Overlooked Natural Hydrogen Evolution Pathway: Ni
2+
Boosting H
2
O Reduction by Fe(OH)
2
Oxidation during Low‐Temperature Serpentinization. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.202110653] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Han Song
- School of Metallurgy and Environment Central South University Changsha Hunan 410083 China
- School of Environment and Energy, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Solid Wastes Pollution Control and Recycling South China University of Technology Guangzhou Guangdong 510006 China
| | - Xinwen Ou
- School of Environment and Energy, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Solid Wastes Pollution Control and Recycling South China University of Technology Guangzhou Guangdong 510006 China
| | - Bin Han
- School of Environment and Energy, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Solid Wastes Pollution Control and Recycling South China University of Technology Guangzhou Guangdong 510006 China
| | - Haoyu Deng
- School of Metallurgy and Environment Central South University Changsha Hunan 410083 China
- Chinese National Engineering Research Center for Control & Treatment of Heavy Metal Pollution Changsha Hunan 410083 China
| | - Wenchao Zhang
- School of Metallurgy and Environment Central South University Changsha Hunan 410083 China
- Chinese National Engineering Research Center for Control & Treatment of Heavy Metal Pollution Changsha Hunan 410083 China
| | - Chen Tian
- School of Metallurgy and Environment Central South University Changsha Hunan 410083 China
- Chinese National Engineering Research Center for Control & Treatment of Heavy Metal Pollution Changsha Hunan 410083 China
| | - Chunfang Cai
- Key Laboratory of Cenozoic Geology and Environment Institute of Geology and Geophysics Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing 100029 China
| | - Anhuai Lu
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Mineral Environmental Function School of Earth and Space Sciences Peking University Beijing 100871 China
| | - Zhang Lin
- School of Metallurgy and Environment Central South University Changsha Hunan 410083 China
- Chinese National Engineering Research Center for Control & Treatment of Heavy Metal Pollution Changsha Hunan 410083 China
- School of Environment and Energy, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Solid Wastes Pollution Control and Recycling South China University of Technology Guangzhou Guangdong 510006 China
| | - Liyuan Chai
- School of Metallurgy and Environment Central South University Changsha Hunan 410083 China
- Chinese National Engineering Research Center for Control & Treatment of Heavy Metal Pollution Changsha Hunan 410083 China
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20
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Song H, Ou X, Han B, Deng H, Zhang W, Tian C, Cai C, Lu A, Lin Z, Chai L. An Overlooked Natural Hydrogen Evolution Pathway: Ni 2+ Boosting H 2 O Reduction by Fe(OH) 2 Oxidation during Low-Temperature Serpentinization. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2021; 60:24054-24058. [PMID: 34519405 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202110653] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2021] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Natural hydrogen (H2 ) has gained considerable attentions as a renewable energy resource to mitigate the globally increasing environmental concerns. Low-temperature serpentinization (<200 °C) as a typical water-rock reaction is a major source of the natural H2 . However, the reaction mechanism and the controlling step to product H2 remained unclear, which hinders the further utilization of natural H2 . Herein, we demonstrated that the H2 production rate could be determined by the Fe(OH)2 oxidation during low-temperature serpentinization. Moreover, the co-existence of Ni2+ could largely enhance the H2 production kinetics. With the addition of only 1 % Ni2+ , the H2 production rate was remarkably enhanced by about two orders of magnitude at 90 °C. D2 O isotopic experiment and theoretical calculations revealed that the enhanced H2 production kinetics could be attributed to the catalytic role of Ni2+ to promote the reduction of H2 O.
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Affiliation(s)
- Han Song
- School of Metallurgy and Environment, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410083, China.,School of Environment and Energy, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Solid Wastes Pollution Control and Recycling, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510006, China
| | - Xinwen Ou
- School of Environment and Energy, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Solid Wastes Pollution Control and Recycling, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510006, China
| | - Bin Han
- School of Environment and Energy, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Solid Wastes Pollution Control and Recycling, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510006, China
| | - Haoyu Deng
- School of Metallurgy and Environment, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410083, China.,Chinese National Engineering Research Center for Control & Treatment of Heavy Metal Pollution, Changsha, Hunan, 410083, China
| | - Wenchao Zhang
- School of Metallurgy and Environment, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410083, China.,Chinese National Engineering Research Center for Control & Treatment of Heavy Metal Pollution, Changsha, Hunan, 410083, China
| | - Chen Tian
- School of Metallurgy and Environment, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410083, China.,Chinese National Engineering Research Center for Control & Treatment of Heavy Metal Pollution, Changsha, Hunan, 410083, China
| | - Chunfang Cai
- Key Laboratory of Cenozoic Geology and Environment, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100029, China
| | - Anhuai Lu
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Mineral Environmental Function, School of Earth and Space Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - Zhang Lin
- School of Metallurgy and Environment, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410083, China.,Chinese National Engineering Research Center for Control & Treatment of Heavy Metal Pollution, Changsha, Hunan, 410083, China.,School of Environment and Energy, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Solid Wastes Pollution Control and Recycling, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510006, China
| | - Liyuan Chai
- School of Metallurgy and Environment, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410083, China.,Chinese National Engineering Research Center for Control & Treatment of Heavy Metal Pollution, Changsha, Hunan, 410083, China
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21
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Sanz-Robinson J, Brisco T, Warr O, Jabeen I, Lacrampe-Couloume G, Hanley JJ, Sherwood Lollar B. Advances in carbon isotope analysis of trapped methane and volatile hydrocarbons in crystalline rock cores. RAPID COMMUNICATIONS IN MASS SPECTROMETRY : RCM 2021; 35:e9170. [PMID: 34302407 DOI: 10.1002/rcm.9170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2021] [Revised: 07/21/2021] [Accepted: 07/22/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE The isotopic composition of hydrocarbons trapped in rocks on the microscale (fluid inclusions, mineral grain boundaries, microfractures) can provide powerful information on geological and biological processes but are an analytical challenge due to low concentrations. We present a new approach for the extraction and carbon isotopic analysis of methane (CH4 ) and hydrocarbons in trapped volatiles in crystalline rocks. METHODS An off-line crusher with cryogenic trapping and a custom-made silica glass U-trap were attached to an external injector port on a continuous flow gas chromatograph/combustion/isotope ratio mass spectrometer to demonstrate the accuracy, reproducibility, and sensitivity of δ13 C measurements for CH4 . RESULTS The method can isotopically characterize CH4 in crushed rock samples with concentrations as low as 3.5 × 10-9 mol/g of rock, and both sample and isotopic standards are analyzed with an accuracy and reproducibility of ±0.5‰. High H2 O/CH4 ratios of 98 to 500 have no effect on measured δ13 CCH4 values. The method is successfully applied to natural samples from the north range of Sudbury Basin, Ontario, Canada. The δ13 C isotopic signatures of CH4 trapped microscopically in rock from the north range overlap significantly with that of CH4 contained in larger scale flowing fracture fluids from the same part of the Sudbury Basin, indicating a potential genetic link. CONCLUSIONS A novel method for δ13 CCH4 analysis was developed for the extraction of nanomole quantities of CH4 trapped microscopically in rocks. The technique has an accuracy and reproducibility comparable to that of on-line crushing techniques but importantly provides the capability of crushing larger rock quantities (up to 100 g). The benefit is improved detection levels for trace hydrocarbon species. Such a capability will be important for future extension of such crushing techniques for measurement of 2 H/1 H for CH4 , clumped isotopologues of CH4 and other trapped volatiles species, such as C2 H6 , C3 H8 , C4 H10 , CO2 and N2 .
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Trevor Brisco
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Oliver Warr
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Iffat Jabeen
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | | | - Jacob J Hanley
- Department of Geology, Saint Mary's University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
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22
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Tarnas JD, Mustard JF, Sherwood Lollar B, Stamenković V, Cannon KM, Lorand JP, Onstott TC, Michalski JR, Warr O, Palumbo AM, Plesa AC. Earth-like Habitable Environments in the Subsurface of Mars. ASTROBIOLOGY 2021; 21:741-756. [PMID: 33885329 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2020.2386] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
In Earth's deep continental subsurface, where groundwaters are often isolated for >106 to 109 years, energy released by radionuclides within rock produces oxidants and reductants that drive metabolisms of non-photosynthetic microorganisms. Similar processes could support past and present life in the martian subsurface. Sulfate-reducing microorganisms are common in Earth's deep subsurface, often using hydrogen derived directly from radiolysis of pore water and sulfate derived from oxidation of rock-matrix-hosted sulfides by radiolytically derived oxidants. Radiolysis thus produces redox energy to support a deep biosphere in groundwaters isolated from surface substrate input for millions to billions of years on Earth. Here, we demonstrate that radiolysis by itself could produce sufficient redox energy to sustain a habitable environment in the subsurface of present-day Mars, one in which Earth-like microorganisms could survive wherever groundwater exists. We show that the source localities for many martian meteorites are capable of producing sufficient redox nutrients to sustain up to millions of sulfate-reducing microbial cells per kilogram rock via radiolysis alone, comparable to cell densities observed in many regions of Earth's deep subsurface. Additionally, we calculate variability in supportable sulfate-reducing cell densities between the martian meteorite source regions. Our results demonstrate that martian subsurface groundwaters, where present, would largely be habitable for sulfate-reducing bacteria from a redox energy perspective via radiolysis alone. We present evidence for crustal regions that could support especially high cell densities, including zones with high sulfide concentrations, which could be targeted by future subsurface exploration missions.
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Affiliation(s)
- J D Tarnas
- Brown University Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences, Providence, Rhode Island, USA
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | - J F Mustard
- Brown University Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences, Providence, Rhode Island, USA
| | | | - V Stamenković
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | - K M Cannon
- Department of Geology and Geological Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Colorado, USA
- Space Resources Program, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Colorado, USA
| | - J-P Lorand
- Université de Nantes Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géodynamique de Nantes, Nantes, France
| | - T C Onstott
- Princeton University Department of Geosciences, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
| | - J R Michalski
- University of Hong Kong Division of Earth & Planetary Science, Hong Kong
| | - O Warr
- University of Toronto Department of Earth Sciences, Toronto, Canada
| | - A M Palumbo
- Brown University Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences, Providence, Rhode Island, USA
| | - A-C Plesa
- German Aerospace Center (DLR) Institute of Planetary Research, Berlin, Germany
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23
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Sheik CS, Badalamenti JP, Telling J, Hsu D, Alexander SC, Bond DR, Gralnick JA, Lollar BS, Toner BM. Novel Microbial Groups Drive Productivity in an Archean Iron Formation. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:627595. [PMID: 33859627 PMCID: PMC8042283 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.627595] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2020] [Accepted: 03/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Deep subsurface environments are decoupled from Earth's surface processes yet diverse, active, and abundant microbial communities thrive in these isolated environments. Microbes inhabiting the deep biosphere face unique challenges such as electron donor/acceptor limitations, pore space/fracture network limitations, and isolation from other microbes within the formation. Of the few systems that have been characterized, it is apparent that nutrient limitations likely facilitate diverse microbe-microbe interactions (i.e., syntrophic, symbiotic, or parasitic) and that these interactions drive biogeochemical cycling of major elements. Here we describe microbial communities living in low temperature, chemically reduced brines at the Soudan Underground Mine State Park, United States. The Soudan Iron mine intersects a massive hematite formation at the southern extent of the Canadian Shield. Fractured rock aquifer brines continuously flow from exploratory boreholes drilled circa 1960 and are enriched in deuterium compared to the global meteoric values, indicating brines have had little contact with surface derived waters, and continually degas low molecular weight hydrocarbons C1-C4. Microbial enrichments suggest that once brines exit the boreholes, oxidation of the hydrocarbons occur. Amplicon sequencing show these borehole communities are low in diversity and dominated by Firmicute and Proteobacteria phyla. From the metagenome assemblies, we recovered approximately thirty genomes with estimated completion over 50%. Analysis of genome taxonomy generally followed the amplicon data, and highlights that several of the genomes represent novel families and genera. Metabolic reconstruction shows two carbon-fixation pathways were dominant, the Wood-Ljungdahl (acetogenesis) and Calvin-Benson-Bassham (via RuBisCo), indicating that inorganic carbon likely enters into the microbial foodweb with differing carbon fractionation potentials. Interestingly, methanogenesis is likely driven by Methanolobus and suggests cycling of methylated compounds and not H2/CO2 or acetate. Furthermore, the abundance of sulfate in brines suggests cryptic sulfur cycling may occur, as we detect possible sulfate reducing and thiosulfate oxidizing microorganisms. Finally, a majority of the microorganisms identified contain genes that would allow them to participate in several element cycles, highlighting that in these deep isolated systems metabolic flexibility may be an important life history trait.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cody S. Sheik
- Department of Biology and the Large Lakes Observatory, University of Minnesota Duluth, Duluth, MN, United States
| | - Jonathan P. Badalamenti
- University of Minnesota Genomics Center, University of Minnesota Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN, United States
- Biotechnology Institute, University of Minnesota Twin Cities, Saint Paul, MN, United States
| | - Jon Telling
- School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
| | - David Hsu
- Biotechnology Institute, University of Minnesota Twin Cities, Saint Paul, MN, United States
- Plant and Microbial Biology, University of Minnesota Twin Cities, Saint Paul, MN, United States
| | - Scott C. Alexander
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Minnesota Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN, United States
| | - Daniel R. Bond
- Biotechnology Institute, University of Minnesota Twin Cities, Saint Paul, MN, United States
- Plant and Microbial Biology, University of Minnesota Twin Cities, Saint Paul, MN, United States
| | - Jeffrey A. Gralnick
- Biotechnology Institute, University of Minnesota Twin Cities, Saint Paul, MN, United States
- Plant and Microbial Biology, University of Minnesota Twin Cities, Saint Paul, MN, United States
| | | | - Brandy M. Toner
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Minnesota Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN, United States
- Department of Soil, Water, and Climate, University of Minnesota Twin Cities, Saint Paul, MN, United States
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Hydrogen Emanations in Intracratonic Areas: New Guide Lines for Early Exploration Basin Screening. GEOSCIENCES 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/geosciences11030145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Offshore the emissions of dihydrogen are highlighted by the smokers along the oceanic ridges. Onshore in situ measurements in ophiolitic contexts and in old cratons have also proven the existence of numerous H2 emissive areas. When H2 emanations affect the soils, small depressions and vegetation gaps are observed. These depressions, called fairy circles, have similarities with the pockmark and vent structures recognized for long time in the sea floor when natural gas escapes but also differences. In this paper we present a statistic approach of the density, size, and shape of the fairy circles in various basins. New data from Brazil and Australia are compared to the existing database already gathered in Russia, USA, and again Brazil. The comparison suggests that Australia could be one of the most promising areas for H2 exploration, de facto a couple of wells already found H2, whereas they were drilled to look for hydrocarbons. The sum of areas from where H2 is seeping overpasses 45 km2 in Kangaroo Island as in the Yorke Peninsula. The size of the emitting structures, expressed in average diameter, varies from few meters to kilometers and the footprint expressed in % of the ground within the structures varies from 1 to 17%. However, globally the sets of fairy circles in the various basins are rather similar and one may consider that their characteristics are homogeneous and may help to characterize these H2 emitting zones. Two kinds of size repartitions are observed, one with two maxima (25 m and between 220 m ± 25%) one with a simple Gaussian shape with a single maximum around 175 m ± 20%. Various geomorphological characteristics allow us to differentiate depressions of the ground due to gas emissions from karstic dolines. The more relevant ones are their slope and the ratio diameter vs. depth. At the opposite of the pockmark structures observed on the seafloor for which exclusion zones have been described, the H2 emitting structures may intersect and they often growth by coalescence. These H2 emitting structures are always observed, up to now, above Archean or Neoproterozoic cratons; it suggests that anoxia at the time the sedimentation and iron content play a key role in the H2 sourcing.
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The contribution of water radiolysis to marine sedimentary life. Nat Commun 2021; 12:1297. [PMID: 33637712 PMCID: PMC7910440 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-21218-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2020] [Accepted: 01/13/2021] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Water radiolysis continuously produces H2 and oxidized chemicals in wet sediment and rock. Radiolytic H2 has been identified as the primary electron donor (food) for microorganisms in continental aquifers kilometers below Earth's surface. Radiolytic products may also be significant for sustaining life in subseafloor sediment and subsurface environments of other planets. However, the extent to which most subsurface ecosystems rely on radiolytic products has been poorly constrained, due to incomplete understanding of radiolytic chemical yields in natural environments. Here we show that all common marine sediment types catalyse radiolytic H2 production, amplifying yields by up to 27X relative to pure water. In electron equivalents, the global rate of radiolytic H2 production in marine sediment appears to be 1-2% of the global organic flux to the seafloor. However, most organic matter is consumed at or near the seafloor, whereas radiolytic H2 is produced at all sediment depths. Comparison of radiolytic H2 consumption rates to organic oxidation rates suggests that water radiolysis is the principal source of biologically accessible energy for microbial communities in marine sediment older than a few million years. Where water permeates similarly catalytic material on other worlds, life may also be sustained by water radiolysis.
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Wilpiszeski RL, Sherwood Lollar B, Warr O, House CH. In Situ Growth of Halophilic Bacteria in Saline Fracture Fluids from 2.4 km below Surface in the Deep Canadian Shield. Life (Basel) 2020; 10:E307. [PMID: 33255232 PMCID: PMC7760289 DOI: 10.3390/life10120307] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2020] [Revised: 11/19/2020] [Accepted: 11/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Energy derived from water-rock interactions such as serpentinization and radiolysis, among others, can sustain microbial ecosystems deep within the continental crust, expanding the habitable biosphere kilometers below the earth's surface. Here, we describe a viable microbial community including sulfate-reducing microorganisms from one such subsurface lithoautotrophic ecosystem hosted in fracture waters in the Canadian Shield, 2.4 km below the surface in the Kidd Creek Observatory in Timmins, Ontario. The ancient groundwater housed in fractures in this system was previously shown to be rich in abiotically produced hydrogen, sulfate, methane, and short-chain hydrocarbons. We have further investigated this system by collecting filtered water samples and deploying sterile in situ biosampler units into boreholes to provide an attachment surface for the actively growing fraction of the microbial community. Scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and DNA sequencing analyses were undertaken to classify the recovered microorganisms. Moderately halophilic taxa (e.g., Marinobacter, Idiomarina, Chromohalobacter, Thiobacillus, Hyphomonas, Seohaeicola) were recovered from all sampled boreholes, and those boreholes that had previously been sealed to equilibrate with the fracture water contained taxa consistent with sulfate reduction (e.g., Desulfotomaculum) and hydrogen-driven homoacetogenesis (e.g., Fuchsiella). In contrast to this "corked" borehole that has been isolated from the mine environment for approximately 7 years at the time of sampling, we sampled additional open boreholes. The waters flowing freely from these open boreholes differ from those of the long-sealed borehole. This work complements ongoing efforts to describe the microbial diversity in fracture waters at Kidd Creek in order to better understand the processes shaping life in the deep terrestrial subsurface. In particular, this work demonstrates that anaerobic bacteria and known halophilic taxa are present and viable in the fracture waters presently outflowing from existing boreholes. Major cations and anions found in the fracture waters at the 2.4 km level of the mine are also reported.
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Affiliation(s)
- Regina L. Wilpiszeski
- Department of Geosciences and Earth and Environmental Systems Institute, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA;
| | - Barbara Sherwood Lollar
- Stable Isotope Laboratory, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3B1, Canada; (B.S.L.); (O.W.)
| | - Oliver Warr
- Stable Isotope Laboratory, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3B1, Canada; (B.S.L.); (O.W.)
| | - Christopher H. House
- Department of Geosciences and Earth and Environmental Systems Institute, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA;
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Migration of Natural Hydrogen from Deep-Seated Sources in the São Francisco Basin, Brazil. GEOSCIENCES 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/geosciences10090346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Hydrogen gas is seeping from the sedimentary basin of São Franciso, Brazil. The seepages of H2 are accompanied by helium, whose isotopes reveal a strong crustal signature. Geophysical data indicates that this intra-cratonic basin is characterized by (i) a relatively high geothermal gradient, (ii) deep faults delineating a horst and graben structure and affecting the entire sedimentary sequence, (iii) archean to paleoproterozoïc basements enriched in radiogenic elements and displaying mafic and ultramafic units, and (iv) a possible karstic reservoir located 400 m below the surface. The high geothermal gradient could be due to a thin lithosphere enriched in radiogenic elements, which can also contribute to a massive radiolysis process of water at depth, releasing a significant amount of H2. Alternatively, ultramafic rocks that may have generated H2 during their serpentinization are also documented in the basement. The seismic profiles show that the faults seen at the surface are deeply rooted in the basement, and can drain deep fluids to shallow depths in a short time scale. The carbonate reservoirs within the Bambuí group which forms the main part of the sedimentary layers, are crossed by the fault system and represent good candidates for temporary H2 accumulation zones. The formation by chemical dissolution of sinkholes located at 400 m depth might explain the presence of sub-circular depressions seen at the surface. These sinkholes might control the migration of gas from temporary storage reservoirs in the upper layer of the Bambuí formation to the surface. The fluxes of H2 escaping out of these structures, which have been recently documented, are discussed in light of the newly developed H2 production model in the Precambrian continental crust.
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Osinski G, Cockell C, Pontefract A, Sapers H. The Role of Meteorite Impacts in the Origin of Life. ASTROBIOLOGY 2020; 20:1121-1149. [PMID: 32876492 PMCID: PMC7499892 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2019.2203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
The conditions, timing, and setting for the origin of life on Earth and whether life exists elsewhere in our solar system and beyond represent some of the most fundamental scientific questions of our time. Although the bombardment of planets and satellites by asteroids and comets has long been viewed as a destructive process that would have presented a barrier to the emergence of life and frustrated or extinguished life, we provide a comprehensive synthesis of data and observations on the beneficial role of impacts in a wide range of prebiotic and biological processes. In the context of previously proposed environments for the origin of life on Earth, we discuss how meteorite impacts can generate both subaerial and submarine hydrothermal vents, abundant hydrothermal-sedimentary settings, and impact analogues for volcanic pumice rafts and splash pools. Impact events can also deliver and/or generate many of the necessary chemical ingredients for life and catalytic substrates such as clays as well. The role that impact cratering plays in fracturing planetary crusts and its effects on deep subsurface habitats for life are also discussed. In summary, we propose that meteorite impact events are a fundamental geobiological process in planetary evolution that played an important role in the origin of life on Earth. We conclude with the recommendation that impact craters should be considered prime sites in the search for evidence of past life on Mars. Furthermore, unlike other geological processes such as volcanism or plate tectonics, impact cratering is ubiquitous on planetary bodies throughout the Universe and is independent of size, composition, and distance from the host star. Impact events thus provide a mechanism with the potential to generate habitable planets, moons, and asteroids throughout the Solar System and beyond.
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Affiliation(s)
- G.R. Osinski
- Institute for Earth and Space Exploration, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada
- Address correspondence to: Dr. Gordon Osinski, Department of Earth Sciences, 1151 Richmond Street, University of Western Ontario, London ON, N6A 5B7, Canada
| | - C.S. Cockell
- UK Centre for Astrobiology, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - A. Pontefract
- Department of Biology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - H.M. Sapers
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
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Subduction hides high-pressure sources of energy that may feed the deep subsurface biosphere. Nat Commun 2020; 11:3880. [PMID: 32759942 PMCID: PMC7406650 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-17342-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2019] [Accepted: 06/25/2020] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Geological sources of H2 and abiotic CH4 have had a critical role in the evolution of our planet and the development of life and sustainability of the deep subsurface biosphere. Yet the origins of these sources are largely unconstrained. Hydration of mantle rocks, or serpentinization, is widely recognized to produce H2 and favour the abiotic genesis of CH4 in shallow settings. However, deeper sources of H2 and abiotic CH4 are missing from current models, which mainly invoke more oxidized fluids at convergent margins. Here we combine data from exhumed subduction zone high-pressure rocks and thermodynamic modelling to show that deep serpentinization (40–80 km) generates significant amounts of H2 and abiotic CH4, as well as H2S and NH3. Our results suggest that subduction, worldwide, hosts large sources of deep H2 and abiotic CH4, potentially providing energy to the overlying subsurface biosphere in the forearc regions of convergent margins. Geological sources of H2 and abiotic CH4 have had a critical role in the evolution of life and sustainability of the deep subsurface biosphere, yet the origins of these sources remain largely unconstrained. Here the authors show that deep serpentinization (40–80 km) during subduction generates significant amounts of H2 and abiotic CH4, potentially providing energy to the overlying subsurface biosphere.
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Abiotic hydrogen (H 2) sources and sinks near the Mid-Ocean Ridge (MOR) with implications for the subseafloor biosphere. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:13283-13293. [PMID: 32482880 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2002619117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Free hydrogen (H2) is a basal energy source underlying chemosynthetic activity within igneous ocean crust. In an attempt to systematically account for all H2 within young oceanic lithosphere (<10 Ma) near the Mid-Ocean Ridge (MOR), we construct a box model of this environment. Within this control volume, we assess abiotic H2 sources (∼6 × 1012 mol H2/y) and sinks (∼4 × 1012 mol H2/y) and then attribute the net difference (∼2 × 1012 mol H2/y) to microbial consumption in order to balance the H2 budget. Despite poorly constrained details and large uncertainties, our analytical framework allows us to synthesize a vast body of pertinent but currently disparate information in order to propose an initial global estimate for microbial H2 consumption within young ocean crust that is tractable and can be iteratively improved upon as new data and studies become available. Our preliminary investigation suggests that microbes beneath the MOR may be consuming a sizeable portion (at least ∼30%) of all produced H2, supporting the widely held notion that subseafloor microbes voraciously consume H2 and play a fundamental role in the geochemistry of Earth's ocean-atmosphere system.
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31
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What Pulsating H2 Emissions Suggest about the H2 Resource in the Sao Francisco Basin of Brazil. GEOSCIENCES 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/geosciences10040149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Proterozoic sedimentary basins very often emit natural hydrogen gas that may be a valuable part of a non-carbon energy infrastructure. Vents in the Sao Francisco Basin in Brazil release hydrogen to the atmosphere mainly during the daylight half of the day. Daily temperature and the regular daily tidal atmospheric pressure variations have been suggested as possible causes of the pulsing of H2 venting. Here, we analyze a ~550 m-diameter depression that is barren of vegetation and venting hydrogen mainly at its periphery. We show that daily temperature changes propagated only ~1/2 m into the subsurface and are thus too shallow to explain the H2 variations measured at 1-m depth. Pressure changes could propagate deeply enough, and at the depth at which the cyclic variations are measured hydrogen concentration will have the observed phase relationship to atmospheric pressure changes provided: (1) the pressure wave is terminated by geologic barriers at about 25% of its full potential penetration distance, and (2) the volume of gas in the vents is very small compared to the volume of gas tapped by the venting. These constraints suggest that there is a shallow gas reservoir above the water table under the ~550 m-diameter barren-of-vegetation depression. The 1D-analytical and finite-element calculations presented in this paper help define the hydrogen system and suggest the further steps needed to characterize its volume, hydrogen flux and resource potential.
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32
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Boreham CJ, Davies JB. Carbon and hydrogen isotopes of the wet gases produced by gamma-ray-induced polymerisation of methane: Insights into radiogenic mechanism and natural gas formation. Radiat Phys Chem Oxf Engl 1993 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.radphyschem.2019.108546] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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Vance SD, Melwani Daswani M. Serpentinite and the search for life beyond Earth. PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. SERIES A, MATHEMATICAL, PHYSICAL, AND ENGINEERING SCIENCES 2020; 378:20180421. [PMID: 31902342 DOI: 10.1098/rsta.2018.0421] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/27/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Hydrogen from serpentinization is a source of chemical energy for some life forms on Earth. It is a potential fuel for life in the subsurface of Mars and in the icy ocean worlds in the outer solar system. Serpentinization is also implicated in life's origin. Planetary exploration offers a way to investigate such theories by characterizing and ultimately searching for life in geochemical settings that no longer exist on Earth. At present, much of the current context of serpentinization on other worlds relies on inference from modelling and studies on Earth. While there is evidence from orbital spectral imaging and martian meteorites that serpentinization has occurred on Mars, the extent and duration of that activity has not been constrained. Similarly, ongoing serpentinization might explain hydrogen found in the ocean of Saturn's tiny moon Enceladus, but this raises questions about how long such activity has persisted. Titan's hydrocarbon-rich atmosphere may derive from ancient or present-day serpentinization at the bottom of its ocean. In Europa, volcanism or serpentinization may provide hydrogen as a redox couple to oxygen generated at the moon's surface. We assess the potential extent of serpentinization in the solar system's wet and rocky worlds, assuming that microfracturing from thermal expansion anisotropy sets an upper limit on the percolation depth of surface water into the rocky interiors. In this bulk geophysical model, planetary cooling from radiogenic decay implies the infiltration of water to greater depths through time, continuing to the present. The serpentinization of this newly exposed rock is assessed as a significant source of global hydrogen. Comparing the computed hydrogen and surface-generated oxygen delivered to Europa's ocean reveals redox fluxes similar to Earth's. Planned robotic exploration missions to other worlds can aid in understanding the planetary context of serpentinization, testing the predictions herein. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue 'Serpentinite in the Earth System'.
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Affiliation(s)
- S D Vance
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109-8001, USA
| | - M Melwani Daswani
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109-8001, USA
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34
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Castillo-Rogez JC, Neveu M, Scully JEC, House CH, Quick LC, Bouquet A, Miller K, Bland M, De Sanctis MC, Ermakov A, Hendrix AR, Prettyman TH, Raymond CA, Russell CT, Sherwood BE, Young E. Ceres: Astrobiological Target and Possible Ocean World. ASTROBIOLOGY 2020; 20:269-291. [PMID: 31904989 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2018.1999] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Ceres, the most water-rich body in the inner solar system after Earth, has recently been recognized to have astrobiological importance. Chemical and physical measurements obtained by the Dawn mission enabled the quantification of key parameters, which helped to constrain the habitability of the inner solar system's only dwarf planet. The surface chemistry and internal structure of Ceres testify to a protracted history of reactions between liquid water, rock, and likely organic compounds. We review the clues on chemical composition, temperature, and prospects for long-term occurrence of liquid and chemical gradients. Comparisons with giant planet satellites indicate similarities both from a chemical evolution standpoint and in the physical mechanisms driving Ceres' internal evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Marc Neveu
- Sciences and Exploration Directorate, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland
- University of Maryland College Park, Greenbelt, Maryland
| | - Jennifer E C Scully
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California
| | - Christopher H House
- Department of Geosciences,Penn State Astrobiology Research Center, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania
| | - Lynnae C Quick
- Sciences and Exploration Directorate, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland
| | - Alexis Bouquet
- LAM (Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Marseille), Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, UMR 7326, Marseille, France
| | - Kelly Miller
- Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, Texas
| | | | | | - Anton Ermakov
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California
| | | | | | - Carol A Raymond
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California
| | - Christopher T Russell
- Department of Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, California
| | | | - Edward Young
- Department of Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, California
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35
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Matschiavelli N, Kluge S, Podlech C, Standhaft D, Grathoff G, Ikeda-Ohno A, Warr LN, Chukharkina A, Arnold T, Cherkouk A. The Year-Long Development of Microorganisms in Uncompacted Bavarian Bentonite Slurries at 30 and 60 °C. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2019; 53:10514-10524. [PMID: 31369249 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.9b02670] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
In the multibarrier concept for the deep geological disposal of high-level radioactive waste (HLW), bentonite is proposed as a potential barrier and buffer material for sealing the space between the steel canister containing the HLW and the surrounding host rock. In order to broaden the spectra of appropriate bentonites, we investigated the metabolic activity and diversity of naturally occurring microorganisms as well as their time-dependent evolution within the industrial B25 Bavarian bentonite under repository-relevant conditions. We conducted anaerobic microcosm experiments containing the B25 bentonite and a synthetic Opalinus Clay pore water solution, which were incubated for one year at 30 and 60 °C. Metabolic activity was only stimulated by the addition of lactate, acetate, or H2. The majority of lactate- and H2-containing microcosms at 30 °C were dominated by strictly anaerobic, sulfate-reducing, and spore-forming microorganisms. The subsequent generation of hydrogen sulfide led to the formation of iron-sulfur precipitations. Independent from the availability of substrates, thermophilic bacteria dominated microcosms that were incubated at 60 °C. However, in the respective microcosms, no significant metabolic activity occurred, and there was no change in the analyzed biogeochemical parameters. Our findings show that indigenous microorganisms of B25 bentonite evolve in a temperature- and substrate-dependent manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole Matschiavelli
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf , Institute of Resource Ecology , Bautzner Landstraße 400 , 01328 Dresden , Germany
| | - Sindy Kluge
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf , Institute of Resource Ecology , Bautzner Landstraße 400 , 01328 Dresden , Germany
| | - Carolin Podlech
- University of Greifswald , Institute of Geography and Geology , Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Straße 17a , 17487 Greifswald , Germany
| | - Daniel Standhaft
- University of Greifswald , Institute of Geography and Geology , Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Straße 17a , 17487 Greifswald , Germany
| | - Georg Grathoff
- University of Greifswald , Institute of Geography and Geology , Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Straße 17a , 17487 Greifswald , Germany
| | - Atsushi Ikeda-Ohno
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf , Institute of Resource Ecology , Bautzner Landstraße 400 , 01328 Dresden , Germany
| | - Laurence N Warr
- University of Greifswald , Institute of Geography and Geology , Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Straße 17a , 17487 Greifswald , Germany
| | | | - Thuro Arnold
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf , Institute of Resource Ecology , Bautzner Landstraße 400 , 01328 Dresden , Germany
| | - Andrea Cherkouk
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf , Institute of Resource Ecology , Bautzner Landstraße 400 , 01328 Dresden , Germany
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Parkes RJ, Berlendis S, Roussel EG, Bahruji H, Webster G, Oldroyd A, Weightman AJ, Bowker M, Davies PR, Sass H. Rock-crushing derived hydrogen directly supports a methanogenic community: significance for the deep biosphere. ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY REPORTS 2019; 11:165-172. [PMID: 30507067 PMCID: PMC7379504 DOI: 10.1111/1758-2229.12723] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2017] [Accepted: 11/21/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Microbial populations exist to great depths on Earth, but with apparently insufficient energy supply. Earthquake rock fracturing produces H2 from mechanochemical water splitting, however, microbial utilization of this widespread potential energy source has not been directly demonstrated. Here, we show experimentally that mechanochemically generated H2 from granite can be directly, long-term, utilized by a CH4 producing microbial community. This is consistent with CH4 formation in subsurface rock fracturing in the environment. Our results not only support water splitting H2 generation as a potential deep biosphere energy source, but as an oxidant must also be produced, they suggest that there is also a respiratory oxidant supply in the subsurface which is independent of photosynthesis. This may explain the widespread distribution of facultative aerobes in subsurface environments. A range of common rocks were shown to produce mechanochemical H2 , and hence, this process should be widespread in the subsurface, with the potential for considerable mineral fuelled CH4 production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ronald John Parkes
- School of Earth and Ocean SciencesMain Building, Park Place, Cardiff UniversityCardiffCF10 3ATWales, UK
| | - Sabrina Berlendis
- School of Earth and Ocean SciencesMain Building, Park Place, Cardiff UniversityCardiffCF10 3ATWales, UK
| | - Erwan G. Roussel
- School of Earth and Ocean SciencesMain Building, Park Place, Cardiff UniversityCardiffCF10 3ATWales, UK
| | - Hasiliza Bahruji
- Cardiff Catalysis Institute, School of ChemistryCardiff UniversityCardiff, CF10 3ATWales, UK
| | - Gordon Webster
- School of Earth and Ocean SciencesMain Building, Park Place, Cardiff UniversityCardiffCF10 3ATWales, UK
- School of BiosciencesSir Martin Evans Building, Cardiff UniversityMuseum AvenueCardiffCF10 3AXWales, UK
| | - Anthony Oldroyd
- School of Earth and Ocean SciencesMain Building, Park Place, Cardiff UniversityCardiffCF10 3ATWales, UK
| | - Andrew J. Weightman
- School of BiosciencesSir Martin Evans Building, Cardiff UniversityMuseum AvenueCardiffCF10 3AXWales, UK
| | - Michael Bowker
- Cardiff Catalysis Institute, School of ChemistryCardiff UniversityCardiff, CF10 3ATWales, UK
| | - Philip R. Davies
- Cardiff Catalysis Institute, School of ChemistryCardiff UniversityCardiff, CF10 3ATWales, UK
| | - Henrik Sass
- School of Earth and Ocean SciencesMain Building, Park Place, Cardiff UniversityCardiffCF10 3ATWales, UK
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37
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Yung YL, Chen P, Nealson K, Atreya S, Beckett P, Blank JG, Ehlmann B, Eiler J, Etiope G, Ferry JG, Forget F, Gao P, Hu R, Kleinböhl A, Klusman R, Lefèvre F, Miller C, Mischna M, Mumma M, Newman S, Oehler D, Okumura M, Oremland R, Orphan V, Popa R, Russell M, Shen L, Sherwood Lollar B, Staehle R, Stamenković V, Stolper D, Templeton A, Vandaele AC, Viscardy S, Webster CR, Wennberg PO, Wong ML, Worden J. Methane on Mars and Habitability: Challenges and Responses. ASTROBIOLOGY 2018; 18:1221-1242. [PMID: 30234380 PMCID: PMC6205098 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2018.1917] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2018] [Accepted: 06/12/2018] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Recent measurements of methane (CH4) by the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) now confront us with robust data that demand interpretation. Thus far, the MSL data have revealed a baseline level of CH4 (∼0.4 parts per billion by volume [ppbv]), with seasonal variations, as well as greatly enhanced spikes of CH4 with peak abundances of ∼7 ppbv. What do these CH4 revelations with drastically different abundances and temporal signatures represent in terms of interior geochemical processes, or is martian CH4 a biosignature? Discerning how CH4 generation occurs on Mars may shed light on the potential habitability of Mars. There is no evidence of life on the surface of Mars today, but microbes might reside beneath the surface. In this case, the carbon flux represented by CH4 would serve as a link between a putative subterranean biosphere on Mars and what we can measure above the surface. Alternatively, CH4 records modern geochemical activity. Here we ask the fundamental question: how active is Mars, geochemically and/or biologically? In this article, we examine geological, geochemical, and biogeochemical processes related to our overarching question. The martian atmosphere and surface are an overwhelmingly oxidizing environment, and life requires pairing of electron donors and electron acceptors, that is, redox gradients, as an essential source of energy. Therefore, a fundamental and critical question regarding the possibility of life on Mars is, "Where can we find redox gradients as energy sources for life on Mars?" Hence, regardless of the pathway that generates CH4 on Mars, the presence of CH4, a reduced species in an oxidant-rich environment, suggests the possibility of redox gradients supporting life and habitability on Mars. Recent missions such as ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter may provide mapping of the global distribution of CH4. To discriminate between abiotic and biotic sources of CH4 on Mars, future studies should use a series of diagnostic geochemical analyses, preferably performed below the ground or at the ground/atmosphere interface, including measurements of CH4 isotopes, methane/ethane ratios, H2 gas concentration, and species such as acetic acid. Advances in the fields of Mars exploration and instrumentation will be driven, augmented, and supported by an improved understanding of atmospheric chemistry and dynamics, deep subsurface biogeochemistry, astrobiology, planetary geology, and geophysics. Future Mars exploration programs will have to expand the integration of complementary areas of expertise to generate synergistic and innovative ideas to realize breakthroughs in advancing our understanding of the potential of life and habitable conditions having existed on Mars. In this spirit, we conducted a set of interdisciplinary workshops. From this series has emerged a vision of technological, theoretical, and methodological innovations to explore the martian subsurface and to enhance spatial tracking of key volatiles, such as CH4.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuk L. Yung
- California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California
| | - Pin Chen
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California
| | | | | | | | - Jennifer G. Blank
- NASA Ames Research Center, Blue Marble Space Institute of Science, Mountain View, California
| | - Bethany Ehlmann
- California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California
| | - John Eiler
- California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California
| | - Giuseppe Etiope
- Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Rome, Italy
- Faculty of Environmental Science and Engineering, Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - James G. Ferry
- The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania
| | - Francois Forget
- Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique, Institut Pierre Simon Laplace, CNRS, Paris, France
| | - Peter Gao
- University of California, Berkeley, California
| | - Renyu Hu
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California
| | - Armin Kleinböhl
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California
| | | | - Franck Lefèvre
- Laboratoire Atmospheres, Milieux, Observations Spatiales (LATMOS), IPSL, Paris, France
| | - Charles Miller
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California
| | - Michael Mischna
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California
| | - Michael Mumma
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland
| | - Sally Newman
- California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California
| | | | | | | | | | - Radu Popa
- University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California
| | - Michael Russell
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California
| | - Linhan Shen
- California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California
| | | | - Robert Staehle
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California
| | - Vlada Stamenković
- California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California
| | | | | | - Ann C. Vandaele
- The Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy (BIRA-IASB), Brussels, Belgium
| | - Sébastien Viscardy
- The Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy (BIRA-IASB), Brussels, Belgium
| | - Christopher R. Webster
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California
| | | | | | - John Worden
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California
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Abstract
Twenty-five years ago this month, Thomas Gold published a seminal manuscript suggesting the presence of a "deep, hot biosphere" in the Earth's crust. Since this publication, a considerable amount of attention has been given to the study of deep biospheres, their role in geochemical cycles, and their potential to inform on the origin of life and its potential outside of Earth. Overwhelming evidence now supports the presence of a deep biosphere ubiquitously distributed on Earth in both terrestrial and marine settings. Furthermore, it has become apparent that much of this life is dependent on lithogenically sourced high-energy compounds to sustain productivity. A vast diversity of uncultivated microorganisms has been detected in subsurface environments, and we show that H2, CH4, and CO feature prominently in many of their predicted metabolisms. Despite 25 years of intense study, key questions remain on life in the deep subsurface, including whether it is endemic and the extent of its involvement in the anaerobic formation and degradation of hydrocarbons. Emergent data from cultivation and next-generation sequencing approaches continue to provide promising new hints to answer these questions. As Gold suggested, and as has become increasingly evident, to better understand the subsurface is critical to further understanding the Earth, life, the evolution of life, and the potential for life elsewhere. To this end, we suggest the need to develop a robust network of interdisciplinary scientists and accessible field sites for long-term monitoring of the Earth's subsurface in the form of a deep subsurface microbiome initiative.
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Lyu Z, Lu Y. Metabolic shift at the class level sheds light on adaptation of methanogens to oxidative environments. ISME JOURNAL 2017; 12:411-423. [PMID: 29135970 PMCID: PMC5776455 DOI: 10.1038/ismej.2017.173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2017] [Revised: 07/31/2017] [Accepted: 08/09/2017] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Methanogens have long been considered strictly anaerobic and oxygen-sensitive microorganisms, but their ability to survive oxygen stress has also been documented. Indeed, methanogens have been found in oxidative environments, and antioxidant genes have been detected in their genomes. How methanogens adapt to oxidative environments, however, remain poorly understood. Here, we systematically predicted and annotated antioxidant features from representative genomes across six well-established methanogen orders. Based on functional gene content involved in production of reactive oxygen species, Hierarchical Clustering analyses grouped methanogens into two distinct clusters, corresponding to the Class I and II methanogens, respectively. Comparative genomics suggested a systematic shift in metabolisms across the two classes, resulting in an enrichment of antioxidant features in the Class II. Moreover, meta-analysis of 16 S rRNA gene sequences obtained from EnvDB indicated that members of Class II were more frequently recovered from microaerophilic and even oxic environments than the Class I members. Phylogenomic analysis suggested that the Class I and II methanogens might have evolved before and around the Great Oxygenation Event, respectively. The enrichment of antioxidant features in the Class II methanogens may have played a key role in the adaption of this group to oxidative environments today and historically.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhe Lyu
- College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing, PR China.,Department of Microbiology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Yahai Lu
- College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing, PR China.,College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, PR China
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Russell MJ, Nitschke W. Methane: Fuel or Exhaust at the Emergence of Life? ASTROBIOLOGY 2017; 17:1053-1066. [PMID: 28949766 PMCID: PMC5655419 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2016.1599] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2016] [Accepted: 03/20/2017] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
As many of the methanogens first encountered at hydrothermal vents were thermophilic to hyperthermophilic and comprised one of the lower roots of the evolutionary tree, it has been assumed that methanogenesis was one of the earliest, if not the earliest, pathway to life. It being well known that hydrothermal springs associated with serpentinization also bore abiotic methane, it had been further assumed that emergent biochemistry merely adopted and quickened this supposed serpentinization reaction. Yet, recent hydrothermal experiments simulating serpentinization have failed to generate methane so far, thus casting doubt on this assumption. The idea that the inverse view is worthy of debate, that is, that methanotrophy was the earlier, is stymied by the "fact" that methanotrophy itself has been termed "reverse methanogenesis," so allotting the methanogens the founding pedigree. Thus, attempting to suggest instead that methanogenesis might be termed reverse methanotrophy would require "unlearning"-a challenge to the subconscious! Here we re-examine the "impossibility" of methanotrophy predating methanogenesis as in what we have termed the "denitrifying methanotrophic acetogenic pathway." Advantages offered by such thinking are that methane would not only be a fuel but also a ready source of reduced carbon to combine with formate or carbon monoxide-available in hydrothermal fluids-to generate acetate, a target molecule of the first autotrophs. And the nitrate/nitrite required for the putative oxidation of methane with activated NO would also be a ready source of fixed nitrogen for amination reactions. Theoretical conditions for such a putative pathway would be met in a hydrothermal green rust-bearing exhalative pile and associated chimneys subject to proton and electron counter gradients. This hypothesis could be put to test in a high-pressure hydrothermal reaction chamber in which a cool carbonate/nitrate/nitrite-bearing early acidulous ocean simulant is juxtaposed across a precipitate membrane to an alkaline solution of hydrogen and methane. Key Words: Green rust-Methanotrophy-Nitrate reduction-Emergence of life. Astrobiology 17, 1053-1066.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael J. Russell
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California
| | - Wolfgang Nitschke
- CNRS/Aix-Marseille University, BIP UMR 7281, IMM FR 3479, Marseille, France
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Russell SS, Ballentine CJ, Grady MM. The origin, history and role of water in the evolution of the inner Solar System. PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. SERIES A, MATHEMATICAL, PHYSICAL, AND ENGINEERING SCIENCES 2017; 375:rsta.2017.0108. [PMID: 28416731 PMCID: PMC5394259 DOI: 10.1098/rsta.2017.0108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/21/2017] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Sara S Russell
- Department of Earth Sciences, The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK
- Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes MK7 6AA, UK
| | | | - Monica M Grady
- Department of Earth Sciences, The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK
- Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes MK7 6AA, UK
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Rowe AR, Yoshimura M, LaRowe DE, Bird LJ, Amend JP, Hashimoto K, Nealson KH, Okamoto A. In situ
electrochemical enrichment and isolation of a magnetite-reducing bacterium from a high pH serpentinizing spring. Environ Microbiol 2017; 19:2272-2285. [DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.13723] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2016] [Accepted: 03/05/2017] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Annette R. Rowe
- Department of Earth Sciences; University of Southern California; Los Angeles CA 90089 USA
| | - Miho Yoshimura
- Department of Applied and Chemical Engineering; University of Tokyo; Tokyo Japan
| | - Doug E. LaRowe
- Department of Earth Sciences; University of Southern California; Los Angeles CA 90089 USA
| | - Lina J. Bird
- Department of Earth Sciences; University of Southern California; Los Angeles CA 90089 USA
| | - Jan P. Amend
- Department of Earth Sciences; University of Southern California; Los Angeles CA 90089 USA
- Department of Biological Sciences; University of Southern California; Los Angeles CA 90089 USA
| | - Kazuhito Hashimoto
- Center for Green Research on Energy and Environmental Materials; National Institute for Material Sciences; Tsukuba Ibaraki 305-0047 Japan
| | - Kenneth H. Nealson
- Department of Earth Sciences; University of Southern California; Los Angeles CA 90089 USA
| | - Akihiro Okamoto
- Center for Green Research on Energy and Environmental Materials; National Institute for Material Sciences; Tsukuba Ibaraki 305-0047 Japan
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43
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Alternative Energy: Production of H
2
by Radiolysis of Water in the Rocky Cores of Icy Bodies. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2017. [DOI: 10.3847/2041-8213/aa6d56] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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Waite JH, Glein CR, Perryman RS, Teolis BD, Magee BA, Miller G, Grimes J, Perry ME, Miller KE, Bouquet A, Lunine JI, Brockwell T, Bolton SJ. Cassini finds molecular hydrogen in the Enceladus plume: Evidence for hydrothermal processes. Science 2017; 356:155-159. [DOI: 10.1126/science.aai8703] [Citation(s) in RCA: 281] [Impact Index Per Article: 40.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2016] [Accepted: 03/20/2017] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
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Parnell J, Blamey N. Global hydrogen reservoirs in basement and basins. GEOCHEMICAL TRANSACTIONS 2017; 18:2. [PMID: 29086804 PMCID: PMC5359194 DOI: 10.1186/s12932-017-0041-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2017] [Accepted: 03/14/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Hydrogen is known to occur in the groundwaters of some ancient cratons. Where associated gases have been dated, their age extends up to a billion years, and the hydrogen is assumed also to be very old. These observations are interpreted to represent the radiolysis of water and hydration reactions and migration of hydrogen into fracture systems. A hitherto untested implication is that the overwhelming bulk of the ancient low-permeability basement, which is not adjacent to cross-cutting fractures, constitutes a reservoir for hydrogen. RESULTS New data obtained from cold crushing to liberate volatiles from fluid inclusions confirm that granites and gneiss of Archean and Palaeoproterozoic (>1600 Ma) age typically contain an order of magnitude greater hydrogen in their entrained fluid than very young (<200 Ma) granites. Sedimentary rocks containing clasts of old basement also include a greater proportion of hydrogen than the young granites. CONCLUSIONS The data support the case for a global reservoir of hydrogen in both the ancient basement and in the extensive derived sediments. These reservoirs are susceptible to the release of hydrogen through a variety of mechanisms, including deformation, attrition to reduce grain size and diagenetic alteration, thereby contributing to the hydrogen required by chemolithoautotrophs in the deep biosphere.
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Affiliation(s)
- John Parnell
- School of Geosciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, AB24 3UE UK
| | - Nigel Blamey
- School of Geosciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, AB24 3UE UK
- Department of Earth Sciences, Brock University, 500 Glenridge Avenue, St. Catharines, ON L2S 3A1 Canada
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46
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Rempfert KR, Miller HM, Bompard N, Nothaft D, Matter JM, Kelemen P, Fierer N, Templeton AS. Geological and Geochemical Controls on Subsurface Microbial Life in the Samail Ophiolite, Oman. Front Microbiol 2017; 8:56. [PMID: 28223966 PMCID: PMC5293757 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2017.00056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2016] [Accepted: 01/09/2017] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Microbial abundance and diversity in deep subsurface environments is dependent upon the availability of energy and carbon. However, supplies of oxidants and reductants capable of sustaining life within mafic and ultramafic continental aquifers undergoing low-temperature water-rock reaction are relatively unknown. We conducted an extensive analysis of the geochemistry and microbial communities recovered from fluids sampled from boreholes hosted in peridotite and gabbro in the Tayin block of the Samail Ophiolite in the Sultanate of Oman. The geochemical compositions of subsurface fluids in the ophiolite are highly variable, reflecting differences in host rock composition and the extent of fluid-rock interaction. Principal component analysis of fluid geochemistry and geologic context indicate the presence of at least four fluid types in the Samail Ophiolite (“gabbro,” “alkaline peridotite,” “hyperalkaline peridotite,” and “gabbro/peridotite contact”) that vary strongly in pH and the concentrations of H2, CH4, Ca2+, Mg2+, NO3-, SO42-, trace metals, and DIC. Geochemistry of fluids is strongly correlated with microbial community composition; similar microbial assemblages group according to fluid type. Hyperalkaline fluids exhibit low diversity and are dominated by taxa related to the Deinococcus-Thermus genus Meiothermus, candidate phyla OP1, and the family Thermodesulfovibrionaceae. Gabbro- and alkaline peridotite- aquifers harbor more diverse communities and contain abundant microbial taxa affiliated with Nitrospira, Nitrosospharaceae, OP3, Parvarcheota, and OP1 order Acetothermales. Wells that sit at the contact between gabbro and peridotite host microbial communities distinct from all other fluid types, with an enrichment in betaproteobacterial taxa. Together the taxonomic information and geochemical data suggest that several metabolisms may be operative in subsurface fluids, including methanogenesis, acetogenesis, and fermentation, as well as the oxidation of methane, hydrogen and small molecular weight organic acids utilizing nitrate and sulfate as electron acceptors. Dynamic nitrogen cycling may be especially prevalent in gabbro and alkaline peridotite fluids. These data suggest water-rock reaction, as controlled by lithology and hydrogeology, constrains the distribution of life in terrestrial ophiolites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaitlin R Rempfert
- Department of Geological Sciences, University of Colorado Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Hannah M Miller
- Department of Geological Sciences, University of Colorado Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Nicolas Bompard
- National Oceanography Centre, University of Southampton Southampton, UK
| | - Daniel Nothaft
- Department of Geological Sciences, University of Colorado Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Juerg M Matter
- National Oceanography Centre, University of Southampton Southampton, UK
| | - Peter Kelemen
- Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University Palisades, NY, USA
| | - Noah Fierer
- Cooperate Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of ColoradoBoulder, CO, USA; Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of ColoradoBoulder, CO, USA
| | - Alexis S Templeton
- Department of Geological Sciences, University of Colorado Boulder, CO, USA
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47
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Sulfur mass-independent fractionation in subsurface fracture waters indicates a long-standing sulfur cycle in Precambrian rocks. Nat Commun 2016; 7:13252. [PMID: 27807346 PMCID: PMC5095282 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms13252] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2016] [Accepted: 09/14/2016] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The discovery of hydrogen-rich waters preserved below the Earth's surface in Precambrian rocks worldwide expands our understanding of the habitability of the terrestrial subsurface. Many deep microbial ecosystems in these waters survive by coupling hydrogen oxidation to sulfate reduction. Hydrogen originates from water–rock reactions including serpentinization and radiolytic decomposition of water induced by decay of radioactive elements in the host rocks. The origin of dissolved sulfate, however, remains unknown. Here we report, from anoxic saline fracture waters ∼2.4 km below surface in the Canadian Shield, a sulfur mass-independent fractionation signal in dissolved sulfate. We demonstrate that this sulfate most likely originates from oxidation of sulfide minerals in the Archaean host rocks through the action of dissolved oxidants (for example, HO· and H2O2) themselves derived from radiolysis of water, thereby providing a coherent long-term mechanism capable of supplying both an essential electron donor (H2) and a complementary acceptor (sulfate) for the deep biosphere. Precambrian rocks host a deep hydrosphere, but where dissolved sulfate, crucial for microbial life, comes from is unclear. At 2.4 km depth in the Canadian shield, Li et al. find that oxidation of sulfides in the host rocks creates sulfate thus providing a long-term mechanism for the deep biosphere sulfate.
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48
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Chen Y, Lehmann KK, Peng Y, Pratt LM, White JR, Cadieux SB, Sherwood Lollar B, Lacrampe-Couloume G, Onstott TC. Hydrogen Isotopic Composition of Arctic and Atmospheric CH 4 Determined by a Portable Near-Infrared Cavity Ring-Down Spectrometer with a Cryogenic Pre-Concentrator. ASTROBIOLOGY 2016; 16:787-797. [PMID: 27732068 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2015.1395] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
In this study, near-infrared continuous wave cavity ring-down spectroscopy was applied to the measurement of the δ2H of methane (CH4). The cavity ring-down spectrometer (CRDS) system consisted of multiple DFB laser diodes to optimize selection of spectral line pairs. By rapidly switching measurements between spectral line peaks and the baseline regions, the long-term instrumental drift was minimized, substantially increasing measurement precision. The CRDS system coupled with a cryogenic pre-concentrator measured the δ2H of terrestrial atmospheric CH4 from 3 standard liters of air with a precision of ±1.7‰. The rapidity with which both C and H isotopic measurements of CH4 can be made with the CRDS will enable hourly monitoring of diurnal variations in terrestrial atmospheric CH4 signatures that can be used to increase the resolution of global climate models for the CH4 cycle. Although the current instrument is not capable of measuring the δ2H of 10 ppbv of martian CH4, current technology does exist that could make this feasible for future spaceflight missions. As biological and abiotic CH4 sources have overlapping carbon isotope signatures, dual-element (C and H) analysis is key to reliable differentiation of these sources. Such an instrument package would therefore offer improved ability to determine whether or not the CH4 recently detected in the martian atmosphere is biogenic in origin. Key Words: Arctic-Hydrogen isotopes-Atmospheric CH4-CRDS-Laser. Astrobiology 16, 787-797.
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Affiliation(s)
- Y Chen
- Department of Geosciences, Princeton University , Princeton, New Jersey, USA
| | - Kevin K Lehmann
- Department of Chemistry, University of Virginia , Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
| | - Y Peng
- Department of Geological Sciences, Indiana University , Bloomington, Indiana, USA
| | - L M Pratt
- Department of Geological Sciences, Indiana University , Bloomington, Indiana, USA
| | - J R White
- School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Indiana University , Bloomington, Indiana, USA
| | - S B Cadieux
- Department of Geological Sciences, Indiana University , Bloomington, Indiana, USA
| | - B Sherwood Lollar
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Toronto , Toronto, Canada
| | | | - T C Onstott
- Department of Geosciences, Princeton University , Princeton, New Jersey, USA
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49
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McMahon S, Parnell J, Blamey NJF. Evidence for Seismogenic Hydrogen Gas, a Potential Microbial Energy Source on Earth and Mars. ASTROBIOLOGY 2016; 16:690-702. [PMID: 27623198 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2015.1405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
UNLABELLED The oxidation of molecular hydrogen (H2) is thought to be a major source of metabolic energy for life in the deep subsurface on Earth, and it could likewise support any extant biosphere on Mars, where stable habitable environments are probably limited to the subsurface. Faulting and fracturing may stimulate the supply of H2 from several sources. We report the H2 content of fluids present in terrestrial rocks formed by brittle fracturing on fault planes (pseudotachylites and cataclasites), along with protolith control samples. The fluids are dominated by water and include H2 at abundances sufficient to support hydrogenotrophic microorganisms, with strong H2 enrichments in the pseudotachylites compared to the controls. Weaker and less consistent H2 enrichments are observed in the cataclasites, which represent less intense seismic friction than the pseudotachylites. The enrichments agree quantitatively with previous experimental measurements of frictionally driven H2 formation during rock fracturing. We find that conservative estimates of current martian global seismicity predict episodic H2 generation by Marsquakes in quantities useful to hydrogenotrophs over a range of scales and recurrence times. On both Earth and Mars, secondary release of H2 may also accompany the breakdown of ancient fault rocks, which are particularly abundant in the pervasively fractured martian crust. This study strengthens the case for the astrobiological investigation of ancient martian fracture systems. KEY WORDS Deep biosphere-Faults-Fault rocks-Seismic activity-Hydrogen-Mars. Astrobiology 16, 690-702.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sean McMahon
- 1 Department of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University , New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - John Parnell
- 2 Department of Geology and Petroleum Geology, School of Geosciences, University of Aberdeen , Aberdeen, UK
| | - Nigel J F Blamey
- 3 Department of Earth Sciences, Brock University , St Catharines, Canada
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50
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Itävaara M, Salavirta H, Marjamaa K, Ruskeeniemi T. Geomicrobiology and Metagenomics of Terrestrial Deep Subsurface Microbiomes. ADVANCES IN APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY 2016; 94:1-77. [PMID: 26917241 DOI: 10.1016/bs.aambs.2015.12.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Fractures in the deep subsurface of Earth's crust are inhabited by diverse microbial communities that participate in biogeochemical cycles of the Earth. Life on Earth, which arose c. 3.5-4.0 billion years ago, reaches down at least 5 km in the crust. Deep mines, caves, and boreholes have provided scientists with opportunities to sample deep subsurface microbiomes and to obtain information on the species diversity and functions. A wide variety of bacteria, archaea, eukaryotes, and viruses are now known to reside in the crust, but their functions are still largely unknown. The crust at different depths has varying geological composition and hosts endemic microbiomes accordingly. The diversity is driven by geological formations and gases evolving from deeper depths. Cooperation among different species is still mostly unexplored, but viruses are known to restrict density of bacterial and archaeal populations. Due to the complex growth requirements of the deep subsurface microbiomes, the new knowledge about their diversity and functions is mostly obtained by molecular methods, eg, meta'omics'. Geomicrobiology is a multidisciplinary research area combining disciplines from geology, mineralogy, geochemistry, and microbiology. Geomicrobiology is concerned with the interaction of microorganisms and geological processes. At the surface of mineralogical or rock surfaces, geomicrobial processes occur mainly under aerobic conditions. In the deep subsurface, however, the environmental conditions are reducing and anaerobic. The present chapter describes the world of microbiomes in deep terrestrial geological environments as well as metagenomic and metatranscriptomic methods suitable for studies of these enigmatic communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Itävaara
- VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd, Espoo, Finland
| | - H Salavirta
- VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd, Espoo, Finland
| | - K Marjamaa
- VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd, Espoo, Finland
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