Mineral-Microbe Interactions and Biomineralization of Siliceous
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MINERAL-MICROBE INTERACTIONS AND BIOMINERALIZATION OF SILICEOUS SINTERS AND UNDERLYING ROCK FROM JENN’S POOLS IN THE UZON CALDERA, KAMCHATKA, RUSSIA by JENNIFER E. KYLE Under the Direction of Paul Schroeder ABSTRACT Siliceous sinters were collected from two high temperatures, disaerobic, reducing terrestrial hot springs from the Uzon Caldera, Kamchatka, Russia for the purpose of characterizing microbe-mineral interactions, and biomineralization of the sinters, associated microbial mats, and underlying rocks. X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) were used to determine the major mineral phases present within the rocks. High resolution analysis through electron microscopy was used to characterize minor mineral phases present within the rocks and microbial mats, and to analyze microbe-mineral interactions and biomineralization of prokaryotes. Opal-A was the dominant mineral phase comprising the siliceous sinter. Clay alteration of the underlying rocks of vent 1 was due to the sulfate-type waters not found in vent 2. Microbe-mineral interactions were most commonly associated with iron-bearing mineral phases since the can be directly used for metabolic processes. Biological induced mineralization through extracellular silicification was the only form of biomineralization with the exception ferrihydrite and pyrite mineralized cells. These microbial signatures offer clues to how the earliest microorganism on Earth may have preserved and where they derived their energy. INDEX WORDS: Siliceous sinters; Microbe-mineral interactions; Biomineralization; Microbial signatures; Terrestrial hot springs; Kamchatka MINERAL-MICROBE INTERACTIONS AND BIOMINERALIZATION OF SILICEOUS SINTERS AND UNDERLYING ROCK FROM JENN’S POOLS IN THE UZON CALDERA, KAMCHATKA, RUSSIA by JENNIFER E. KYLE B.S., The University of Georgia, 2003 A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of The University of Georgia in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree MASTERS OF SCIENCE ATHENS, GEORGIA 2005 © 2005 Jennifer E. Kyle All Rights Reserved MINERAL-MICROBE INTERACTIONS AND BIOMINERALIZATION OF SILICEOUS SINTERS AND UNDERLYING ROCK FROM JENN’S POOLS IN THE UZON CALDERA, KAMCHATKA, RUSSIA by JENNIFER E. KYLE Major Professor: Paul Schroeder Committee: Christopher Romanek Andrew Neal Electronic Version Approved: Maureen Grasso Dean of the Graduate School The University of Georgia August 2005 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank my major advisor Paul Schroeder for all his time, support, encouragement, enthusiasm, and the opportunity to work on this project. I would also like to thank my committee members, Chris Romanek and Andy Neal, and Doug Crowe for their continuous support, comments, and time. This work was funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation’s Microbial Observatory, NSF MO 0238407, and the Department of Geology’s Wheeler-Watts fund. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS........................................................................................................... iv TABLE OF CONTENTS.................................................................................................................v LIST OF TABLES......................................................................................................................... vii LIST OF FIGURES ..................................................................................................................... viii CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION ..........................................................................................................1 Siliceous sinter formation and maturation ..................................................................1 Biomineralization........................................................................................................3 Early Earth and Mars: signatures of life .....................................................................6 Geology of the Uzon...................................................................................................9 Field site....................................................................................................................10 2 METHODS AND MATERIALS...................................................................................12 Field work .................................................................................................................12 Laboratory work........................................................................................................14 3 RESULTS ......................................................................................................................19 Mineralogy...............................................................................................................19 Microbe/Mineral interactions...................................................................................25 Biomineralization.....................................................................................................28 4 DISCUSSION.................................................................................................................39 v Mineralogy...............................................................................................................39 Biomineralization.....................................................................................................43 Microbe/Mineral Interactions ..................................................................................48 Preservation of microbial activity............................................................................49 5 CONCLUSIONS.............................................................................................................52 REFERENCES .....................................................................................................................54 APPENDICIES.....................................................................................................................60 A Tables..................................................................................................................61 B TGA curves .........................................................................................................69 vi LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Temperature and chemical composition of Jenn’s Pools. ...............................................61 Table 2: XRD analysis of sinters and sinter substrate from Jenn’s Pools. ....................................62 Table 3: TGA/DTA data from sinters in Jenn’s Pools...................................................................64 Table 4: Mineralogy of sinter by EDS...........................................................................................65 Table 5: Mineralogy of sinter substrate by EDS and XRD ...........................................................66 Table 6: TEM observations for mats sectioned from Jenn’s Pools. ..............................................67 vii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: Diagram of cell wall ........................................................................................................3 Figure 2: Map of the Kamchatka Penninsula..................................................................................9 Figure 3: Satellite map of the Uzon Caldera.................................................................................10 Figure 4: Picture of Vent 1 and Vent 2 .........................................................................................11 Figure 5: Picture of samples .........................................................................................................13 Figure 6: XRD of sinters...............................................................................................................20 Figure 7: Aluminum map of sinter................................................................................................21 Figure 8: SEM of minerals from sinter .........................................................................................22 Figure 9: XRD of the underlying rocks ........................................................................................23 Figure 10: SEM of minerals from underlying rocks.....................................................................24 Figure 11: Pyrite/Anatase nodule..................................................................................................25 Figure 12: SEM of microbe-mineral relationships .......................................................................27 Figure 13: Image of fungi .............................................................................................................28 Figure 14: Silicified tubes.............................................................................................................29 Figure 15: Filament found in thin section.....................................................................................30 Figure 16: Sulfur-bearing curved segments..................................................................................30 Figure 17: TEM of microbial mats ................................................................................................32 Figure 18: Iron-bearing structures ................................................................................................37 Figure 19: Bladed structures .........................................................................................................38 Figure 20: Manganese oxide/hydroxide microorganisms.............................................................47