What can we learn from ophiolite terrains in the Philippines?
Microbial communities inhabiting the Earth's subsurface occupy a scientifically uncharted realm, and may penetrate the Earth's crust to depths of 5 to 10 km--until it is too hot to survive. It has been estimated recently that the deep subsurface habitat could accommodate more biomass and biodiversity than on Earth's surface, and the impact of this vast reservoir of biomass on biogeochemical cycling on Earth is as yet unknown. This project investigates how life transforms water and rock in high pH springs at two localities in the Philippines, at Zambales and Palawan, and will allow us to learn more about critical chemical and biological connections in ways that may serve both science (particularly in defining the unknown edge of the biosphere in these exciting settings--including how microbes survive in low oxygen, low nutrient settings) and society (with strong links to ongoing experiments in carbon sequestration, toxic waste storage, bioremediation of mining wastes, and micro-scale medical applications). This work is in close collaboration with Dr. D.R. Meyer-Dombard (Univ. Illinois-Chicago) and Dr. C. Arcilla (NIGS, Univ. Philippines at Diliman, Quezon City).
Visit our project page @ http://serpentinization.weebly.com/ for more on what we are up to in the Zambales and Palawan Ophiolites!
Microbial communities inhabiting the Earth's subsurface occupy a scientifically uncharted realm, and may penetrate the Earth's crust to depths of 5 to 10 km--until it is too hot to survive. It has been estimated recently that the deep subsurface habitat could accommodate more biomass and biodiversity than on Earth's surface, and the impact of this vast reservoir of biomass on biogeochemical cycling on Earth is as yet unknown. This project investigates how life transforms water and rock in high pH springs at two localities in the Philippines, at Zambales and Palawan, and will allow us to learn more about critical chemical and biological connections in ways that may serve both science (particularly in defining the unknown edge of the biosphere in these exciting settings--including how microbes survive in low oxygen, low nutrient settings) and society (with strong links to ongoing experiments in carbon sequestration, toxic waste storage, bioremediation of mining wastes, and micro-scale medical applications). This work is in close collaboration with Dr. D.R. Meyer-Dombard (Univ. Illinois-Chicago) and Dr. C. Arcilla (NIGS, Univ. Philippines at Diliman, Quezon City).
Visit our project page @ http://serpentinization.weebly.com/ for more on what we are up to in the Zambales and Palawan Ophiolites!