A biosignature suite from cave pool precipitates, Cottonwood Cave, New Mexico

Astrobiology

Volumn 9, Issue 9, 2009, Pages 907-917

  Melim, L A ^a   Liescheidt, R ^a   Northup, D E ^b   Spilde, M N ^b   Boston, P J ^c   Queen, J M ^d  

^a WESTERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY   (United States)

^b UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO   (United States)

^c NEW MEXICO INSTITUTE OF MINING AND TECHNOLOGY   (United States)

^d Guadalupe Mountain Institute   (United States)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

CALCIUM CARBONATE; CARBON; NITROGEN;

ARTICLE; BIOGENESIS; BIOLOGY; CHEMISTRY; ECOSYSTEM; FOSSIL; GEOGRAPHY; MICROBIOLOGY; PRECIPITATION; SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPY; SEDIMENT; SPECTROMETRY; UNITED STATES;

BIOGENESIS; CALCIUM CARBONATE; CARBON; CHEMICAL PRECIPITATION; ECOSYSTEM; EXOBIOLOGY; FOSSILS; GEOGRAPHY; GEOLOGIC SEDIMENTS; MICROSCOPY, ELECTRON, SCANNING; NEW MEXICO; NITROGEN; SPECTROMETRY, X-RAY EMISSION;

POPULUS;

EID: 72449146253     PISSN: 15311074     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1089/ast.2009.0345     Document Type: Article

References (31)

1. Barton, H.A. and Northup, D.E. (2007) Geomicrobiology in cave environments: past, current and future perspectives. Journal of Cave and Karst Studies 69:163-178.
2. Barton, H.A., Spear, J.R., and Pace, N.R. (2001) Microbial life in the underworld: biogenicity in secondary mineral formations. Geomicrobiol. J. 18:359-368.
3. Baskar, S., Baskar, R., Mauclaire, L., and McKenzie, J.A. (2005) Role of microbial community in stalactite formation, Sahastradhara caves, Dehradun, India. Current Science 88:1305-1308.
4. Boston, P.J. (2000) Life below and life "Out There."Geotimes 45:14-17.
5. Boston, P.J., Ivanov, M.V., and McKay, C.P. (1992) On the possibility of chemosynthetic ecosystems in subsurface habitats on Mars. Icarus 95:300-308.
6. Boston, P.J., Kleina, L.G., Soroka, D.S., Lavoie, K.H., Northup, D.E., Spilde, M.N., and Hose, L.D. (1999) Cave microbes: microbial mats lining hydrogen sulfiDe springs [abstract 36]. In Abstracts and Programs from the 4th International Symposium on Subsurface Microbiology, Vail, Colorado.
7. Boston, P.J., Spilde, M.N., Northup, D.E., Melim, L.A., Soroka, D.A., Kleina, L.G., Lavoie, K.H., Hose, L.D., Mallory, L.M., Dahm, C.N., Crossey, L.J., and Scheble, R.T. (2001) Cave biosignature suites: microbes, minerals and Mars. Astrobiology 1:25-55.
8. Cacchio, P., Contento, R., Ercole, C., Cappuccio, G., Martinez, M.P., and Lepidi, A. (2004) Involvement of microorganisms in the formation of carbonate speleothems in the Cervo Cave (L'Aquila-Italy). Geomicrobiol. J. 21:497-509.
9. Cañaveras, J.C., Sanchez-Moral, S., Soler, V., and Saiz-Jimenez, C. (2001) Microorganisms and microbially induced fabrics in cave walls. Geomicrobiol. J. 18:223-240.
10. Chafetz, H.S. (1986) Marine peloids: a product of bacterially induced precipitation of calcite. J. Sediment. Petrol. 56:812-817.
11. Chafetz, H.S. and Buczynski, C. (1992) Bacterially induced lithification of microbial mats. Palaios 7:277-293.
12. Cunningham, K.I., Northup, D.E., Pollastro, R.M., Wright, W.G., and LaRock, E.J. (1995) Bacteria, fungi and biokarst in Lechuguilla Cave, Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico. Environ. Geol. 25:2-8.
13. Davis, D.G., Palmer, M.V., and Palmer, A.N. (1990) Extraordinary subaqueous speleothems in Lechuguilla Cave, New Mexico. Journal of Cave and Karst Studies 52:70-86.
14. Engel, A.S. (2007) Observations on the Biodiverstiy of Sulfidic Karst Habitats. Journal of Cave and Karst Studies 69:187-206.
15. Folk, R.L. (1974) The natural history of crystalline calcium carbonate: effect of magnesium content and salinity. J. Sediment. Petrol. 44:141-153.
16. Forti, P. (2001) Biogenic speleothems: an overview. Int. J. Speleol. 30:39-56.
17. Gonzalez, L.A., Carpenter, S.J., and Lohmann, K.C. (1992) Inorganic calcite morphology: roles of fluid chemistry and fluid flow. Journal of Sedimentary Research 62:382-399.
18. Harris, D., Horwath, W.R., and Van Kessel, C. (2001) Acid fumigation of soils to remove carbonates prior to total organic carbon or carbon-13 isotopic analysis. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 65:1853-1856.
19. Hill, C.A. (1987) Geology of Carlsbad Cavern and Other Caves in the Guadalupe Mountains, New Mexico and Texas, New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources, Socorro, NM.
20. Hill, C.A. and Forti, P. (1997) Cave Minerals of the World, 2nd ed., National Speleological Society, Huntsville, AL.
21. Jones, B. (2001) Microbial activity in caves-a geological perspective. Geomicrobiol. J. 18:345-358.
22. Melim, L.A., Shinglman, K.M., Boston, P.J., Northup, D.E., Spilde, M.N., and Queen, J.M. (2001) Evidence of microbial involvement in pool finger precipitation, Hidden Cave, New Mexico. Geomicrobiol. J. 18:311-330.
23. Melim, L.A., Northup, D.E., Spilde, M.N., Jones, B., Boston, P.J., and Bixby, R.J. (2008) Reticulated filaments in cave pool speleothems: microbe or mineral? Journal of Cave and Karst Studies 70:135-141.
24. Nothdurft, L.D. and Webb, G.E. (2009) Earliest diagenesis in scleractinian coral skeletons: implications for palaeoclimatesensitive geochemical archives. Facies 55:161-201.
25. Palmer, A.N. and Palmer, M.V. (2000) Hydrochemical interpretation of cave patterns in the Guadalupe Mountains, New Mexico. Journal of Cave and Karst Studies 62:91-108.
26. Pella, E. (1990a) Elemental organic analysis. Part 1. Historical developments. Am. Lab. 22-3:116-1115
27. Pella, E. (1990b) Elemental organic analysis. Part 2. State of the Art. Am. Lab. 22-12:28-32.
28. Polyak, V.J., McIntosh, W.C., Gü ven, N., and Provencio, P. (1998) Age and origin of Carlsbad Cavern and related caves from 40Ar=39Ar of alunite. Science 279:1919-1922.
29. Queen, J.M. and Melim, L.A. (2006) Biothems: biologically influenced speleothems in caves of the Guadalupe Mountains, New Mexico, USA. In Caves and Karst of Southeastern New Mexico, New Mexico Geological Society Guidebook, 57th Field Conference, edited by W. Raatz, L. Land, and P. J. Boston, New Mexico Geological Society, Socorro, NM, pp 167-174.
30. Riding, R. (2000) Microbial carbonates: the geologic record of calcified bacterial-algal mats and biofilms. Sedimentology 47:179-214.
31. Westall, F. (2008) Morphological biosignatures in early terrestrial and extraterrestrial materials. Space Sci. Rev. 135:95-114.