16/11/2019
Geological microbiology
is the result of a combination of geology and microbiology . The field of geological microbiology is concerned with the role of microbes and microbial processes in geological and geochemical processes and vice versa. This area is particularly important when dealing with microorganisms in aquifers and public drinking water facilities.
Another area of geological microbiology research is the study of xtremeophiles, microorganisms that thrive in environments that are usually hostile. These environments may include extremely hot environments ( hot springs or mid-ocean vents Black Smokers) or enormously salty environments or even environments such as Martian soil or comets .
Recent observations and research in brackish marsh environments in Brazil and Australia have shown that anaerobic diluent bacteria may be directly involved in the formation of dolomite. This suggests that the process of altering and replacing limestone deposits through dolomite conversion in ancient rocks may have been assisted by the ancestors of these anaerobic bacteria.
Some bacteria use metal ions as a source of energy. It converts dissolved metal ions (or chemically reduced) from one electrical state to another. This reduction produces energy for use by bacteria, and as a by-product that concentrates metals in what eventually becomes ore deposits . It is believed that certain substances such as iron, uranium and even gold ore were formed as a result of the impact of the microbe.
One of the uses of microbiology geological filtering is the use of microbes to extract minerals from the waste of the mine .