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Updated: Apr 8, 2026

Manganese Oxide Nanoparticle Synthesis by Thermal Decomposition of ManganeseII Acetylacetonate
Published on: June 18, 2020
Biogenic Mn-Oxides in Subseafloor Basalts
Magnus Ivarsson1, Curt Broman2, Håkan Gustafsson3
1Department of Palaeobiology and the Nordic Center for Earth Evolution (NordCEE), Swedish Museum of Natural History, Stockholm, Sweden.
Abstract:
The deep biosphere of the subseafloor basalts is recognized as a major scientific frontier in disciplines like biology, geology, and oceanography. Recently, the presence of fungi in these environments has involved a change of view regarding diversity and ecology. Here, we describe fossilized fungal communities in vugs in subseafloor basalts from a depth of 936.65 metres below seafloor at the Detroit Seamount, Pacific Ocean. These fungal communities are closely associated with botryoidal Mn oxides composed of todorokite. Analyses of the Mn oxides by Electron Paramagnetic Resonance spectroscopy (EPR) indicate a biogenic signature. We suggest, based on mineralogical, morphological and EPR data, a biological origin of the botryoidal Mn oxides. Our results show that fungi are involved in Mn cycling at great depths in the seafloor and we introduce EPR as a means to easily identify biogenic Mn oxides in these environments.
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