Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 16, 2026

Simulation of Early Earth Hydrothermal Chimneys in a Thermal Gradient Environment
Published on: February 27, 2021
Microbial lithification in marine stromatolites and hypersaline mats
Christophe Dupraz1, Pieter T Visscher
1Institut de Géologie, Université de Neuchâtel, Rue Emile-Argand 11, CP 2, CH-2007 Neuchâtel, Switzerland.
Abstract:
Lithification in microbial ecosystems occurs when precipitation of minerals outweighs dissolution. Although the formation of various minerals can result from microbial metabolism, carbonate precipitation is possibly the most important process that impacts global carbon cycling. Recent investigations have produced models for stromatolite formation in open marine environments and lithification in shallow hypersaline lakes, which could be highly relevant for interpreting the rock record and searching for extraterrestrial life. Two factors that are controlled by microbial processes and physicochemical characteristics determine precipitation: exopolymeric substances and the saturation index, the latter being determined by the pH, {Ca(2+)} and {CO(3)(2-)}. Here, we evaluate community metabolism in microbial mats and hypothesize why these organosedimentary biofilms sometimes lithify and sometimes do not.
More Related Videos
09:45Laboratory Simulation of an Iron(II)-rich Precambrian Marine Upwelling System to Explore the Growth of Photosynthetic Bacteria
Published on: July 24, 2016
13:11Using Flexible Gold-Titanium Reaction Cells to Simulate Pressure-Dependent Microbial Activity in the Context of Subsurface Biomining
Published on: October 5, 2019
Related Concept Videos
Microbial Mats
Deep Sea Microbial Ecology
Marine Microbial Ecology
Microbes and Other Elemental Cycles
Microbes and Methanogenesis
Microbes and the Sulfur Cycle