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. 2001 Feb;67(2):827-33.
doi: 10.1128/AEM.67.2.827-833.2001.

Discovery and description of giant submarine smectite cones on the seafloor in Eyjafjordur, northern Iceland, and a novel thermal microbial habitat

V T Marteinsson  1 , J K Kristjánsson, H Kristmannsdóttir, M Dahlkvist, K Saemundsson, M Hannington, S K Pétursdóttir, A Geptner, P Stoffers
Affiliations

Discovery and description of giant submarine smectite cones on the seafloor in Eyjafjordur, northern Iceland, and a novel thermal microbial habitat

V T Marteinsson et al. Appl Environ Microbiol. 2001 Feb.

Abstract

With the submersible JAGO and by scuba diving we discovered three remarkable geothermal cones, rising 33, 25, and 45 m from the seafloor at a depth of 65 m in Eyjafjordur, northern Iceland. The greatest geothermal activity was on the highest cone, which discharged up to 50 liters of freshwater per s at 72 degrees C and pH 10.0. The cones were built up from precipitated smectite, formed by mixing of the hot SiO2-rich geothermal fluid with the cold Mg-rich seawater. By connecting a rubber hose to one outflow, about 240 liters of pure geothermal fluids was concentrated through a 0.2-microm-pore-size filter. Among 50 thermophilic isolates, we found members of Bacillus and Thermonema and a new unidentified low-G+C gram-positive member of the Bacteria as well as one member of the Archaea, Desulfurococcus mobilis. Analysis of small-subunit rRNA genes PCR amplified and cloned directly from environmental DNA showed that 41 out of 45 Bacteria sequences belonged to members of the Aquificales, whereas all of the 10 Archaea sequences belonged to the Korarchaeota. The physiological characteristics of isolates from different parts of the cones indicate a completely freshwater habitat, supporting the possibility of subterranean transmittance of terrestrial organisms.

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Figures

FIG. 1
FIG. 1
Contour map of the new vent site showing the giant cone structures and the sampling technique.
FIG. 2
FIG. 2
(a) Small chimney; (b) top part of the chimney; (c) bottom part of the chimney; (d) schematic diagram of the chimney showing the different sampling zones.
FIG. 3
FIG. 3
Map showing the geothermal fields in Iceland. The arrow shows the location of the submarine hydrothermal vent field in the Eyjafjordur fjord.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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