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Aqueous geochemical and microbial variation across discrete depth intervals in a peridotite aquifer assessed using a packer system in the Samail Ophiolite, Oman

Aqueous geochemical and microbial variation across discrete depth intervals in a peridotite aquifer assessed using a packer system in the Samail Ophiolite, Oman
Aqueous geochemical and microbial variation across discrete depth intervals in a peridotite aquifer assessed using a packer system in the Samail Ophiolite, Oman

The potential for molecular hydrogen ((Formula presented.)) generated via serpentinization to fuel subsurface microbial ecosystems independent from photosynthesis has prompted biogeochemical investigations of serpentinization-influenced fluids. However, investigations typically sample via surface seeps or open-borehole pumping, which can mix chemically distinct waters from different depths. Depth-indiscriminate sampling methods could thus hinder understanding of the spatial controls on nutrient availability for microbial life. To resolve distinct groundwaters in a low-temperature serpentinizing environment, we deployed packers (tools that seal against borehole walls during pumping) in two (Formula presented.) -deep, peridotite-hosted wells in the Samail Ophiolite, Oman. Isolation and pumping of discrete intervals as deep as (Formula presented.) to (Formula presented.) below ground level revealed multiple aquifers that ranged in pH from 8 to 11. Chemical analyses and 16S rRNA gene sequencing of deep, highly reacted (Formula presented.) groundwaters bearing up to (Formula presented.), (Formula presented.) methane ((Formula presented.)) and (Formula presented.) sulfate ((Formula presented.)) revealed an ecosystem dominated by Bacteria affiliated with the class Thermodesulfovibrionia, a group of chemolithoheterotrophs supported by (Formula presented.) oxidation coupled to (Formula presented.) reduction. In shallower, oxidized (Formula presented.) groundwaters, aerobic and denitrifying heterotrophs were relatively more abundant. High (Formula presented.) and (Formula presented.) of (Formula presented.) (up to (Formula presented.) and (Formula presented.), respectively) indicated microbial (Formula presented.) oxidation, particularly in (Formula presented.) waters with evidence of mixing with (Formula presented.) waters. This study demonstrates the power of spatially resolving groundwaters to probe their distinct geochemical conditions and chemosynthetic communities. Such information will help improve predictions of where microbial activity in fractured rock ecosystems might occur, including beyond Earth.

groundwater mixing, packer, serpentinization, subsurface biosphere, sulfate reduction
2169-8953
Nothaft, Daniel B.
e9acb387-a05f-4516-b682-ab268ee0e0db
Templeton, Alexis S.
319721fb-9b55-4029-8df5-1c3fa166052b
Boyd, Eric S.
049410ba-5542-4cd7-868e-10e58702d46a
Matter, Juerg M.
abb60c24-b6cb-4d1a-a108-6fc51ee20395
Stute, Martin
1d6a7971-cf3f-48d4-8962-da892b51b25b
Paukert Vankeuren, Amelia N.
302db08a-6d35-4e87-969b-a03e90096866
The Oman Drilling Project Science Team
Nothaft, Daniel B.
e9acb387-a05f-4516-b682-ab268ee0e0db
Templeton, Alexis S.
319721fb-9b55-4029-8df5-1c3fa166052b
Boyd, Eric S.
049410ba-5542-4cd7-868e-10e58702d46a
Matter, Juerg M.
abb60c24-b6cb-4d1a-a108-6fc51ee20395
Stute, Martin
1d6a7971-cf3f-48d4-8962-da892b51b25b
Paukert Vankeuren, Amelia N.
302db08a-6d35-4e87-969b-a03e90096866

Nothaft, Daniel B., Templeton, Alexis S., Boyd, Eric S., Matter, Juerg M., Stute, Martin and Paukert Vankeuren, Amelia N. , The Oman Drilling Project Science Team (2021) Aqueous geochemical and microbial variation across discrete depth intervals in a peridotite aquifer assessed using a packer system in the Samail Ophiolite, Oman. Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences, 126 (9), [e2021JG006319]. (doi:10.1029/2021JG006319).

Record type: Article

Abstract

The potential for molecular hydrogen ((Formula presented.)) generated via serpentinization to fuel subsurface microbial ecosystems independent from photosynthesis has prompted biogeochemical investigations of serpentinization-influenced fluids. However, investigations typically sample via surface seeps or open-borehole pumping, which can mix chemically distinct waters from different depths. Depth-indiscriminate sampling methods could thus hinder understanding of the spatial controls on nutrient availability for microbial life. To resolve distinct groundwaters in a low-temperature serpentinizing environment, we deployed packers (tools that seal against borehole walls during pumping) in two (Formula presented.) -deep, peridotite-hosted wells in the Samail Ophiolite, Oman. Isolation and pumping of discrete intervals as deep as (Formula presented.) to (Formula presented.) below ground level revealed multiple aquifers that ranged in pH from 8 to 11. Chemical analyses and 16S rRNA gene sequencing of deep, highly reacted (Formula presented.) groundwaters bearing up to (Formula presented.), (Formula presented.) methane ((Formula presented.)) and (Formula presented.) sulfate ((Formula presented.)) revealed an ecosystem dominated by Bacteria affiliated with the class Thermodesulfovibrionia, a group of chemolithoheterotrophs supported by (Formula presented.) oxidation coupled to (Formula presented.) reduction. In shallower, oxidized (Formula presented.) groundwaters, aerobic and denitrifying heterotrophs were relatively more abundant. High (Formula presented.) and (Formula presented.) of (Formula presented.) (up to (Formula presented.) and (Formula presented.), respectively) indicated microbial (Formula presented.) oxidation, particularly in (Formula presented.) waters with evidence of mixing with (Formula presented.) waters. This study demonstrates the power of spatially resolving groundwaters to probe their distinct geochemical conditions and chemosynthetic communities. Such information will help improve predictions of where microbial activity in fractured rock ecosystems might occur, including beyond Earth.

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More information

Accepted/In Press date: 30 July 2021
e-pub ahead of print date: 8 August 2021
Published date: 8 September 2021
Keywords: groundwater mixing, packer, serpentinization, subsurface biosphere, sulfate reduction

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 453266
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/453266
ISSN: 2169-8953
PURE UUID: 28f15710-b738-4405-be4a-e8aba1184cd7
ORCID for Juerg M. Matter: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-1070-7371

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Date deposited: 11 Jan 2022 17:51
Last modified: 29 May 2024 01:45

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Contributors

Author: Daniel B. Nothaft
Author: Alexis S. Templeton
Author: Eric S. Boyd
Author: Juerg M. Matter ORCID iD
Author: Martin Stute
Author: Amelia N. Paukert Vankeuren
Corporate Author: The Oman Drilling Project Science Team

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