Hydrogen from Rocks Can Furnish Microbial Ecosystems with Energy

The grinding of glacial ice along silicate rocks releases enough hydrogen gas to support the energy needs of some microbial ecosystems, all at 0°C, including those containing Thiobacillus, Rhodoferax, Geobacter, and a diversity of methanogens, according to Jon Telling at the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom (UK) and his collaborators there and in the United States. The research has important implications for subglacial environments that acted as refuges, enabling microorganisms to survive during the Neoproterozoic glaciations, also called Snowball Earth. Details appeared 8 November 2015 in Nature Geoscience (doi.org/10.1038/ngeo2533).