Fossil sulphate-reducing bacteria in the Bleiberg lead-zinc deposit, Austria

Springer Science and Business Media LLC - Tập 40 - Trang 123-126 - 2005
Henryk Kucha1, Erich Schroll2, Eugen F. Stumpfl3
1University of Mining and Metallurgy, Krakow, Poland
2Institute of Mineralogy and Crystallography, University of Vienna, Wien, Austria
3Institute of Geological Sciences, Mining University Leoben, Leoben, Austria

Tóm tắt

Polished ore samples from the world-class Bleiberg lead-zinc deposit in Austria were studied by Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM) at magnifications in the range of 105–106. The zinc ore shows nano-sized sphalerite filaments and spherules which are morphologically similar to recent biofilms of sulphate-reducing bacteria. The activity of sulphate-reducing bacteria is suggested by a large δ34S ‰ difference of ~40‰ between coeval seawater sulphate (+16 ‰) and sulphide sulphur (< −25 ‰) in the Bleiberg ores, and by variable sulphur valences. Peloids of sphalerite, Zn-bearing calcite and pyrite have features typical of bacterial colonies. Combined with geological and mineralogical evidence, a significant role of bacteria during ore deposition at Bleiberg is likely.

Tài liệu tham khảo

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