Thursday 22 January 2015

Waters could support isolated life

A team of scientists has mapped the location of hydrogen-rich waters found trapped kilometers beneath Earth's surface in rock fractures in Canada, South Africa and Scandinavia. Common in Precambrian Shield rocks -- the oldest rocks on Earth -- the ancient waters have a chemistry similar to that found near deep sea vents, suggesting these waters can support microbes living in isolation from the surface.

To find out more see:

Barbara Sherwood Lollar, T. C. Onstott, G. Lacrampe-Couloume, C. J. Ballentine. The contribution of the Precambrian continental lithosphere to global H2 production. Nature, 2014; 516 (7531): 379 DOI: 10.1038/nature14017

Posted by Tim Sandle

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