Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 7, 2026

The Benthic Exchange of O2, N2 and Dissolved Nutrients Using Small Core Incubations
Published on: August 3, 2016
Oxygen consumption rates in subseafloor basaltic crust derived from a reaction transport model
Beth N Orcutt1, C Geoffrey Wheat, Olivier Rouxel
11] Center for Geomicrobiology, Aarhus University, Aarhus 8000, Denmark [2] Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, East Boothbay, Maine 04544, USA.
Abstract:
Oceanic crust is the largest potential habitat for life on Earth and may contain a significant fraction of Earth's total microbial biomass; yet, empirical analysis of reaction rates in basaltic crust is lacking. Here we report the first assessment of oxygen consumption in young (~8 Ma) and cool (<25 °C) basaltic crust, which we calculate from modelling dissolved oxygen and strontium pore water gradients in basal sediments collected during Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Expedition 336 to 'North Pond' on the western flank of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Dissolved oxygen is completely consumed within the upper to middle section of the sediment column, with an increase in concentration towards the sediment-basement interface, indicating an upward supply from oxic fluids circulating within the crust. A parametric reaction transport model of oxygen behaviour in upper basement suggests oxygen consumption rates of 1 nmol cm(-3)ROCK d(-1) or less in young and cool basaltic crust.
Related Concept Videos
Oxygen Requirements and Growth Patterns
Metabolism of Chemolithotrophs
Oxygen Transport in the Blood
Measuring Reaction Rates
Noncompartmental Analysis: Mean Transit, Absorption and Dissolution Time
One of the key parameters is the mean transit time (MTT), which refers to the total duration required for drug molecules to transit through the body. MTT is determined by calculating the ratio of the area under the moment curve to the area...
The Integrated Rate Law: The Dependence of Concentration on Time
