Metal sorption and mineral precipitation by bacteria in two Amazonian river systems: Rio Solimões and Rio Negro, Brazil

Abstract

Research Article| December 01, 1993 Metal sorption and mineral precipitation by bacteria in two Amazonian river systems: Rio Solimões and Rio Negro, Brazil K. O. Konhauser; K. O. Konhauser 1Department of Geology, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario N6A 5B7, Canada Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar W. S. Fyfe; W. S. Fyfe 1Department of Geology, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario N6A 5B7, Canada Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar F. G. Ferris; F. G. Ferris 2Department of Geology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3B1, Canada Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar T. J. Beveridge T. J. Beveridge 3Department of Microbiology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario N1G 2W1, Canada Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Geology (1993) 21 (12): 1103–1106. https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1993)021<1103:MSAMPB>2.3.CO;2 Article history first online: 02 Jun 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation K. O. Konhauser, W. S. Fyfe, F. G. Ferris, T. J. Beveridge; Metal sorption and mineral precipitation by bacteria in two Amazonian river systems: Rio Solimões and Rio Negro, Brazil. Geology 1993;; 21 (12): 1103–1106. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1993)021<1103:MSAMPB>2.3.CO;2 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract The surfaces of epiphytic and episammic bacteria from the solute-rich waters of the Rio Solimões, Brazil, interacted with available cations in solution and provided major sites for iron deposition. Once bound to the bacteria, the iron served as nucleation sites for the formation and growth of fine-grained authigenic mineral phases. Because of progressive mineralization, the precipitates exhibited a wide range of morphologies, from amorphous "gel-like" to crystalline structures. Complete encrustation of some bacterial cells was observed. The most abundant mineral phase associated with the bacteria was a complex (Fe,Al) silicate with a variable composition. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy suggested that the gel-like structures were similar in composition to a chamositic clay, whereas the crystalline phases were increasingly kaolinitic. Bacteria collected from the solute-deficient waters of the Rio Negro remained conspicuously unmineralized, suggesting that metal sorption and biomineralization largely reflect the availability of dissolved metals in the water column. In a solute-rich river system, the fate of the metal-loaded bacteria has profound implications for the transfer of metals from the hydrosphere to the sediment. Through diagenesis, the bound metals may either be recycled to the overlying water column or become immobilized as stable mineral phases. If the latter occurs, microorganisms will have played an important role in metal deposition, low-temperature clay formation, and, invariably, mudstone diagenesis. This implies that in the geologic record, microorganisms may have been instrumental in the genesis of many sedimentary rocks of fluvial origin. This content is PDF only. Please click on the PDF icon to access. First Page Preview Close Modal You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.