Hot Spring Sinter Research Articles

Metabolic versatility of Caldarchaeales from geothermal features of Hawai'i and Chile as revealed by five metagenome-assembled genomes.

Members of the archaeal order Caldarchaeales (previously the phylum Aigarchaeota) are poorly sampled and are represented in public databases by relatively few genomes. Additional representative genomes will help resolve their placement among all known members of Archaea and provide insights into their roles in the environment. In this study, we analyzed 16S rRNA gene amplicons belonging to the Caldarchaeales that are available in public databases, which demonstrated that archaea of the order Caldarchaeales are diverse, widespread, and most abundant in geothermal habitats. We also constructed five metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) of Caldarchaeales from two geothermal features to investigate their metabolic potential and phylogenomic position in the domain Archaea. Two of the MAGs were assembled from microbial community DNA extracted from fumarolic lava rocks from Mauna Ulu, Hawai'i, and three were assembled from DNA obtained from hot spring sinters from the El Tatio geothermal field in Chile. MAGs from Hawai'i are high quality bins with completeness >95% and contamination <1%, and one likely belongs to a novel species in a new genus recently discovered at a submarine volcano off New Zealand. MAGs from Chile have lower completeness levels ranging from 27 to 70%. Gene content of the MAGs revealed that these members of Caldarchaeales are likely metabolically versatile and exhibit the potential for both chemoorganotrophic and chemolithotrophic lifestyles. The wide array of metabolic capabilities exhibited by these members of Caldarchaeales might help them thrive under diverse harsh environmental conditions. All the MAGs except one from Chile harbor putative prophage regions encoding several auxiliary metabolic genes (AMGs) that may confer a fitness advantage on their Caldarchaeales hosts by increasing their metabolic potential and make them better adapted to new environmental conditions. Phylogenomic analysis of the five MAGs and over 3,000 representative archaeal genomes showed the order Caldarchaeales forms a monophyletic group that is sister to the clade comprising the orders Geothermarchaeales (previously Candidatus Geothermarchaeota), Conexivisphaerales and Nitrososphaerales (formerly known as Thaumarchaeota), supporting the status of Caldarchaeales members as a clade distinct from the Thaumarchaeota.

Biogeochemistry of Recently Fossilized Siliceous Hot Spring Sinters from Yellowstone, USA.

Active hot springs are dynamic geobiologically active environments. Heat- and element-enriched fluids form hot spring sinter deposits that are inhabited by microbial and macroscopic eukaryotic communities, but it is unclear how variable heat, fluid circulation, and mineralization within hot spring systems affect the preservation of organic matter in sinters. We present geological, petrographic, and organic geochemical data from fossilized hot spring sinters (<13 Ka) from three distinct hot spring fields of Yellowstone National Park. The aims of this study were to examine the preservation of hydrocarbons and discern whether the hydrocarbons in these samples were derived from in situ communities or transported by hydrothermal fluids. Organic geochemistry reveals the presence of n-alkanes, methylalkanes, hopanes, and other terpanes, and the distribution of methylheptadecanes is compared to published observations of community composition in extant hot springs with similar geochemistry. Unexpectedly, hopanes have a thermally mature signal, and Raman spectroscopy confirms that the kerogen in some samples has nearly reached the oil window, despite never having been buried. Our results suggest that organic matter maturation occurred through below-surface processes in the hotter, deeper parts of the hydrothermal system and that this exogenous material was then transported and emplaced within the sinter.

Mineralogical and Genomic Constraints on the Origin of Microbial Mn Oxide Formation in Complexed Microbial Community at the Terrestrial Hot Spring.

Manganese (Mn) oxides are widespread on the surface environments of the modern Earth. The role of microbial activities in the formation of Mn oxides has been discussed for several decades. However, the mechanisms of microbial Mn oxidation, and its role in complex microbial communities in natural environments, remain uncertain. Here, we report the geochemical, mineralogical, and metagenomic evidence for biogenic Mn oxides, found in Japanese hot spring sinters. The low crystallinity of Mn oxides, and their spatial associations with organic matter, support the biogenic origin of Mn oxides. Specific multicopper oxidases (MCOs), which are considered Mn-oxidizing enzymes, were identified using metagenomic analyses. Nanoscale nuggets of copper sulfides were, also, discovered in the organic matter in Mn-rich sinters. A part of these copper sulfides most likely represents traces of MCOs, and this is the first report of traces of Mn-oxidizing enzyme in geological samples. Metagenomic analyses, surprisingly, indicated a close association of Mn oxides, not only in aerobic but also in anaerobic microbial communities. These new findings offer the unique and unified positions of Mn oxides, with roles that have not been ignored, to sustain anaerobic microbial communities in hot spring environments.

A Reconstructed Subaerial Hot Spring Field in the ∼3.5 Billion-Year-Old Dresser Formation, North Pole Dome, Pilbara Craton, Western Australia.

Recent discoveries of geyserite and siliceous sinter with textural biosignatures in the ∼3.5 Ga Dresser Formation of the Pilbara Craton, Western Australia, extended the record of inhabited subaerial hot springs on Earth by ∼3 billion years, back to the time when siliceous sinter deposits are known to have formed on Mars (e.g., at Columbia Hills, Gusev Crater). Here, we present more detailed lithostratigraphic, petrographic and geochemical data collected from 100 measured sections across a ∼14 km strike length in the Dresser Formation. The data indicate deposition of a wide range of hot spring and associated deposits in a restricted interval that directly overlies a hydrothermally influenced volcanic caldera lake facies, with shoreline stromatolites. Hot spring deposits show abrupt lateral facies changes and include associated channelized clastic deposits that support fluvial, subaerial hot spring deposition. All Dresser hot spring and associated lithofacies have direct analogs with proximal, middle, and distal apron hot spring facies that are characteristic of those from New Zealand, Yellowstone National Park, USA, and Argentina. Rare earth element and yttrium geochemistry shows that the Dresser geyserite shares identical patterns with Phanerozoic hot spring sinters. This geochemical data further supports textural and contextual evidence that indicate the Dresser geyserite formed as a subaerial hot spring sinter. Further, the Dresser hot spring deposits are temporally associated with a diverse suite of textural biosignatures that indicate a thriving microbial community existed within in a Paleoarchean hot spring field. The results presented here underscore the importance of continued study of the early geological record for astrobiological research. In particular these findings reinforce the long-standing hypothesis that hydrothermal systems are optimal places to search for past life on Mars.

Stromatolitic digitate sinters form under wide-ranging physicochemical conditions with diversehot spring microbial communities.

Digitate siliceous hot spring deposits are a form of biomediated sinter that is relatively common in the Taupo Volcanic Zone (TVZ), New Zealand, and elsewhere on Earth. Such deposits have gained prominence recently because of their morphological similarity to opaline silica rocks of likely hot spring origin found by the Spirit rover on Mars and the consequent implications for potential biosignatures there. Here, we investigate the possible relationship between microbial community composition and morphological diversity among digitate structures from actively forming siliceous hot spring sinters depositing subaerially in shallow discharge channels and around pool rims at several physicochemically distinct geothermal fields in the TVZ. The TVZ digitate sinters range in morphologic subtype from knobby to spicular, and are shown to be microstromatolites that grow under varied pH ranges, temperatures, and water chemistries. Scanning electron microscopy and molecular analyses revealed that TVZ digitate sinters are intimately associated with a diverse array of bacterial, archaeal and eukaryotic micro-organisms, and for most digitate structures the diversity and quantity of prokaryotes was higher than that of eukaryotes. However, microbial community composition was not correlated with morphologic subtypes of digitate sinter, and observations provided limited evidence that pH (acidic versus alkali) affects morphology. Instead, results suggest hydrodynamics may be an important factor influencing variations in morphology, while water chemistry, pH, and temperature are strong drivers of microbial composition and diversity.

Biomolecules from Fossilized Hot Spring Sinters: Implications for the Search for Life on Mars.

Hot spring environments are commonly dominated by silica sinters that precipitate by the rapid cooling of silica-saturated fluids and the activity of microbial communities. However, the potential for preservation of organic traces of life in silica sinters back through time is not well understood. This is important for the exploration of early life on Earth and possibly Mars. Most previous studies have focused on physical preservation in samples <900 years old, with only a few focused on organic biomarkers. In this study, we investigate the organic geochemistry of hot spring samples from El Tatio, Chile and the Taupo Volcanic Zone, with ages varying from modern to ∼9.4 ka. Results show that all samples contain opaline silica and contain hydrocarbons that are indicative of a cyanobacterial origin. A ∼3 ka recrystallized, quartz-bearing sample also contains traces of cyanobacterial biomarkers. No aromatic compounds were detected in a ∼9.4 ka opal-A sample or in a modern sinter breccia sample. All other samples contain naphthalene, with one sample also containing other polyaromatic hydrocarbons. These aromatic hydrocarbons have a thermally mature distribution that is perhaps reflective of geothermal fluids migrating from deep, rather than surface, reservoirs. These data show that hot spring sinters can preserve biomolecules from the local microbial community, and that crystallinity rather than age may be the determining factor in their preservation. This research provides support for the exploration for biomolecules in opaline silica deposits on Mars.

Snapshot of hot-spring sinter at Geyser Valley, Wairakei, New Zealand, following anthropogenic drawdown of the geothermal reservoir

From the 1950s, extraction of thermal fluids to generate electricity at Wairakei, Taupo Volcanic Zone, New Zealand, heralded a rapid transformation of surface manifestations at nearby Geyser Valley, 1km NW of the power station. Active geysers and hot-springs fed by alkali-chloride waters ceased by 1968, replaced by acidic steam-dominated conditions. Field relationships indicate geothermal features are fault-controlled. Siliceous hot-spring (sinter) deposits represent spring-vent to distal marsh settings. The dominant mineralogy is opal-A, with some minor clay alteration. Some textures show silica dissolution and re-precipitation. Thus, only minor alteration and diagenesis has occurred, with vegetation overgrowing the extinct sinter.

Unique Form Hot Spring Sinter Composed of Gypsum with Special Reference to the Relation Between Microorganisms and Mineralization

温泉の無機質成分が沈着して形成される温泉華は、母液の性状を反映して組成が決まり、環境条件を反映して形態が決定する。今回、芒硝泉に生じた特異な枝珊瑚状形態を呈する温泉華を見たので、偏光顕微鏡、X線回折法により組成を検索した。その結果、微粒な不定形で不規則な方向をもつ石膏結晶を主体とすることが判明した。この特異な形態はフラクタル成長で説明できると考える。しかし、地下深部でなく地表面において形成される堆積物・沈積物には生物・微生物・バクテリアの関与が知られており、それらの関係は今後注目に値すると考えられるため、短いレビューを加えた。

The experimental silicification of Aquificales and their role in hot spring sinter formation

ABSTRACTArchean microfossils provide some of the earliest physical evidence for life on Earth, yet there remains a great deal of uncertainty regarding which micro‐organisms were actually preserved. Because of the limited cellular detail remaining, interpretation of those microfossils has been based solely on size and morphology. This has led to significant controversy surrounding the presence or absence of cyanobacteria as early as 3.5 billion years. Accordingly, there has been an experimental bias towards studying their silicification. Here we report the very first findings on thermophilic bacteria–silica interactions, and investigate how Sulfurihydrogenibium azorense, a representative of the Aquificales often found as prominent members of modern hot spring vent communities, interacts with highly siliceous hydrothermal fluids. We show that adsorption of silica is limited to silica polymers and colloids, and that the magnitude of silica adsorption is dependent on its chemolithoautotrophic pathway. Intriguingly, when S. azorense is grown as a H2‐oxidizer, it responds to increasing silica concentrations by producing a protein‐rich biofilm that may afford the cells protection against cell wall silicification. Although the biofilms of Aquificales could potentially contribute to or accelerate siliceous sinter formation under certain growth conditions, the cells themselves show a low preservation potential and are unlikely to have been preserved in the ancient rock record, despite phylogenetic analyses suggesting that they represent one of the most primordial life forms.

Hot spring sinters: keys to understanding Earth's earliest life forms

The question of what composed the Earth's oldest fossils is the subject of current debate. At present, taphonomical determination of Archean silicified microfossils is largely based on morphological comparisons with extant microorganisms. This method has significant shortcomings because little is known about which types of bacteria silicify, what physical changes are induced on those species during mineralization, and, most importantly, what their preservation potential is. Terrestrial hot springs may help resolve these uncertainties because the silica-supersaturated geothermal fluids mineralize a wide variety of natural microbial communities and thus lead to the formation of numerous distinct biofacies. Some of these biofacies are reminiscent of Archean siliceous stromatolites from which the oldest microfossils were recovered. We suggest that by integrating molecular techniques that characterize the indigenous microbial populations growing in different biofacies with electron microscopy, we may be able to assess better what types of ancient microbes could have become fossilized.

Experimental studies on New Zealand hot spring sinters: rates of growth and textural development

To study the rate of growth of sinters in New Zealand hot springs, field experiments were conducted in seven geothermal areas. At Wairakei, fan-shaped subaqueous deposits of amorphous silica grow rapidly (350 kg a–1 m–2 of drain wall) and are composed of silicified filaments with subordinate bacillus and spirillium-shaped organisms. Characterization of bacteria revealed isolates sharing &gt; 97% 16S rRNA gene sequence homologies affiliated with Thermus, Meiothermus,Bacillus, Tepidomonas, Thermomonas, Porphyrobacter, Thermonema, and, Hydrogenophilus spp., as well as previously uncultured bacteria. At Rotokawa, microstromatolites have a slow growth rate (0.004 mm day–1) that is attributed to low pH, capillary rise, and evaporation. At Champagne Pool, sinter growth (0.023 mm day–1) is dominated by wave action building alternating microbe-rich and microbe-poor layers. Silica sinter was not observed at Waikite, where slides developed a layer of calcite (0.026 mm day–1). Sinter growth at Ngatamariki (0.016 mm day–1) forms by capillary rise, evaporation, and diffusion and at Tokaanu, subaqueous growth is slow (0.002 mm day–1) and contains silicified microbes. Textures at Orakei Korako indicate similar mechanisms to Ngatamariki, except that growth is more rapid (0.023 mm day–1) due to a splash contribution. Silica and calcite saturation indices adequately explain the growth of the sinters and calcite, indicating that microbes are not inducing precipitation where it should not occur. The rate of precipitation is correlated with silica supersaturation, but pH effects can alter this relationship. The degree of preservation of microbial material is explained by the effect of Ostwald ripening on silica spherules. Subaqueous growth allows coarsening of spherules and poor preservation of smaller microbes while subaerial nucleation is rapid, Ostwald ripening is inactive, and better preservation can be expected.

Microbial biofacies in hot-spring sinters; a model based on Ohaaki Pool, North Island, New Zealand

ABSTRACT Ohaaki Pool was the main hot spring in the Broadlands-Ohaaki geothermal area before recent anthropogenic modification. The alkaline Na-HCO3-Cl water, which discharged at 95°C with a flow rate of 10 l·s-1, flowed down a broad discharge apron into the Waikato River. The discharge apron was inhabited by thriving microbial communities that included Calothrix, Phormidium, and numerous Synechococcus. These microbes mediated the construction of columnar stromatolites around the edge of Ohaaki Pool, oncoids in the discharge channel, and intercalated stratiform stromatolites, Conophyton, and coccoid microbial mats on the distal part of the discharge apron. All the microbes were variably replaced and encrusted by amorphous silica while alive or shortly after death. Consequently, fabrics in the siliceous sinters around Ohaaki Pool are controlled by the growth patterns and composition of the microbial community. For example, the Calothrix-dominated community gave rise to stratiform stromatolites that are characterized by alternating erect and prostrate laminae. Conversely, the Synechococcus-dominated communities formed mats that produced dense, white siliceous laminae. The Phormidium-Synechococcus community constructed the Conophyton. Platy, skeletal, and blocky calcite crystals are found in, around, and between the siliceous stromatolites that formed around Ohaaki Pool, the proximal part of the discharge apron, and in the oncoids. Although minor calcite is found locally in the stratiform stromatolites on the discharge apron, there is no evidence that microbes played any role in calcite precipitation.

Epithermal gold mineralization in a fossil hot spring system, Red Butte, Oregon

The Red Butte gold prospect is a well-preserved, sediment-hosted, fossil hot spring system located within the Lake Owyhee volcanic field of eastern Oregon, 10 km west of the Owyhee Reservoir. Its features include siliceous hot spring sinter, a blanket of intense argillic alteration produced by surficial steam-heated waters, and a 50-m-wide hydrothermal eruption crater filled with bedded breccia deposits. Mineralization is hosted by north- and northwest-striking faults in volcaniclastic sediments of the Miocene Deer Butte Formation. Red Butte is capped by 10 m of syngenetic fluvial sedimentary rocks consisting of a basal silicified mudstone overlain by arkosic sandstones and conglomerates interbedded with siliceous hot spring sinter. The sediments at this paleosurface horizon have been cemented by hydrothermal quartz and adularia and form the resistant cap of the butte. A blanketlike zone of pervasive argillic alteration occurs at the base of the fluvial sediments. Numerous hydrothermal veins and breccias located within the lacustrine sedimentary rocks beneath the argillic blanket contain a telescoped mineral assemblage related spatially to the paleosurface. Quartz and adularia are the most abundant hydrothermal minerals in this zone along with minor pyrite, marcasite, electrum, bladed calcite, stellerite (Ca 4 (Al 8 Si 28 O 72 )28H 2 O), illite-smectite, and smectite clays. The veins and argillic blanket are cut by a 50-m-wide hydrothermal eruption crater filled with bedded breccia deposits. The delta 18 O SMOW values for hydrothermal quartz and adularia range from 5.3 to 8.3 and 0.1 to 2.4 per mil, respectively. The delta 18 O SMOW and delta 13 C PDB values for calcite range from -3.6 to 8.9 and -8.9 to -5.2 per mil, respectively. These values are consistent with those of minerals from meteoric hydrothermal systems. A plot of delta 18 O versus delta 13 C values for calcite shows that HCO (super -) 3 was the dominant aqueous carbon species. INAA analyses of altered sedimentary rocks and hydrothermal vein and breccia samples reveal the presence of anomalous concentrations of Au, Ag, As, Sb, Hg, and Mo. Q-mode factor analysis indicates that much of the variation in the geochemical data set can be explained in terms of five end-member components (factors) which reflect the composition and evolution of the hydrothermal fluid and the initial composition of the host rock. Elemental associations for these factors are (1) Au, K 2 O, Ag, FeO, Hg; (2) CaO, Mo, Hg, As; (3) FeO, Na 2 O, Hg, Sb; (4) K 2 O, Zn, Na 2 O, As; and (5) As, Mo, Sb, Ag. The abundance of adularia and stability of stellerite at Red Butte suggests that fluids reaching the surface had experienced a high degree of vapor separation due to boiling. Au mineralization occurred at the peak of hydrothermal activity in response both to boiling and mixing of the boiling hydrothermal fluid with surficial steam-heated waters.

Use of Thematic Mapper Imagery to Identify Mineralization in the Santa Teresa District, Sonora, Mexico

Integrated multispectral, geologic, mineralogic, and geochemical studies of the Santa Teresa district, Sonora, Mexico, were used to map the lithology and identify zones of alteration characteristic of known gold deposits within the area. Forty sedimenthosted, bulk-mineable, leachable, fine-grained, disseminated gold prospects have been identified. These deposits vary in size and grade from 1.5 million tons of ore averaging up to 2.8 grams Au/ton to less than 2,000 tons of ore averaging less than 1.0 gm Au/ton. A variety of deposit types exist in the district, having the characteristics of hot-spring sinter, skarns, epithermal high-level veins, bonanza silver veins, granite and porphyry-related mineralization, and sedimenthosted disseminated deposits. The latter is presently the most important economically and is characterized by decalcification, silicification, argillic alteration, and anomalous Au, Ag, As, Hg, and Te. Digital image processing techniques were used with Landsat 5 Thematic Mapper data to en...

Paleozoic hot spring sinter in the Drummond Basin, Queensland, Australia

Paleozoic hot spring sinter in the Drummond Basin, Queensland, Australia

Epithermal sinters of Paleozoic age in north Queensland, Australia

Research Article| August 01, 1989 Epithermal sinters of Paleozoic age in north Queensland, Australia N. C. White; N. C. White 1BHP-UTAH Minerals International, P.O. Box 619, Hawthorn, Victoria 3124, Australia Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar D. G. Wood; D. G. Wood 2P.O. Box 425, Spring Hill, Queensland 4000, Australia Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar M. C. Lee M. C. Lee 3BHP Gold Mines Limited, P.O. Box 101, Dunedin, New Zealand Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information N. C. White 1BHP-UTAH Minerals International, P.O. Box 619, Hawthorn, Victoria 3124, Australia D. G. Wood 2P.O. Box 425, Spring Hill, Queensland 4000, Australia M. C. Lee 3BHP Gold Mines Limited, P.O. Box 101, Dunedin, New Zealand Publisher: Geological Society of America First Online: 02 Jun 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 Geological Society of America Geology (1989) 17 (8): 718–722. https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1989)017<0718:ESOPAI>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 N. C. White, D. G. Wood, M. C. Lee; Epithermal sinters of Paleozoic age in north Queensland, Australia. Geology 1989;; 17 (8): 718–722. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1989)017<0718:ESOPAI>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 Silica sinters deposited from hot springs have been found associated with volcanic rocks of Late Devonian to late Carboniferous age in north Queensland, Australia. These deposits have many features in common with modern hot-spring sinters, such as those of the Taupo Volcanic Zone in New Zealand. They occur associated with subaerial volcanic rocks and are locally found with air-fall tuffs and fluvial and lake deposits in which hydrothermal eruption breccias are common. The associated rocks are extensively hydrothermally altered and are cut by silica veins showing characteristic epithermal vein textures; the silica veins contain low-salinity fluid inclusions trapped at epithermal temperatures, and there is evidence of boiling.Textures preserved in the sinters are identical to those found in modern sinters; they include columnar structures similar to bacterial stromatolites described from Yellowstone National Park, as well as striated surfaces apparently resulting from silica deposition on filamentous algae. Plant fossils, including Oxroadia gracilis, are abundant. Criteria applied to identify these ancient sinters may be applied to other possible sinter deposits and may provide evidence indicating the level of exposure of the former geothermal system, which may be an important guide in exploration for epithermal precious-metal deposits. 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.

Seismic Geyser and Its Bearing on the Origin and Evolution of Geysers and Hot Springs of Yellowstone National Park

The major Hebgen Lake earthquake on August 17, 1959, profoundly affected the hot springs and geysers of Yellowstone National Park. The epicenter of this earthquake was about 48 km northwest of Upper Geyser Basin, and its magnitude was 7.1 on the Richter scale. No earthquake of closely comparable intensity had previously jarred the geyser basins in historic time. By the day after the earthquake, at least 289 springs in the geyser basins of the Firehole River had erupted as geysers; of these, 160 were springs with no previous record of eruption. New hot ground soon developed in some places or became apparent by the following spring as new fractures in hot spring sinter or as linear zones of dead or dying trees. Some new fractures developed locally into fumaroles, and a few of these evolved into hot springs or geysers. One fracture was inspected frequently as it evolved into a fumarole and, in about 2½ yr, into a small geyser. During the next few years, it became a very vigorous geyser, now named “Seismic,” that erupted to heights of 12 to 15 m and explosively excavated a jagged-walled vent more than 12 m in maximum diameter and more than 6 m deep. Major eruptions ceased in 1971 when a small satellite crater formed and then assumed dominance. The formation and evolution of Seismic Geyser provide the keys for understanding the origin of the craters and vents of other geysers and probably also the large smooth-walled nongeysering pools and springs of the morning glory type that provide no direct evidence of their origin. Earthquakes, largely localized just outside the Yellowstone caldera, result in violent shaking of the large high-temperature convection systems of the geyser basins. New fractures form in the self-sealed shallow parts of these systems where high-temperature water is confined at pressures much above hydrostatic. As old fractures and permeable channels become sealed by precipitation of hydrothermal minerals, new channels are provided by the periodic seismic activity. Our explanations for the origin of geyser and hot spring vents apply specifically to the geyser basins of Yellowstone Park, where near-surface fluid pressure gradients are commonly 10 to 50 percent above the hydrostatic gradient, and temperature gradients and thermal energy available for explosive eruption are correspondingly high. The same general explanations seem likely to account for the origin of geyser tubes and hot spring vents in other less favored areas where pressures and maximum temperatures are limited by hydrostatic pressures, probably with little or no overpressure being involved.

The Diatom Marshes and Diatom Beds of the Yellowstone National Park

Previous articleNext article FreeThe Diatom Marshes and Diatom Beds of the Yellowstone National ParkWalter H. WeedWalter H. Weed Search for more articles by this author PDFPDF PLUS Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by Volume 14, Number 5May, 1889 Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/326403 Views: 6 Citations: 12Citations are reported from Crossref Journal History This article was published in the Botanical Gazette (1876-1991), which is continued by International Journal of Plant Sciences (1992-present). PDF download Crossref reports the following articles citing this article:Brian Jones Siliceous sinters in thermal spring systems: review of their mineralogy, diagenesis, and fabrics, Sedimentary Geology (Dec 2020): 105820.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sedgeo.2020.105820Kathleen A. Campbell, Kirsty Nicholson, Bridget Y. Lynne, Patrick R.L. Browne 3D Anatomy of a 60-year-old siliceous hot spring deposit at Hipaua-Waihi-Tokaanu geothermal field, Taupo Volcanic Zone, New Zealand, Sedimentary Geology 402 (Jun 2020): 105652.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sedgeo.2020.105652Arthur Omran, Matthew Pasek A Constructive Way to Think about Different Hydrothermal Environments for the Origins of Life, Life 10, no.44 (Apr 2020): 36.https://doi.org/10.3390/life10040036Ayrton R. Hamilton, Kathleen A. Campbell, Julie V. Rowland, Shaun Barker, Diego Guido Characteristics and variations of sinters in the Coromandel Volcanic Zone: application to epithermal exploration, New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics 62, no.44 (Oct 2018): 531–549.https://doi.org/10.1080/00288306.2018.1519514Nick Watts-Henwood, Kathleen A. Campbell, Bridget Y. Lynne, Diego M. Guido, Julie V. Rowland, Patrick R.L. Browne Snapshot of hot-spring sinter at Geyser Valley, Wairakei, New Zealand, following anthropogenic drawdown of the geothermal reservoir, Geothermics 68 (Jul 2017): 94–114.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geothermics.2017.03.002Diego M. Guido, Kathleen A. Campbell A large and complete Jurassic geothermal field at Claudia, Deseado Massif, Santa Cruz, Argentina, Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research 275 (Apr 2014): 61–70.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2014.02.013Matthew L. Gibson, Nancy W. Hinman Mixing of hydrothermal water and groundwater near hot springs, Yellowstone National Park (USA): hydrology and geochemistry, Hydrogeology Journal 21, no.44 (Mar 2013): 919–933.https://doi.org/10.1007/s10040-013-0965-4R. Bernhart Owen, Robin W. Renaut, Brian Jones Geothermal diatoms: a comparative study of floras in hot spring systems of Iceland, New Zealand, and Kenya, Hydrobiologia 610, no.11 (May 2008): 175–192.https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-008-9432-yNigel H Trewin, Stephen R Fayers, Ruth Kelman Subaqueous silicification of the contents of small ponds in an Early Devonian hot-spring complex, Rhynie, Scotland, Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences 40, no.1111 (Nov 2003): 1697–1712.https://doi.org/10.1139/e03-065M.R. Walter, S. Mcloughlin, A.N. Drinnan, J.D. Farmer Palaeontology of Devonian thermal spring deposits, Drummond Basin, Australia, Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology 22, no.44 (Jan 1998): 285–314.https://doi.org/10.1080/03115519808619328S.M. Awramik, H.J. Hofmann, M.E. Raaben Bibliography, (Jan 1976): 705–771.https://doi.org/10.1016/S0070-4571(08)71171-3Joseph J. Copeland YELLOWSTONE THERMAL MYXOPHYCEAE, Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 36, no.11 (Mar 1936): 4–223.https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1749-6632.1936.tb56976.x