Environmental Earth System Science Seminar Series

Intraterrestrial life? Current thoughts on microbial activity within the volcanic rocks of the seafloor

Speaker: Prof. Alexis Templeton, Assistant Professor of Geological Sciences, University of Colorado

Abstract: There is extensive speculation that a large subsurface biosphere may be hosted within the oceanic crust on Earth, and within (past?) subsurface aquifers on other planetary bodies such as Mars.  However, we currently have few constraints on the potential scale, rates and mechanisms of biogeochemical cycles that may operate within such rock-dominated environments.  In this talk we will explore recent data and insights regarding the structure and geochemical activity of microbial communities that may depend upon the oxidative alteration of the mafic and ultramafic rocks within the Earth’s modern seafloor.