Biogenic mineral formation in the culture of marine psychrophilic ferrioxidizing bacteria of Siderococcus genus is studied in this work. During this process, hematite was formed through ferrihydride. The method of microdiffraction of mineral's electrons on ultrafine cuts showed hematite sedimentation on the surface of the cells deprived of cell walls. Fine homogeneity of this mineral is vindicated. The laboratory model of evolutionary ancient marine bacteria Siderococcus was used to show the formation of hypergene oxides: protoferrihydride -- ferrihydride -- hematite. Microdiffractional analysis of biogenic material, which was taken from technogene zone, gave additional characteristic of the ecosystem through the detection of hematite mineral modification, which was formed by ingress of seawater Pb ions into the structure of the mineral.

Date Published: 30 January 2003
PDF: 3 pages
Proc. SPIE 4939, Instruments, Methods, and Missions for Astrobiology VI, (30 January 2003); doi: 10.1117/12.486684

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 4939:
Instruments, Methods, and Missions for Astrobiology VI
Richard B. Hoover; Alexei Yu. Rozanov; Jere H. Lipps, Editor(s)