An Ordovician “Lost City” — venting serpentinite and life oases on Iapetus seafloor

2010 ◽  
Vol 47 (3) ◽  
pp. 199-207 ◽  
Author(s):  
Denis Lavoie ◽  
Guoxiang Chi
Keyword(s):  
Biological Activity ◽  
High Temperature ◽  
Low Temperature ◽  
Open System ◽  
Isotopic Fractionation ◽  
Marine Waters ◽  
Lost City ◽  
Microbial Life ◽  
Carbonate Cements ◽  
Lost City Hydrothermal Field

Highly brecciated carbonate-rich serpentinites (or ophicalcites) of Early Ordovician age in the Dunnage Zone of Quebec are host to fracture-fill, high-temperature (80–230 °C) carbonate cements. Away from, or crosscut by the fractures, centimetre- to decimetre-thick crusts made up of massive to laminated micrite, peloidal layers and threads are associated with low-temperature botryoidal calcite cements. The peloidal masses are characterized by a clotted texture that is reminiscent of interpreted fossilized Ordovician microbial communities. The ophicalcite contains carbonate botryoids, morphology commonly found at shallow reefal margins but also at modern cold CH4 seeps and recently documented at hot CH4 vents from serpentinite, such as the modern Lost City hydrothermal field in the Atlantic Ocean. The δ18OVPDB ratios of the calcite botryoids and peloidal layers indicate formation and (or) precipitation out of cold Ordovician deep-marine waters. To the contrary of botryoids at cold methane seeps, the botryoids associated with the modern and Ordovician hot vents do not show the negative δ13CVPDB ratios indicative of microbial isotopic fractionation. Therefore, any microbial-derived HCO3– has been overwhelmed by the isotopically heavier marine-derived carbon during the open-system diagenesis. Carbonate-rich serpentinites should be carefully revisited in the search for evidence of microbial life in the Precambrian, as the negative δ13CVPDB ratios used as fingerprints of biological activity are not always reliable.

scholarly journals Genomic Evidence for Formate Metabolism by Chloroflexi as the Key to Unlocking Deep Carbon in Lost City Microbial Ecosystems

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia M. McGonigle ◽  
Susan Q. Lang ◽  
William J. Brazelton
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Cycling ◽  
Hydrothermal Vents ◽  
Reducing Power ◽  
Single Species ◽  
Hydrogen Gas ◽  
Ambient Seawater ◽  
Lost City ◽  
Microbial Life ◽  
Microbial Ecosystems ◽  
Lost City Hydrothermal Field

ABSTRACTThe Lost City hydrothermal field on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge supports dense microbial life on the lofty calcium carbonate chimney structures. The vent field is fueled by chemical reactions between the ultramafic rock under the chimneys and ambient seawater. These serpentinization reactions provide reducing power (as hydrogen gas) and organic compounds that can serve as microbial food; the most abundant of these are methane and formate. Previous studies have characterized the interior of the chimneys as a single-species biofilm inhabited by the Lost City Methanosarcinales, but also indicated that this methanogen is unable to metabolize formate. The new metagenomic results presented here indicate that carbon cycling in these Lost City chimney biofilms could depend on the metabolism of formate by low-abundance Chloroflexi species. Additionally, we present evidence that metabolically diverse, formate-utilizing Sulfurovum species are living in the transition zone between the interior and exterior of the chimneys.IMPORTANCEPrimitive forms of life may have originated around hydrothermal vents at the bottom of the ancient ocean. The Lost City hydrothermal vent field, fueled by just rock and water, provides an analog for not only primitive ecosystems but also extraterrestrial ecosystems that might support life. The microscopic life covering towering chimney structures at the Lost City has been well characterized, yet little is known about the carbon cycling in this ecosystem. These results provide a better understanding of how carbon from the deep subsurface can fuel rich microbial ecosystems on the seafloor.

scholarly journals Genomic Evidence for Formate Metabolism by Chloroflexi as the Key to Unlocking Deep Carbon in Lost City Microbial Ecosystems

2020 ◽  
Vol 86 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia M. McGonigle ◽  
Susan Q. Lang ◽  
William J. Brazelton
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Cycling ◽  
Hydrothermal Vents ◽  
Reducing Power ◽  
Single Species ◽  
Hydrogen Gas ◽  
Ambient Seawater ◽  
Lost City ◽  
Microbial Life ◽  
Microbial Ecosystems ◽  
Lost City Hydrothermal Field

ABSTRACT The Lost City hydrothermal field on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge supports dense microbial life on the lofty calcium carbonate chimney structures. The vent field is fueled by chemical reactions between the ultramafic rock under the chimneys and ambient seawater. These serpentinization reactions provide reducing power (as hydrogen gas) and organic compounds that can serve as microbial food; the most abundant of these are methane and formate. Previous studies have characterized the interior of the chimneys as a single-species biofilm inhabited by the Lost City Methanosarcinales, but they also indicated that this methanogen is unable to metabolize formate. The new metagenomic results presented here indicate that carbon cycling in these Lost City chimney biofilms could depend on the metabolism of formate by Chloroflexi populations. Additionally, we present evidence for metabolically diverse, formate-utilizing Sulfurovum populations and new genomic and phylogenetic insights into the unique Lost City Methanosarcinales. IMPORTANCE Primitive forms of life may have originated around hydrothermal vents at the bottom of the ancient ocean. The Lost City hydrothermal vent field, fueled by just rock and water, provides an analog for not only primitive ecosystems but also potential extraterrestrial rock-powered ecosystems. The microscopic life covering the towering chimney structures at the Lost City has been previously documented, yet little is known about the carbon cycling in this ecosystem. These results provide a better understanding of how carbon from the deep subsurface can fuel rich microbial ecosystems on the seafloor.

scholarly journals Habitability of the marine serpentinite subsurface: a case study of the Lost City hydrothermal field

2020 ◽  
Vol 378 (2165) ◽  
pp. 20180429 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Q. Lang ◽  
William J. Brazelton
Keyword(s):  
Hydrogen Gas ◽  
Hydrothermal Field ◽  
Lost City ◽  
Microbial Life ◽  
Subsurface Environments ◽  
Biological Potential ◽  
Atlantis Massif ◽  
Geochemical Reactions ◽  
Lost City Hydrothermal Field

The Lost City hydrothermal field is a dramatic example of the biological potential of serpentinization. Microbial life is prevalent throughout the Lost City chimneys, powered by the hydrogen gas and organic molecules produced by serpentinization and its associated geochemical reactions. Microbial life in the serpentinite subsurface below the Lost City chimneys, however, is unlikely to be as dense or active. The marine serpentinite subsurface poses serious challenges for microbial activity, including low porosities, the combination of stressors of elevated temperature, high pH and a lack of bioavailable ∑CO 2 . A better understanding of the biological opportunities and challenges in serpentinizing systems would provide important insights into the total habitable volume of Earth's crust and for the potential of the origin and persistence of life in Earth's subsurface environments. Furthermore, the limitations to life in serpentinizing subsurface environments on Earth have significant implications for the habitability of subsurface environments on ocean worlds such as Europa and Enceladus. Here, we review the requirements and limitations of life in serpentinizing systems, informed by our research at the Lost City and the underwater mountain on which it resides, the Atlantis Massif. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue ‘Serpentinite in the Earth System’.

Low temperature volatile production at the Lost City Hydrothermal Field, evidence from a hydrogen stable isotope geothermometer

2006 ◽  
Vol 229 (4) ◽  
pp. 331-343 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giora Proskurowski ◽  
Marvin D. Lilley ◽  
Deborah S. Kelley ◽  
Eric J. Olson
Keyword(s):  
Stable Isotope ◽  
Low Temperature ◽  
Hydrothermal Field ◽  
Lost City ◽  
Field Evidence ◽  
Lost City Hydrothermal Field ◽  
Volatile Production

scholarly journals Methane- and Sulfur-Metabolizing Microbial Communities Dominate the Lost City Hydrothermal Field Ecosystem

2006 ◽  
Vol 72 (9) ◽  
pp. 6257-6270 ◽  
Author(s):  
William J. Brazelton ◽  
Matthew O. Schrenk ◽  
Deborah S. Kelley ◽  
John A. Baross
Keyword(s):  
High Temperature ◽  
16S Rrna ◽  
16S Rrna Gene ◽  
16S Rrna Genes ◽  
Rrna Genes ◽  
Rrna Gene ◽  
Gene Sequences ◽  
16S Rrna Gene Sequences ◽  
Lost City ◽  
Lost City Hydrothermal Field

ABSTRACT Hydrothermal venting and the formation of carbonate chimneys in the Lost City hydrothermal field (LCHF) are driven predominantly by serpentinization reactions and cooling of mantle rocks, resulting in a highly reducing, high-pH environment with abundant dissolved hydrogen and methane. Phylogenetic and terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism analyses of 16S rRNA genes in fluids and carbonate material from this site indicate the presence of organisms similar to sulfur-oxidizing, sulfate-reducing, and methane-oxidizing Bacteria as well as methanogenic and anaerobic methane-oxidizing Archaea. The presence of these metabolic groups indicates that microbial cycling of sulfur and methane may be the dominant biogeochemical processes active within this ultramafic rock-hosted environment. 16S rRNA gene sequences grouping within the Methylobacter and Thiomicrospira clades were recovered from a chemically diverse suite of carbonate chimney and fluid samples. In contrast, 16S rRNA genes corresponding to the Lost City Methanosarcinales phylotype were found exclusively in high-temperature chimneys, while a phylotype of anaerobic methanotrophic Archaea (ANME-1) was restricted to lower-temperature, less vigorously venting sites. A hyperthermophilic habitat beneath the LCHF may be reflected by 16S rRNA gene sequences belonging to Thermococcales and uncultured Crenarchaeota identified in vent fluids. The finding of a diverse microbial ecosystem supported by the interaction of high-temperature, high-pH fluids resulting from serpentinization reactions in the subsurface provides insight into the biogeochemistry of what may be a pervasive process in ultramafic subseafloor environments.

Exsolution and inversion in pigeonite from the Whin Sill, Northern England

1978 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 474-475
Author(s):  
P.P.K. Smith
Keyword(s):  
High Temperature ◽  
Low Temperature ◽  
Homogeneous Nucleation ◽  
Silicate Mineral ◽  
Antiphase Boundaries ◽  
Two Phase ◽  
Primitive Form ◽  
The Core ◽  
Nucleation Mechanisms ◽  
And Inversion

Grains of pigeonite, a calcium-poor silicate mineral of the pyroxene group, from the Whin Sill dolerite have been ion-thinned and examined by TEM. The pigeonite is strongly zoned chemically from the composition Wo8En64FS28 in the core to Wo13En34FS53 at the rim. Two phase transformations have occurred during the cooling of this pigeonite:- exsolution of augite, a more calcic pyroxene, and inversion of the pigeonite from the high- temperature C face-centred form to the low-temperature primitive form, with the formation of antiphase boundaries (APB's). Different sequences of these exsolution and inversion reactions, together with different nucleation mechanisms of the augite, have created three distinct microstructures depending on the position in the grain.In the core of the grains small platelets of augite about 0.02μm thick have farmed parallel to the (001) plane (Fig. 1). These are thought to have exsolved by homogeneous nucleation. Subsequently the inversion of the pigeonite has led to the creation of APB's.

Superconducting Wind Generators with Capacities of 10 MW and Larger

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 59-67
Author(s):  
Victor N. ANTIPOV ◽  
◽  
Andrey D. GROZOV ◽  
Anna V. IVANOVA ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Temperature ◽  
Low Temperature ◽  
Wind Power ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Superconducting Materials ◽  
Commercial Application ◽  
Synchronous Generators ◽  
High Temperature Superconducting ◽  
Wind Generators ◽  
Main Factor

The overall dimensions and mass of wind power units with capacities larger than 10 MW can be improved and their cost can be decreased by developing and constructing superconducting synchronous generators. The article analyzes foreign conceptual designs of superconducting synchronous generators based on different principles: with the use of high- and low-temperature superconductivity, fully superconducting or only with a superconducting excitation system, and with the use of different materials (MgB2, Bi2223, YBCO). A high cost of superconducting materials is the main factor impeding commercial application of superconducting generators. In view of the state of the art in the technology for manufacturing superconductors and their cost, a conclusion is drawn, according to which a synchronous gearless superconducting wind generator with a capacity of 10 MW with the field winding made of a high-temperature superconducting material (MgB2, Bi-2223 or YBCO) with the «ferromagnetic stator — ferromagnetic rotor» topology, with the stator diameter equal to 7—9 m, and with the number of poles equal to 32—40 has prospects for its practical use in the nearest future.

SOMERS LTA COPPER

Alloy Digest ◽  
1980 ◽  
Vol 29 (12) ◽  
Keyword(s):  
High Temperature ◽  
Low Temperature ◽  
Physical Properties ◽  
Copper Foil ◽  
Heat Treating ◽  
Dielectric Substrates ◽  
Printed Circuits

Abstract SOMERS LTA Copper is a wrought copper foil that can be annealed at 350 F in 15 minutes to the full-soft condition; its use simplifies the manufacture of printed circuits (LTA = Low-Temperature Annealable). LTA Copper is especially useful for foil weights up to and including one ounce per square foot (0.0014-inch thick) for laminating to high-temperature dielectric substrates. This datasheet provides information on composition, physical properties, and elasticity as well as fatigue. It also includes information on forming, heat treating, and machining. Filing Code: Cu-407. Producer or source: Olin Corporation.

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