Nannobacteria and Clay Minerals
The same nm-scale objects found in hot-springs carbonates are found in clays, which are more complex, silicate minerals. If these textures are, in fact, nannobacteria, then these little creatures may be involved in reactions as diverse as earth-surface alteration (weathering) of rocks to subsurface diagenesis of sandstones.
The first four samples are examples of nannobacterial-textures developed on clays in the weathering environment. The next five pictures are from clays from subsurface Frio Formation sandstones. These are the texures that damned Leo to nannobacterial hell. The following four samples are hairy illites from the subsurface North Sea.
Volcanic Soil
|
Biotite Colony |
Volcanic Soil |
Weathering |
Chlorite |
I/S |
I/S |
I/S |
I/S |
Hairy Illite |
|
Hairy Illite |
Hairy Illite |
Hairy Illite |
|
