ALBERT

Description / Table of Contents: Microorganisms cause mineral precipitation and dissolution and control the distribution of elements in diverse environments at and below the surface of the Earth. Conversely, mineralogical and geochemical factors exert important controls on microbial evolution and the structure of microbial communities. This was the rationale for the Short Course on Geomicrobiology presented by the Mineralogical Society of America on October 18 and 19, 1997, at the Alta Peruvian Lodge in Alta, Utah. Minerals have been known and honored since humans realized their essential contributions to the "terra firma" and stone tools thrust our species on the path of cultural evolution. Microbes are the oldest living creatures, probably inhabiting at least a few salubrious environments on the earth as early as 3.8 billion years ago. At this moment in history we are only beginning to appreciate the intimate juxtaposition and interdependence of minerals and microbes. We have been nudged into this position by the realization that our earth is finite, and the recognition of many global environmental problems that minerals and microbes contribute to, both positively and negatively. In addition, our globe may not be the only site in the solar system where 'life' arose, or may persist. What all of these concerns enunciate is that we as scientists only dimly comprehend our own dynamic "terrestrial halls." This short course and volume have been generated with great enthusiasm for grasping as much as possible of the whole panorama of possibilities that involve both the inorganic and biologic realms . Over 3600 mineral species have been defined and their relationships to each other and the environments in which they form have been documented. This vast data base, collected over the past several hundred years and constantly added to and upgraded, is a monument to the research efforts of many geoscientists focused on the inorganic realm. Much of this data has come from investigators intrigued by the novelty, beauty, and versatility of minerals, direct expressions of the chemistry and physics of geologic processes. We are now adding a new dimension to questions of mineral formation, dissolution, and distribution: what were, are, and will be the contributions of microbes to these basic components of the environment. Microbes have also been known for hundreds of years. However, their small size (0.5 to 5 µm in diameter) and the difficulties associated with identifying a species unless it was grown in the laboratory (cultured), precluded thorough analysis. The advent of molecular biology has only recently made it possible to evaluate microbial evolutionary relatedness (phylogeny) and physiological diversity. These techniques are now being applied to study of microbial populations in natural environments. It is becoming very clear that the surface of Earth is populated by far more species of microbes than there are types of minerals. We are now exploring every portion of the globe and finding the relationships under the rubric "geomicrobiology." The ocean deeps are characterized by a diversity of microorganisms, including those associated with manganese nodules. The profusion and concentration of minerals created at ocean ridges and vents matches the variety of microorganisms, large animals, and plants there. The snowy tops of mountain ranges and glaciers of Antarctica harbor not just ice but whole bacterial communities whose cellular types and activities need elucidation. The equatorial jungles and the deserts, with their enormous diversity of ecological niches, further challenge us. The diversity of geographic, geologic, and biologic environments, including some contributed by humans (e.g. mines, air-conditioning equipment), can now also be explored in detail. Modern studies use protocols developed to preserve or measure in situ chemical and physical characteristics. Electron microscopes allow direct characterization of mineral and biological morphology and internal structures. Spectroscopic techniques permit complimentary chemical analysis, including determination of oxidation states, with very high spatial resolution. Other studies quantitatively measure isotopic abudances. These data serve to distinguish biologically mediated, or biologically controlled formation of the mineral from an abiotic process and mechanism. Each ecological niche requires accurate characterization of the mineralogic and biologic entities in order for us to begin to understand the range of dynamic relationships. We can pose many questions. Is the mineral only a substrate, or is its occurrence and stability impacted by microbiologic activity and metabolic requirements? Which minerals are of microbiological rather than inorganic origin and what are the mechanisms by which organisms dictate the morphology and structure of the solid phase formed? How do organic metabolic products bind metals and change their form and distribution, with implications for metal toxicity and geochemical cycles? How do inorganic reactions such as mineral dissolution and precipitation impact microbial populations through control of their physical and chemical environments? Clearly, new and excitingly research areas exist for all varieties of scientists. Although published by the Mineralogical Society of America, the authors of this volume include microbiologists, molecular biologists, biochemists, biophysicists, bioengineers as well as biomineralogists. Here, they bring together their respective expertise and perspectives to provide disciplinary and interdisciplinary background needed to define and further explore the topic of geomicrobiology. The volume is organized so as to first introduce the nature, diversity, and metabolic impact of microorganisms and the types of solid phases they interact with. This is followed by a discussion of processes that occur at cell surfaces, interfaces between microbes and minerals, and within cells, and the resulting mineral precipitation, dissolution, and changes in aqueous geochemistry. The volume concludes with a discussion of the carbon cycle over geologic time. In detail: Nealson and Stahl acquaint us with the basic properties of prokaryotes, including their size and structure. They define the types and ranges of microorganisms and their metabolisms and describe their impacts on some important biogeochemical cycles. Barns and Nierzwicki-Bauer document the phylogenetic relationships and evolution of microorganisms, begging some fundamental questions that might be now just beyond our grasp: What was the 'last common ancestor'? The physiology, biochemistry and ecology of hyperthermophilic, and the many diverse geologically important microbial species from the lithosphere and hydrosphere, as well as some of the techniques employed, are presented. Banfield and Hamers describe and integrate the processes acting on minerals and at surfaces relevant to microorganisms, examining the factors that control mineralogy, mineral forms, and the stability of phases. Surface properties and reaction rates for dissolution, precipitation, and growth of important classes of minerals are discussed. The possible role of mineral surfaces in formation of prebiotic molecules needed to explain the origin of life is examined. Little, Wagner and Lewandowski describe biofilms, an essential interface between microbes and minerals. They demonstrate that these membranes, with their unique morphological and structural attributes, are sites where much activity related to dissolution and/or formation of minerals takes place. Biology makes it possible to move molecules and elements against a gradient. Many questions regarding the transfer of elements from minerals to microbes at this important heterogeneous interface remain. Fortin, Ferris and Beveridge review surface-mediated mineral development by bacteria. Fresh or oceanic waters, anaerobic or aerobic environments provide discretely different ecologies, bacterial entities, and resulting mineralogies. It is obvious from this presentation that investigators have just scratched the surface of microbial mineralization processes. Bazlinski and Moskowitz review the magnetic biominerals and provide insights into the environmental and biological significance of these few tens of nanometer-sized mineral products. The magnetosome chemistry and biochemistry is probably the best understood of any biologically precipitated mineral. Their formation and unique properties underscore the roles these biomaterials play in the rock magnetic record and in geochemical cycles. Tebo, Ghiorse, van Waasbergen, Siering and Caspi contribute data on the roles of Mnminerals and Mn(II) oxidation in geologic environments. Their chapter encompasses molecular genetic and biochemical investigations. Manganese oxides and oxyhydroxides are notoriously difficult to identify and the crystal chemistry of these phases is a research effort on its own. The prospect of learning how microbes utilize the multiple oxidation states of Mn (2+, 3+ and 4+) as a source of energy sharpens the motivation for interdisciplinary study. Manganese is also known as a cofactor in the production and activation of the enzymes that digest large biomolecules that must be the source of the smaller molecular species and ultimately the building blocks of C, N, 0, H required by all species. How have the mechanisms identified in the bacterial systems been transferred up the phylogenetic tree to plants and humans? This is an expanding and intriguing area for further investigation. DeVrind-de Jong and de Vrind address silicate and carbonate deposition by algae (eukaryotic photosynthetic microorganisms). This chapter documents the mechanisms of biomineralization of diatoms and coccoliths. These abundant aquatic organisms are responsible for huge volumes of siliceous sediments and calcium carbonate deposits world wide. The implications of algal biomineralization for climatic variation throughout much of the Earth's history may be quite significant. Stone leads us though a quantitative approach to evaluating reactions between organic molecules and cations. He considers available extracellular organic ligands and the roles these play in uptake of metals. He documents the basic chemical speciation and complexation for several elements, making metal to metal comparisons. Remaining challenges involve coordinating the organic and inorganic results of biologic activity. Following the discussion of biomineralization and interactions between organic compounds and cations, Silver discusses the strategies microorganisms have evolved to deal with toxic metal concentrations in solution. Beyond the fundamental biological significance, this has important implications for understanding microbial populations in contaminated environments. The impact on the geochemical form (speciation) and distribution of elements is also discussed. Nordstrom and Southam summarize sulfide mineral oxidation and dissolution kinetics and devote considerable effort to describing the specific contributions of microorganisms, mostly bacteria. Despite the vast amount of accumulated information, many unanswered questions remain. Barker, Welch and Banfield address weathering of silicate minerals. This topic encompasses not only mineralogy but geomorphology, microbiology, and geochemistry. The necessary interdisciplinary mode of these investigations is highlighted by discussion of the role(s) of bacterial nutrition, groundwater chemistry, and biochemistry. There are obvious implications for hazardous waste storage, a currently daunting and politicized topic that requires predictions over thousands to millions of years. Finally, Des Marais treats the long term evolution of the carbon cycle, adopting a biogeochemical view. He discusses the sources, sinks and the transfer of the element over geologic time. Consideration of such a basic series of questions relating to the partitioning of carbon necessitate interdisciplinary crossovers. It is a fitting conclusion to a dialogue in progress.

Description / Table of Contents: Content: Partial table of contents: Hydrothermal Mineral Deposits: What We Do and Don Know (B. Skinner). Magmas and Hydrothermal Fluids (C. Burnham). Thermal Aspects of Ore Formation (L. Cathles). Oxygen and Hydrogen Isotope Relationships in Hydrothermal Mineral Deposits (H. Taylor). Hydrothermal Alteration and Its Relationship to Ore Fluid Composition (M. Reed). Sulfide Ore Mineral Stabilities, Morphologies, and Intergrowth Textures (D. Vaughan & J. Craig). Gangue Mineral Transport and Deposition (J. Rimstidt). Fluid Inclusion Studies of Hydrothermal Ore Deposits (E. Roedder & R. Bodnar). Geothermal Systems and Mercury Deposits (H. Barnes & T. Seward). Submarine Hydrothermal Systems and Deposits (S. Scott). Ore-Forming Brines in Active Continental Rifts (M. McKibben & L. Hardie). Appendix. Index.

Description / Table of Contents: Abstract The Palaeozoic Era ends with the c. 47-million-year-long Permian Period. This was a major juncture in Earth history when the vast Pangean supercontinent continued its assembly and the global biota suffered the most extensive biotic decimation of the Phanerozoic, the end-Permian mass extinction. It was also the time of accumulation of vast mineral and energy deposits, notably of salt and petroleum. The temporal ordering of geological and biotic events during Permian time is, therefore, critical to the interpretation of some unique and pivotal events in Earth history. This temporal ordering is based mostly on the Permian timescale, which has been developed and refined for nearly two centuries. This book reviews the history of the development of the Permian chronostratigraphic scale. It also includes comprehensive analyses of Permian radioisotopic ages, magnetostratigraphy, isotope-based correlations, and timescale-relevant marine and non-marine biostratigraphy and biochronology.

Description / Table of Contents: Hydrothermal venting at mid-ocean ridges has become one of the fastest-growing areas of interest in the marine geosciences since their discovery at the beginning of the 1980s. Marine geologists, geochemists and biologists are beginning to unravel the processes that generate and focus these high-temperature, chemically charged fluid exhalations, and those that control the colonization and ecology of the bizarre gamut of fauna and flora resident at these sites. Researchers, on the edge of understanding how volcanic and tectonic processes interact to control fluid flow, can show how they can predict the likely occurrence of hydrothermal systems throughout the world ridge system, and how the biomass has flourished in such inhospitable settings. Indeed, the very isolation of the communities has led workers to suggest that their restricted evolutionary path has direct significance for studies of the early origins of life itself. Hydrothermal processes are four-dimensional in their character, on a range of time-scales, which are of the order of thousands of years in terms of the of the lifetime of the hydrothermal sites, down to days in terms of the dispersal of plume products in the water column. The papers in this volume represent the latest reviews and reports of the state-of-the-art understanding of an area of marine science that we are only just beginning to recognize the scope and impact of.

Description / Table of Contents: This work presents up-to-date research achievements from a region that displays unique interactions between climate, the environment and human evolution. Focusing on southeast Turkey, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Israel, it brings together over 80 contributions from leading researchers to review 2.5 million years of environmental change and human cultural evolution. Information from prehistoric sites and palaeoanthropological studies contributing to our understanding of 'out of Africa' migrations, Neanderthals, cultures of modern humans, and the origins of agriculture are assessed within the context of glacial-interglacial cycles, marine isotope cycles, plate tectonics, geochronology, geomorphology, palaeoecology and genetics. Complemented by overview summaries that draw together the findings of each chapter, the resulting coverage is wide-ranging and cohesive. The cross-disciplinary nature of the volume makes it an invaluable resource for academics and advanced students of Quaternary science and human prehistory, as well as being an important reference for archaeologists working in the region

Description / Table of Contents: The book summarizes the knowledge and experiences concerning the role of halogens during various geochemical processes, such as diagenesis, ore-formation, magma evolution, metasomatism, mineralization, and metamorphism in the crust and mantle of the Earth. It comprises the role of halogens in other terrestrial worlds like volatile-rich asteroids, Mars, and the ice moons of Jupiter and Saturn. Review chapters outline and expand upon the basis of our current understanding regarding how halogens contribute to the geochemical/geophysical evolution and stability of terrestrial worlds overall.

Description / Table of Contents: Preface -- Contents -- Contributors -- Part I: Limnology, History and Comparative Legends -- 1: Pavin, the Birthplace of French Limnology (1770-2012), and Its Degassing Controversy (1986-2016) -- 1.1 Introduction -- 1.2 Analysis of Pavin Actors, History and Perception Through an Interdisciplinary and Intercomparative Approach -- 1.3 Pavin, a Typical Maar-Lake Above any Contamination Source -- 1.3.1 Pavin General Features -- 1.3.2 Pavin Compared to Other Lakes of the Cézallier Lake District -- 1.3.3 Pavin Compared to Other European Maar-Lakes -- 1.3.3.1 Eifel Lakes

Description / Table of Contents: 1.3.3.2 Italian Lakes -- 1.4 Pavin Scientific Exploration (1770-1985) -- 1.4.1 Chevalier's Expedition (1770) -- 1.4.2 Lecoq, the Great Auvergne Naturalist, Normalizes Pavin… with Fishes (1847-1871) -- 1.4.3 The First Golden Age of Science at Pavin: Berthoule, Delebecque, Martel, Bruyant (1880-1914) -- 1.4.3.1 Clermont Botanists and Zoologists Establish the Limnological Station at Besse -- 1.4.3.2 André Delebecque at Pavin (1892) -- 1.4.3.3 Edouard-Alfred Martel at Creux de Soucy (1892) -- 1.4.4 Pavin Meromixis Discovery by Olivier and Pelletier (1950-1960s)

Description / Table of Contents: 1.5 Pavin Acquires a Status of International Field Laboratory (1965-2000) -- 1.5.1 International Projects Select Pavin as a Pristine Lake (1965-1975) -- 1.5.2 Pavin, a Laboratory for Innovative Lake Research (1965-1986) -- 1.6 Maar Lakes Degassing Evidence in Cameroun and Italy -- 1.6.1 Nyos (21 August 1986) and Monoun (15 August 1984) Degassing Events and Their Effects on Populations -- 1.6.2 Ancient Degassing Events in Italian Maar-Lakes, Albano and Monticchio -- 1.6.2.1 The Albano Catastrophic Degassing and Spillover Event in Latium (398 BC)

Description / Table of Contents: 1.6.2.2 Monticchio Lakes (Southern Italy) and Their Pioneer Degassing Studies, 1777-1838 -- 1.7 Sensory Grid of Degassing in Maar-Lakes -- 1.8 Pavin Degassing Controversy (1986-2016) -- 1.9 Conclusions -- References -- 2: Pavin, A Rich but Fragmented History (200 AD-2016) -- 2.1 Introduction -- 2.2 Finding Pavin Puzzle Pieces -- 2.3 Pavin's History Highlights -- 2.3.1 Antiquity: A Pompeian Millstone Retrieved from Pavin Waters in 1909 -- 2.3.2 Early Antique and Medieval Worship Near Pavin, on the Vassivière Mountain

Description / Table of Contents: 2.3.3 Lacus pavens Terrifies the Whole Region Throughout the Sixteenth Century -- 2.3.3.1 The Terrible Explosion Witnessed at Vassivière by Besse People (28 August 1551 Pavin Event) -- 2.3.3.2 A Hazardous Abyss, Generating Storm, Thunder and Hail, Presented to Charles IX (1566) -- 2.3.3.3 Pavin Painted on the First Realistic Landscape Picture in France (1571-1579) -- 2.3.3.4 Pavin Marvelous Response to a Thrown Stone in Belleforest's Cosmographia Universalis (1575) -- 2.3.3.5 Lacus pavens, the Terrifying Lake, Is the Original Pavin Name (Banc 1605)

Description / Table of Contents: 2.3.4 The Admirable and Terrifying Pavens Gets Famous During the Seventeenth Century

Description / Table of Contents: Front Cover -- ADDRESSES/INSTITUTIONS -- A Concise Geologic Time Scale -- A Concise Geologic Time Scale -- Copyright -- CONTENTS -- 1 - Introduction -- Geologic time scale and this book -- International divisions of geologic time and their global boundaries (GSSPs) -- Biologic, chemical, sea-level, geomagnetic, and other events or zones -- Assigned numerical ages -- Time Scale Creator database and chart-making package -- Geologic Time Scale 2020 -- Selected publications and websites -- 2 - PLANETARY TIME SCALE -- Introduction -- The Moon -- Mars -- Mercury -- Venus

Description / Table of Contents: Other solar system bodies -- Selected publications and websites -- 3 - Precambrian -- Status of international subdivisions -- Summary of Precambrian trends and events, and a potential revised time scale -- Hadean -- Archean -- Proterozoic -- Acknowledgments -- Selected publications and websites -- 4 - Cryogenian and Ediacaran -- Basal definitions and status of international subdivisions -- Cryogenian -- Selected main stratigraphic scales and events -- (1) Stable-isotope stratigraphy, magnetostratigraphy, and selected events -- (2) Biostratigraphy and major trends -- Numerical age model

Description / Table of Contents: GTS2012 age model and potential future enhancements -- Revised ages compared to GTS2012 -- Acknowledgments -- Selected publications and websites -- 5 - CAMBRIAN -- Basal definition and status of international subdivisions -- Terreneuvian series -- Series 2 -- Series 3 -- Furongian series -- Selected main stratigraphic scales and events -- (1) Biostratigraphy and major trends -- (2) Stable-isotope stratigraphy, magnetostratigraphy, and selected events -- Numerical age model -- GTS2012 age model and potential future enhancements -- Revised ages compared to GTS2012

Description / Table of Contents: Estimated uncertainties on assigned ages on stage boundaries -- Acknowledgments -- Selected publications and websites -- 6 - ORDOVICIAN -- Basal definition and international subdivisions -- Selected main stratigraphic scales and events -- (1) Biostratigraphy and major trends -- (2) Stable-isotope stratigraphy and selected events -- Numerical age model -- GTS2012 age model and potential future enhancements -- Estimated uncertainties on assigned ages on stage boundaries -- Acknowledgments -- Selected publications and websites -- 7 - SILURIAN -- Basal definition and international subdivisions

Description / Table of Contents: Selected main stratigraphic scales and events -- (1) Biostratigraphy (marine -- terrestrial) -- (2) Stable-isotope stratigraphy, magnetostratigraphy, and selected events -- Numerical age model -- GTS2012 age model and potential future enhancements -- Estimated uncertainties on assigned ages on stage boundaries -- Acknowledgments -- Selected publications and websites -- 8 - DEVONIAN -- Basal definition and international subdivisions -- Selected main stratigraphic scales and events -- Biostratigraphy (marine -- terrestrial) -- Magnetostratigraphy -- Stable-isotope stratigraphy and selected events

Description / Table of Contents: Numerical age model

Description / Table of Contents: Using full-colour palaeogeographical maps from the Cambrian to the present, this interdisciplinary volume explains how plate motions and surface volcanism are linked to processes in the Earth's mantle, and to climate change and the evolution of the Earth's biota. These new and very detailed maps provide a complete and integrated Phanerozoic story of palaeogeography. They illustrate the development of all the major mountain-building orogenies. Old lands, seas, ice caps, volcanic regions, reefs, and coal beds are highlighted on the maps, as well as faunal and floral provinces. Many other original diagrams show sections from the Earth's core, through the mantle, and up to the lithosphere, and how Large Igneous Provinces are generated, helping to understand how plates have appeared, moved, and vanished through time. Supplementary resources are available online, making this an invaluable reference for researchers, graduate students, professional geoscientists and anyone interested in the geological history of the Earth.

Description / Table of Contents: This work summarizes the historical progression of the field of lithium (Li) isotope studies and provides a comprehensive yet succinct overview of the research applications toward which they have been directed. In synthesizing the historical and current research, the volume also suggests prospective future directions of study. Not even a full decade has passed since the publication of a broadly inclusive summary of Li isotope research around the globe (Tomascak, 2004). In this short time, the use of this isotope system in the investigation of geo- and cosmochemical questions has increased dramatically, due, in part, to the advent of new analytical technology at the end of the last millennium. Lithium, as a light element that forms low-charge, moderate-sized ions, manifests a number of chemical properties that make its stable isotope system useful in a wide array of geo- and cosmochemical research fields.  

Description / Table of Contents: This volume contains a selection of 16 papers written by colleagues and students of the late Professor John Sutton FRS. John Sutton was one of the most eminent geologists of his time. He was interested in every aspect of the Earth Sciences, although his passion was for Precambrian rocks throughout the world, and particularly those of NW Scotland. The papers included in this volume reflect the wide interests of John Sutton and provide the latest ideas and information on the Early Precambrian.