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Categories: Geoscience: Geochemistry, Geoscience: Geology
Published The life below our feet: Team discovers microbes thriving in groundwater and producing oxygen in the dark
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A survey of groundwater samples drawn from aquifers beneath more than 80,000 square miles of Canadian prairie reveals ancient groundwaters harbor not only diverse and active microbial communities, but also unexpectedly large numbers of microbial cells. Strikingly, some of these microbes seem to produce 'dark oxygen' (in the absence of sunlight) in such abundance that the oxygen may nourish not only those microbes, but may leak into the environment and support other oxygen-reliant microbes that can't produce it themselves.
Published Plate tectonics not required for the emergence of life
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source New finding contradicts previous assumptions about the role of mobile plate tectonics in the development of life on Earth. Moreover, the data suggests that 'when we're looking for exoplanets that harbor life, the planets do not necessarily need to have plate tectonics,' says the lead author of a new paper.
Published Preserving forests to protect deep soil from warming
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source An innovative, decade-long experiment in the foothills of California's Sierra Nevada mountains shows carbon stocks buried deep underground are vulnerable to climate change. The findings have implications for mitigating global warming through the natural carbon sinks provided by soil and forests which capture 25% of all carbon emissions.
Published A machine learning approach to freshwater analysis
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A team of researchers has applied a machine learning model to explore where and to what extent human activities are contributing to the hydrogeochemical changes, such as increases in salinity and alkalinity in U.S. rivers. The group used data from 226 river monitoring sites across the U.S. and built two machine learning models to predict monthly salinity and alkalinity levels at each site.
Published Study explains unusual deformation in Earth's largest continental rift
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Computer models confirm that the African Superplume is responsible for the unusual deformations, as well as rift-parallel seismic anisotropy observed beneath the East African Rift System.
Published Aluminium-ion batteries with improved storage capacity
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists develop positive electrode material using an organic redox polymer based on phenothiazine. Aluminium-ion batteries containing this material stored an unprecedented 167 milliampere hours per gram, outperforming batteries using graphite as electrode material. Aluminium-ion batteries are considered a promising alternative to conventional batteries that use scarce raw materials such as lithium.
Published Plant remediation effects on petroleum contamination
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Initial choices about fertilization and grass seeding could have a long-lasting effect on how plants and their associated microbes break down pollution in petroleum-contaminated soils.
Published A baking soda solution for clean hydrogen storage
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists investigate the promising properties of a common, Earth-abundant salt.
Published Geologists challenge conventional view of Earth's continental history, stability with new study
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The seemingly stable regions of the Earth's continental plates -- the so-called stable cratons -- have suffered repetitive deformation below their crust since their formation in the remote past, according to new research from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. This hypothesis defies decades of conventional plate tectonics theory and begs to answer why most cratons have remained structurally stable while their underbellies have experienced significant change.
Published Researchers describe the melting of gold nanoparticles in gold-bearing fluids in the Earth's crust
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Gold is a precious metal that has always fascinated humans. From Priam's Treasure to the legend of El Dorado, gold --regarded as the noblest of metals-- has been a symbol of splendour and wealth in many civilizations. Historically, gold deposits were known to form when metal was transported dissolved by hot aqueous solution flows --hydrothermal fluids-- until it accumulated in some areas in the Earth's upper crust. The recent discovery of gold nanoparticles in such mineral deposits has brought some doubts on the validity of the classical model.
Published All-electric rideshare fleet could reduce carbon emissions, increase traffic issues
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Two major ridesharing companies have promised all-electric fleets by 2030 in an effort to reduce their carbon footprint. To understand additional impacts of this transition, researchers conducted life-cycle comparisons of battery-powered electric vehicle fleets to a gas-powered one, using real-world rideshare data. They found up to a 45% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from full electrification; however, traffic problems and air pollution could increase.
Published Campi Flegrei volcano edges closer to possible eruption
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The new study used a model of volcano fracturing to interpret patterns of earthquakes and ground uplift, and concluded that parts of the volcano had been stretched nearly to breaking point.
Published South Africa, India and Australia shared similar volcanic activity 3.5 billion years ago
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The Daitari greenstone belt shares a similar geologic make-up when compared to the greenstones exposed in the Barberton and Nondweni areas of South Africa and those from the Pilbara Craton of north-western Australia.
Published Water molecules define the materials around us
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new paper argues that materials like wood, bacteria, and fungi belong to a newly identified class of matter, 'hydration solids.' The new findings emerged from ongoing research into the strange behavior of spores, dormant bacterial cells.
Published Coral disease tripled in the last 25 years. Three-quarters will likely be diseased by next century
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Research suggests warming temperatures will see nearly 80 per cent of coral in reefs diseased in the next 80 years.
Published Bubble, bubble, more earthquake trouble? Geoscientists study Alaska's Denali fault
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Geochemists report findings from collected and analyzed helium and carbon isotopic data from springs along a nearly 250-mile segment of Alaska's Denali Fault. The fault's mantle fluid flow rates, they report, fall in the range observed for the world's other major and active strike-slip faults that form plate boundaries.
Published The problems with coal ash start smaller than anyone thought
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Burning coal doesn't only pollute the air. The resulting ash can leach toxic chemicals into the local environments where it's kept. New research shows that the toxicity of various ash stockpiles relies heavily on its nanoscale structures, which vary widely between sources. The results will help researchers predict which coal ash is most environmentally dangerous.
Published Whales not to be counted on as 'climate savers'
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Do whales increase the removal of carbon from the atmosphere? Despite some hope that this would be the case, a new study has found the amount of potential carbon capture by whales is too little to meaningfully alter the course of climate change. The team found the amount potentially sequestered by the whales was too minimal to make significant impact on the trajectory of climate change.
Published Microbes key to sequestering carbon in soil
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Microbes are by far the most important factor in determining how much carbon is stored in the soil, according to a new study with implications for mitigating climate change and improving soil health for agriculture and food production.
Published Fungi stores a third of carbon from fossil fuel emissions and could be essential to reaching net zero, new study reveals
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Mycorrhizal fungi are responsible for holding up to 36 per cent of yearly global fossil fuel emissions below ground -- more than China emits each year.