Continental Scientific Drilling Program Archives

Accurate magnification of microbes on the surface of the rock material.Under the International Continental Scientific Drilling Program infrastructure, the Outokumpu project has also investigated the binding of bacteria and fungi collected from the deep borehole to rock surfaces. An electron microscope image of oblong microbial cells originating in the Outokumpu bedrock on the surface of serpentinite. -- Credit Mari Raulio, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland

Analog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Habitable Zones, Press Release

Wide Variety Of Organic Compounds Found Deep Within The Outokumpu Borehole

by Keith CowingFebruary 12, 2025September 18, 2025

Volatile organic compounds (VOC), were usually associated with poor indoor air, were discovered in Finland in a borehole more than two kilometres deep. Previously, groundwater dating back tens of millions […]

This picture shows many tiny cells in which DNA is abundantly included inside the cells. First, the microbial cells were detected in fractures in the rock sample using an infrared imaging technique called O-PTIR spectroscopy. After that, they were stained with a green solution and analyzed using both a scanning electron microscope and then fluorescent microscopy. The combination of readings from these three imaging techniques enabled the researchers to confirm the indigenous and living microbial cells in the 2-billion-year-old rock fissure. -- University of Tokyo

Astrogeology, 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 CowingOctober 4, 2024October 4, 2024

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 […]