Bushveld Igneous Complex
Posted inAnalog Studies, Astrochemistry, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Fossils & Paleontology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Microbiology & Virology, Sample Return, Status Report

Deep Microbial Colonization in 2-Billion-Year-Old Ultramafic Rock from the Bushveld Complex

by Keith Cowing

Archean cratons may provide stable microbial habitats in the deep subsurface, as evidenced by the discovery of billion-year-old crustal fluids.

Posted inAway Teams & Field Reports, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Fossils & Paleontology, Habitable Zones, Microbiology & Virology, Sample Return, Status Report

Subsurface Microbial Colonization at Mineral-Filled Veins in 2-Billion-Year-Old Mafic Rock from the Bushveld Igneous Complex, South Africa

by Keith Cowing

Recent advances in subsurface microbiology have demonstrated the habitability of multi-million-year-old igneous rocks, despite the scarce energy supply from rock-water interactions.

Posted inAstrogeology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Fossils & Paleontology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Microbiology & Virology, Press Release

A 2-billion-year-old Rock Is Home To Living Microbes

by Keith Cowing

Pockets of microbes have been found living within a sealed fracture in 2-billion-year-old rock. The rock was excavated from the Bushveld Igneous Complex in South Africa, an area known for […]

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