Chemical Modifications and Diatom Community Development on Volcanic Clayey Sediments During an Indoor Maturation Experiment

Abstract

Maturation experiments of volcanic mud samples with mineral water were followed up during 120 days at constant room temperature (20ºC) to track geochemical modifications induced by the process and, eventually, the development of diatom communities. Different abiotic conditions were tested during the experiments. Mud samples were collected in Azores and Madeira Archipelagos (Portugal) and the biological inoculum was collected from the edge of a fumarole from Azores (Portugal). The assemblages of diatoms were dominated by Nitzschia species both in the inoculum and on maturated muds. Although one of the samples from São Miguel island (Azores) was dominated by Nitzschia cf. thermalis var. minor, the mud sample from Porto Santo (Madeira) allowed the development mainly of Nitzschia communis during maturation experiments. Associations between chemical composition and samples’ mineralogical signature were established by cluster analysis. Slight enrichment on Na+ and Ca2+ was detected in samples after maturation and exchangeable cations content was improved by the process. This research includes a multidisciplinary approach that contributes to the understanding of interactions between volcanic substrates and specific diatom species and geochemical modifications induced by maturation in volcanic materials.