The safety of coastal infrastructure has been a concern after the Indian Ocean Tsunami in 2004 and the Great East Japan Tsunami in 2011. The western coast of the United States is also exposed to tsunami hazards due to the Cascadia subduction zone. Therefore, it is critical to design coastal...
Oceanic crust covers nearly 70% of the Earth's surface, of which, the upper,
sediment layer is estimated to harbor substantial microbial biomass. Marine crust;
however, extends several kilometers beyond this surficial layer, and includes the
basalt and gabbro layers. In particular, the basalt layer has high permeabilities which
allows for...
In the early 1980's the first evidence of biological alteration of basalt glass (sideromelane) was published. Since that time additional evidence, including DNA staining, isotopic abundance and chemical mapping, has come to light suggesting that this unique alteration of glass can be attributed to microbial activity. Microbial alteration textures have...
The subsurface microbial biosphere in the igneous oceanic crust has implications for global geochemical cycling, early life on Earth, and the search for life on Mars. Microscopic evidence of a subsurface microbial ecosystem includes biotic alteration textures associated with basaltic glass. The exact conditions in the basaltic layer that make...
Marine sediments are one of the largest habitats for microbial life on earth. These microorganisms play critical roles in biogeochemical cycling both within the subsurface and between the sediment and water columns. However, microbial communities in sediments are highly heterogeneous and the factors defining microbial community structure and metabolic function...
Igneous oceanic crust encompasses ~60% of Earth’s surface and is composed of basalt glass and mafic, ultramafic, and felsic minerals. A vast marine aquifer lies within the crust, exchanging geochemically altered fluids with seawater from the overlying ocean at ridge crests, flanks, seamounts, and outcrops where permeable crust is exposed....