Microbial influence on the kinetics of karstification
The traditional model of karst and cave formation is that of carbonic acid limestone dissolution, where biologically-produced CO₂ in meteoric water reacts with and dissolves limestone. However, an alternative model has been proposed for several karst sysems where sulfide is abundant, known as sulfur...
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ftunivtexas:oai:repositories.lib.utexas.edu:2152/115489 2023-05-15T15:53:00+02:00 Microbial influence on the kinetics of karstification Steinhauer, Elspeth Susan Bennett, Philip C. (Philip Charles), 1959- 2008-12 electronic application/pdf https://hdl.handle.net/2152/115489 https://doi.org/10.26153/tsw/42388 eng eng UT Electronic Theses and Dissertations https://hdl.handle.net/2152/115489 http://dx.doi.org/10.26153/tsw/42388 Copyright © is held by the author. Presentation of this material on the Libraries' web site by University Libraries, The University of Texas at Austin was made possible under a limited license grant from the author who has retained all copyrights in the works. Restricted Karst formation Cave formation Karstification Limestone Bacteria Lower Kane Cave Wyoming Thesis 2008 ftunivtexas https://doi.org/10.26153/tsw/42388 2022-09-08T17:27:18Z The traditional model of karst and cave formation is that of carbonic acid limestone dissolution, where biologically-produced CO₂ in meteoric water reacts with and dissolves limestone. However, an alternative model has been proposed for several karst sysems where sulfide is abundant, known as sulfuric acid speleogenesis (SAS). Here, acid produced by chemoautotrophic sulfur-oxidizing bacteria (SOB) corrodes limestone while producing dissolved calcium and sulfate. Little is known about the rate of limestone dissolution due to SOB activity, or the nature of the microbe-limestone attachment and interaction. The field site for this study is Lower Kane Cave, WY, an active SAS-formed cave where rapid steam H₂S oxidation is associated with sulfur-oxidizing microbial mats. In this study, the rate of limestone dissolution due to microbial oxidation of reduced sulfur compounds was investigated using laboratory and field microcosms. Laboratory chemostat chamber experiments were designed to mimic the cave environment with and without SOB (native Kane Cave bacteria and Paracoccus versutus), and using different energy sources (thiosulfate, sulfide, and elemental sulfur stored in bacterial filaments). Limestone dissolution rates of abiotic chemostat experiments from this study are comparable to those in previous literature. However, dissolution rates from the experiments with bacteria are 3-4 times faster than the abiotic control rates, a result which is consistent across duplicate experiments and between experiments using different types of SOB. This rate increase represents a complex chemical system influenced by the bacteria on the mineral surface. SEM images confirm that the limestone chips both in the cave and in the biotic chemostat chambers are uniformly covered in biofilm, and that the mineral surface beneath the biofilm is much more etched and corroded than the surface of limestone chips dissolving without bacteria. The results from the lab experiments and the cave microcosms suggest that a biofilm on limestone chips ... Thesis Carbonic acid The University of Texas at Austin: Texas ScholarWorks Sob’ ENVELOPE(66.156,66.156,66.322,66.322) Kane ENVELOPE(-63.038,-63.038,-73.952,-73.952) |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
The University of Texas at Austin: Texas ScholarWorks |
op_collection_id |
ftunivtexas |
language |
English |
topic |
Karst formation Cave formation Karstification Limestone Bacteria Lower Kane Cave Wyoming |
spellingShingle |
Karst formation Cave formation Karstification Limestone Bacteria Lower Kane Cave Wyoming Steinhauer, Elspeth Susan Microbial influence on the kinetics of karstification |
topic_facet |
Karst formation Cave formation Karstification Limestone Bacteria Lower Kane Cave Wyoming |
description |
The traditional model of karst and cave formation is that of carbonic acid limestone dissolution, where biologically-produced CO₂ in meteoric water reacts with and dissolves limestone. However, an alternative model has been proposed for several karst sysems where sulfide is abundant, known as sulfuric acid speleogenesis (SAS). Here, acid produced by chemoautotrophic sulfur-oxidizing bacteria (SOB) corrodes limestone while producing dissolved calcium and sulfate. Little is known about the rate of limestone dissolution due to SOB activity, or the nature of the microbe-limestone attachment and interaction. The field site for this study is Lower Kane Cave, WY, an active SAS-formed cave where rapid steam H₂S oxidation is associated with sulfur-oxidizing microbial mats. In this study, the rate of limestone dissolution due to microbial oxidation of reduced sulfur compounds was investigated using laboratory and field microcosms. Laboratory chemostat chamber experiments were designed to mimic the cave environment with and without SOB (native Kane Cave bacteria and Paracoccus versutus), and using different energy sources (thiosulfate, sulfide, and elemental sulfur stored in bacterial filaments). Limestone dissolution rates of abiotic chemostat experiments from this study are comparable to those in previous literature. However, dissolution rates from the experiments with bacteria are 3-4 times faster than the abiotic control rates, a result which is consistent across duplicate experiments and between experiments using different types of SOB. This rate increase represents a complex chemical system influenced by the bacteria on the mineral surface. SEM images confirm that the limestone chips both in the cave and in the biotic chemostat chambers are uniformly covered in biofilm, and that the mineral surface beneath the biofilm is much more etched and corroded than the surface of limestone chips dissolving without bacteria. The results from the lab experiments and the cave microcosms suggest that a biofilm on limestone chips ... |
author2 |
Bennett, Philip C. (Philip Charles), 1959- |
format |
Thesis |
author |
Steinhauer, Elspeth Susan |
author_facet |
Steinhauer, Elspeth Susan |
author_sort |
Steinhauer, Elspeth Susan |
title |
Microbial influence on the kinetics of karstification |
title_short |
Microbial influence on the kinetics of karstification |
title_full |
Microbial influence on the kinetics of karstification |
title_fullStr |
Microbial influence on the kinetics of karstification |
title_full_unstemmed |
Microbial influence on the kinetics of karstification |
title_sort |
microbial influence on the kinetics of karstification |
publishDate |
2008 |
url |
https://hdl.handle.net/2152/115489 https://doi.org/10.26153/tsw/42388 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(66.156,66.156,66.322,66.322) ENVELOPE(-63.038,-63.038,-73.952,-73.952) |
geographic |
Sob’ Kane |
geographic_facet |
Sob’ Kane |
genre |
Carbonic acid |
genre_facet |
Carbonic acid |
op_relation |
UT Electronic Theses and Dissertations https://hdl.handle.net/2152/115489 http://dx.doi.org/10.26153/tsw/42388 |
op_rights |
Copyright © is held by the author. Presentation of this material on the Libraries' web site by University Libraries, The University of Texas at Austin was made possible under a limited license grant from the author who has retained all copyrights in the works. Restricted |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.26153/tsw/42388 |
_version_ |
1766388070265913344 |