Marine Mud Research Articles

Microbial Transformation of Molecular Hydrogen in Marine Sediments, with Particular Reference to Petroleum

Molecular hydrogen is produced by a large number of bacterial species, many of which occur in marine sediments. Such bacteria have been demonstrated in marine bottom deposits, oil-bearing sands, and in reservoir fluids from oil wells. Up to 10,000 hydrogen-producing bacteria were found per gram of mud from the floor of the Pacific Ocean. Pure or enrichment cultures of such bacteria have been shown to liberate hydrogen from organic compounds at temperatures ranging from near 0°C. to as high as 65°C. Hydrogen is liberated from virtually all kinds of organic compounds, and most readily from carbohydrates or polyhydroxy alcohols. Redox potentials more reducing than Eh -0.05 volt and reactions ranging from pH 5.5 to 9.8 favor hydrogen formation. It is poss ble to demonstrate the production of hydrogen in samples of marine mud by inhibiting the activities of hydrogen-oxidizing bacteria. The latter are believed to account for the general exiguity or lack of molecular hydrogen in marsh gas and other natural gases, although traces of hydrogen have been reported in such gases. The rapid consumption of hydrogen by samples of soil and sediments is attributed to the activities of bacteria or their enzymes which catalyze its oxidation. Listed are several species of autotrophic aerobes which oxidize hydrogen to water. Of greater geological importance are various kinds of anaerobes which oxidize hydrogen with the formation of methane, simple organic acids, ammonia, and hydrogen sulphide. Evidence is presented that bacteria produce methane by catalyzing the reduction of carbon dioxide or other one-carbon-atom compounds with hydrogen. Other types of bacteria catalyze the reduction of carbon dioxide by hydrogen with the formation of formic, acetic, and possibly other carboxylic acids. Amino acids and other organic compounds are also reduced by hydrogen-activating ba teria. Certain bacteria found in sediments utilize energy from the oxidation of molecular hydrogen for the reduction of sulphate. Others reduce nitrate and nitrite. The hypothesis is advanced that various kinds of hydrogen-oxidizing bacteria, in conjunction with radioactivity and other catalytic agents in sediments, may contribute to the formation of petroleum hydrocarbons. Different sources of hydrogen and the energetics of some hypothetical reactions are considered. End_Page 1709------------------------------

Oxidation of Hydrocarbons by Marine Bacteria.

Using oxygen consumption as a criterion it has been demonstrated that various kinds of pure and mixed hydrocarbons are oxidized by bacteria found in sea water and marine mud. The bacteria were grown in sea water enriched with hydrocarbons as the only source of energy. In the initial experiments the manometric technic was used for following oxygen consumption but later it was found that more accurate results were obtainable by determining the dissolved oxygen content of water.Sea water inoculated with enrichment cultures was thoroughly shaken to insure uniformity in its composition and its saturation with oxygen, after which it was siphoned into 150 ml glass-stoppered bottles. While holding the bottles at an angle to provide for trapping the hydrocarbon in the shoulder of the bottle, 0.1 ml of hydrocarbon was introduced with a pipette. The bottle was then stoppered, care being taken not to entrap any air bubbles. Duplicate bottles of water were analyzed at once for oxygen content using the Winkler technic,...

The Bacterial Flora of a Marine Mud Flat as an Ecological Factor

The Bacterial Flora of a Marine Mud Flat as an Ecological Factor

Stratigraphy, structure, and petrology of the Mt. Cube area, New Hampshire

Research Article| January 01, 1942 Stratigraphy, structure, and petrology of the Mt. Cube area, New Hampshire JARVIS B. HADLEY JARVIS B. HADLEY Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information JARVIS B. HADLEY Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 04 Feb 1941 First Online: 02 Mar 2017 Online Issn: 1943-2674 Print Issn: 0016-7606 © 1942 Geological Society of America GSA Bulletin (1942) 53 (1): 113–176. https://doi.org/10.1130/GSAB-53-113 Article history Received: 04 Feb 1941 First Online: 02 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation JARVIS B. HADLEY; Stratigraphy, structure, and petrology of the Mt. Cube area, New Hampshire. GSA Bulletin 1942;; 53 (1): 113–176. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/GSAB-53-113 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 SocietyGSA Bulletin Search Advanced Search Abstract Seventy per cent of the bedrock in the Mt. Cube area consists of metamorphic rocks of sedimentary and volcanic origin, ranging from middle Ordovician (?) to early Devonian. The total thickness is about 16,000 feet. Two of the oldest stratigraphic units, the Orfordville formation and the Piermont member of the Albee formation, are described in detail because this is the type locality.The Orfordville formation, presumably middle Ordovician, is 5000 feet thick, and consists of interbedded black schist and volcanic rocks. The schist represents carbonaceous marine mud and sand. The volcanics represent metamorphosed basalt flows and pyroclastics (now amphibolite) with some rhyolite, quartz latite, and dacite (now biotite gneiss). The Piermont member, 1000 feet thick at maximum and locally absent, comprises most of the lower part of the Albee formation, and consists of aluminous, carbonaceous schist interbedded with noncarbonaceous quartzmica schist, quartzite, and fine conglomerate.About 30 per cent of the bedrock consists of gneissic igneous rocks, ranging from granite to quartz diorite. Most of them belong to the late Devonian Oliverian and New Hampshire magma series.The stratified rocks were severely folded, broken by thrust faults, and metamorphosed during the late Devonian. Thrusting and overturning of folds is toward the east-southeast, except in the southeastern part of the area, where it is toward the west. The concordant, domical intrusives of the Oliverian magma series were active during the later stages of the folding, and represent the tops of syntectonic phacoliths, rather than pretectonic laccoliths.The metamorphic and tectonic relationships of minerals in the middle-grade zone of metamorphism are briefly discussed, and an area of wholesale retrograde metamorphism associated with a major thrust fault is described. 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.

Pigments from Marine Muds

Pigments from Marine Muds

EFFECTS OF MARINE MUD UPON THE AEROBIC DECOMPOSITION OF PLANKTON MATERIALS

1. Marine muds strongly adsorb soluble nitrogenous organic materials of plankton origin.2. Muds exert little if any direct effect upon the rates or efficiency of anaerobic bacterial decomposition of plankton materials.

Sediments of South Atlantic Ocean

The sediments of the South Atlantic consist of red clay, Globigerina ooze, and radiolarian ooze. Red clay is found in the bottom of basins as far south as latitude 45° or 50°. Globigerina ooze is found in the same latitudes as red clay, but generally at shallower depth. Pteropod ooze occurs on submarine ridges as far south as latitude 35°. Blue, green, and gray muds are found near shore. Glacial marine mud and diatom ooze occur in regions of cool and cold waters. Radiolarian ooze has been observed in only one area. The configuration of the sea bottom exerts a strong influence upon the character of the sediments. Transverse submarine ridges across the South Atlantic impede the northward extension of the cold Antarctic bottom current, which dissolves the shel s of organisms as they sink to the bottom. This current extends farther northward on the west side of the South Atlantic than on the east, with the result that red clay is found farther north on the west side. The sediments on the ridges are more coarse-grained than those in the basins. The deposition of sediments in the ocean is affected by many factors whose influence varies from place to place. Each sediment depends on its environment.

THE ADSORPTION OF BACTERIA BY MARINE BOTTOM

1. Marine mud exerted an adsorptive effect upon the bacteria in sea water. This effect was particularly evident when certain pure cultures of bacteria were added to the mud to give a heavy inoculation. Sand bottom had very little adsorptive action upon either mixed or pure cultures of bacteria.2. In the case of the mixed bacterial population in the water, the adsorption of the bacteria by the mud was soon followed by a rapid increase of bacterial numbers; this took place at the expense of the organic matter in the bottom material.3. These laboratory experiments showed that certain types of marine bottom material exerted a controlling effect on the numbers of bacteria, which were in intimate contact with them. There was no indication, however, of a permanent paralysis of bacterial growth or metabolism.

Carotenoids and Other Lipoid-Soluble Pigments in the Sea and in Deep Marine Mud

Carotenoids and Other Lipoid-Soluble Pigments in the Sea and in Deep Marine Mud

Science News a Century Ago

Darwin in the Andes On August 14, 1834, Darwin set out on a riding excursion from Valparaiso. The first day brought him to the Hacienda of Quintero, which formerly belonged to Lord Cochrane. “My object in coming here,” he said, “was to see the great beds of shells, which stand some yards above the level of the sea, and are burnt for lime. The proofs of the elevation of this whole line of coast are unequivocal: at the height of a few hundred feet old-looking shells are numerous, and I found some at 1,300 feet. These shells either lie loose on the surface, or are embedded in a reddish-black vegetable mould. I was much surprised to find under the microscope that this vegetable mould is really marine mud, full of minute particles of organic bodies”; On the morning of August 16, he started the ascent of the Campana, or Bell Mountain, 6,400 ft. high, and the following day climbed to the top. “We spent the day on the summit,” he wrote, “and I never enjoyed one more thoroughly. Chile, bounded by the Andes and the Pacific, was seen as in a map. … Who can avoid wondering at the force which has upheaved these mountains, and even more so at the countless ages which it must have required, to have broken through, removed, and levelled whole masses of them? It is well in this case, to call to mind the vast shingle and sedimentary beds of Patagonia, which if heaped on the Cordillera, would increase its height by so many thousand feet. When in that country, I wondered how any mountain-chain could have supplied such masses, and not have been utterly obliterated. We must not now reverse the wonder, and doubt whether all-powerful time can grind down mountainseven the gigantic Cordillerainto gravel and mud.”

MARINE BACTERIA AND THEIR RÔLE IN THE CYCLE OF LIFE IN THE SEA

1. A study has been made of the proximate chemical composition of zooplankton and of certain marine algae, of their decomposition by marine bacteria, and of some of the bacteria capable of attacking certain carbohydrate constituents of marine plant life.2. The zooplankton was readily decomposed by bacteria in sea water and in marine mud media, with the result that more than a half of the total nitrogen present in the plankton was liberated as ammonia. Although the ammonia produced in the water and in the mud cultures was practically the same, a much greater amount of CO2 was liberated as a result of the decomposition of the plankton in the mud than in the water medium.3. It is suggested that the protein constituents of the zooplankton decompose alike in the water and in the mud cultures; however, other chemical constituents of the plankton, free from nitrogen, such as certain fats, or low in nitrogen, such as the chitins, seem to undergo more rapid decomposition in the mud than in the water.4. In the decom...

MARINE BACTERIA AND THEIR RÔLE IN THE CYCLE OF LIFE IN THE SEA

1. A study has been made of the proximate chemical composition of zoöplankton and of certain marine algæ, of their decomposition by marine bacteria, and of some of the bacteria capable of attacking certain carbohydrate constituents of marine plant life. 2. The zoöplankton was readily decomposed by bacteria in sea water and in marine mud media, with the result that more than a half of the total nitrogen present in the plankton was liberated as ammonia. Although the ammonia produced in the water and in the mud cultures was practically the same, a much greater amount of CO2 was liberated as a result of the decomposition of the plankton in the mud than in the water medium. 3. It is suggested that the protein constituents of the zoöplankton decompose alike in the water and in the mud cultures; however, other chemical constituents of the plankton, free from nitrogen, such as certain fats, or low in nitrogen, such as the chitins, seem to undergo more rapid decomposition in the mud than in the water. 4. In the decomposition of algal material by marine bacteria, the chemical composition of the algæ is of prime importance. In the case of Ulva lactuca, a green alga containing about 2 per cent nitrogen on a dry, salt-free basis, active decomposition took place both in the sea water and in the marine mud cultures. In the case of the brown alga Fucus vesiculosus, however, containing less than 1 per cent total nitrogen, very little decomposition took place in the sea water medium, but the material decomposed very actively in the mud medium. 5. The addition of inorganic sources of nitrogen to the Fucus material in the sea water cultures resulted in a much more active decomposition, due to the fact that this nitrogen was required by the bacteria decomposing the Fucus constituents for the synthesis of their cell substance. The presence of Fucus material in sea water may, therefore, result in a minimum amount of available nitrogen. A definite parallelism was found between the development of the bacteria in the culture and the amount of decomposition of the Fucus material, as measured by CO2 evolution. 6. Nitrate and ammonium salt were used readily as sources of nitrogen in the decomposition of the Fucus material by bacteria. The addition of an excess of nitrate to the culture proved to be injurious. This excess nitrate was rapidly destroyed by denitrifying bacteria. 7. The sea is found to harbor an extensive population of bacteria capable of utilizing cellulose and hemicelluloses. These bacteria represent a number of distinct types, varying considerably in their morphological and physiological properties. Some of the bacteria were found capable of attacking both cellulose and agar, while others decomposed either cellulose alone or agar alone. Some of these bacteria are also able to decompose a number of other polysaccharides, as well as various mono- and disaccharides.

Observations on Certain Antarctic Icebergs

Bergs of dark colour, called for convenience black and white bergs, have been observed with some frequency off the mouth of the Weddell Sea. When opportunity occurred for close examination it was found that these bergs are of two distinct varieties: one of them is the true morainic berg, in which the dark portion is quite black and opaque and consists of mud and stones which are often clearly visible; while in the other variety the dark part proves on closer approach to be translucent and of a very deep green colour, resembling that of some kinds of glass used in bottle making, and mud and stones appear to be absent. We can speak then of black and white bergs falling into two subdivisions, the morainic and the bottle-green bergs. At a distance the two kinds resemble each other very closely, and it has been found that they have some features in common. In both of them as seen by us the dark part is always smoothly rounded by water action, and in both, with few exceptions, the junction between the white and dark parts is a perfectly straight clean-cut plane. To obtain samples of either variety for examination is not an easy matter, for in the heavy swells that prevail close approach is often impossible and the surface is generally so smoothly rounded that it is extremely difficult to chip pieces from the berg. Rifle shots at close quarters have been tried without success. So far, on the Discovery Committee's ships we have not been able to collect any sample from a bottle-green berg; the only material we possess is from a morainic berg, collected by Mr. G. W. Rayner in the William Scoresby at 70? o1' S., I00? 39' W., on i February 1930, and this has been examined for us by Mr. G. H. Tipper. He reports that there are four large pebbles, of pink granite, hornfels, banded grey quartzite, and dark quartzite respectively; these specimens show few signs of ice action and are free from scratches or striae. The silt associated with the pebbles is dark grey when dried and almost black when wet; the very fine portions are composed of minute angular fragments of quartz and other minerals; the coarser material is a mixture of angular and rounded fragments of igneous and metamorphic rock. The silt is slightly calcareous, due to the presence of foraminifera and minute lamellibranchs: the foraminifera, determined by Dr. W. A. Macfadyen, are all present-day species. The presence of marine organisms with the morainic material is unusual. They may perhaps have been scraped off the sea bottom by the berg before overturning. It is more likely however that part of the sea floor has been incorporated in the parent glacier in the way suggested by Professor Debenham in his account of raised marine muds in Antarctica,' and that the berg can be described therefore as truly morainic.

STUDIES ON THE BIOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY OF THE GULF OF MAINE

A bacteriological survey has been made of the waters and bottom sediments in the Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank. The samples of water, plankton tow, and sedimentary material were taken under sterile conditions and subjected immediately to bacteriological analysis as soon as brought on board the "Atlantis."The agar-plate method was used for the enumeration of the numbers of bacteria. This was supplemented to a limited extent by the dilution method. Various specific media were used to determine the distribution and relative abundance of certain groups of bacteria which are believed to take part in important marine processes.The results obtained demonstrated the fact that the bacterial population of the sea can be divided into three groups on the basis of their habitat: (1) those forms which live in the sea bottom, especially in the surface layers; (2) those bacteria which live in the free water, this being possible only when the water contains in solution organic and inorganic substances which can serve as ...

Role of Bacteria in Decomposition of Plant and Animal Residues in the Ocean

A study has been made of the decomposition of marine zooplankton and of certain marine algae by bacteria in sea water and in marine mud. The formation of carbon dioxide and the liberation of nitrogen in the form of ammonia were used as measures of the rate of decomposition. It was found that the chemical nature of the material has a very important influence upon the rapidity and nature of its decomposition.Zooplankton, consisting largely of copepods, and containing 7.9% total N on a dry basis, was found to decompose very rapidly, both in the water and in the mud. Nearly one-third of the total C was liberated as CO2 within 19 days' incubation, while a large part of the N was liberated as ammonia. A marked difference, however, was observed in the case of the medium in which the decomposition took place, namely, although the amount of N liberated was about the same in the water and in the mud, viz., 40.3 and 38.5 mg., a considerably greater amount of CO2 was evolved in the mud than in the water, viz., 101 vs...

Microbiology and the Marine Limestones

The Problem to date There is no question but that limestone may be formed in a number of ways, nor are we yet in a position to determine the relative importance of numerous agents in the formation of the bulk of our pure and impure fine-grained, nonfossiliferous limestones from the pre-Cambrian to the Tertiary. There is plenty of field evidence as to the clastic origin of limestone, and R. C. Wells, Williams, Johnson, and others have shown the possibility of a purely physical precipitation of fine-grained calcium carbonate. Recently Parker D. Trask 2 has stated that he has found “salinity to be a major factor governing the deposition of calcium carbonate.” This statement should be given serious consideration, as it is founded upon 3,000 samples of shallow- and deep-water marine muds collected from all parts of the world. But it should be noted that Trask found that the bottom sediments . . .

Microbiology and the marine limestone

There is no question but that limestone may be formed in a number of ways, nor are we yet in a position to determine the relative importance of numerous agents in the formation of the bulk of our pure and impure fine‐grained, unfossiliferous limestones from the Pre‐Cambrian to the Tertiary. There is plenty of field evidence as to the clastic origin of limestone, and R. C. Wells, Williams, Johnson, and others have shown the possibility of a purely physical precipitation of fine‐grained calcium carbonate. Recently Parker D. Trask (Relation of calcium‐carbonate content of sediments to salinity of the surface‐water, abstract, Geol. Soc. Amer., p. 34, 1931) has stated that he has found “salinity to be a major factor governing the deposition of calcium carbonate.” This statement should be given serious consideration as it is founded upon 3,000 samples of shallow and deep‐water marine muds collected from all parts of the world. Unfortunately, since Drew's brilliant suggestion in 1911 that bacteria might be an important factor in the precipitation of calcium carbonate, numerous investigations along this line, especially by Americans, have led to the growing belief that bacteria are a negligible factor. It would appear that these conclusions were reached largely because (a) suitable and sufficient studies of the marine muds had not been made by the American investigators and (b) because the British and Americans do not appear to have been acquainted with the important researches of certain German and Russian investigators from 1899 to date. In a recent communication by Haldane Gee (Calcium‐carbonate relations in the sea‐water at Tortugas, Florida, Report Com. Sedimentation, 1929–1930, p. 12) it is stated that “it was possible to precipitate calcium from sea‐water by reducing its carbon‐dioxide content, and without assistance of bacteria”—a fact which has been known to certain investigators for some time. It is also known that C02 may be removed not only by the blue‐green algae but also by the autotrophic bacteria which function in the manner of green plants. The autotrophic bacteria were found to be common in the calcareous muds of the Bahamas. Gee's comments in relation to his bacterial studies are properly conservative and are largely in relation to the effect which bacteria may have in producing ammonia or carbon dioxide, and he states, “The calcareous muds themselves were found, qualitatively, to be decidedly reducing. This suggests the acidity of anaerobic bacteria although none has been reported to date.”

An Instrument for Sampling Marine Muds

This instrument was designed for taking marine muds for analysis. The requirements were that it should raise a column of mud, from eight to sixteen inches long, and without appreciable disturbance, or contamination with metal. An instrument working on the same principle was used here by Mr. R. Macdonald, and was made in Oslo. The advantages of the present model are that, while small enough to be worked by hand, it is capable of taking larger samples, and from bottoms of very varying consistencies.

Gases in street manholes

Marine sand is one of the most important marine mineral resources in the Pearl River estuary as well as nearby Hong Kong waters of China. For more healthy and order development of marine sand extraction activities, about 518 km of initial seismic exploration and marine drilling of 5 validation boreholes with total footage of 176.7 m were carried out in 2001 and 2002 respectively, and the preliminary overall situation of marine sand resources in the Pearl River estuary waters was clarified. Based on geological interpretation of GeoPulse seismic profiles and core sample analyses of boreholes, the Quaternary stratigraphic sequence in the Pearl River estuary was divided into four depositional units: the upper marine unit of Holocene marine mud, and other three late Pleistocene units: the upper terrestrial unit of weathered mottled clay, the lower marine unit of silty clay, and the lower terrestrial unit of alluvial sand. The main type of marine sand occurrence and the main exploration targets for marine sand resources are identified in the late Pleistocene paleo-Pearl River channel sand at the lower terrestrial unit. The most valuable marine sand resources are located in Holocene tidal channel which coincide with late Pleistocene paleo-channels where the Holocene marine mud overburden is thinner. Sustainable development and scientific management of marine sand resources in the Pearl River estuary waters must strengthen legal system construction, work out scientific exploitation planning, strengthen environmental impact research, and strictly enforce pertinent laws. In about 3000 km2 Pearl River estuary waters tentative estimation of reserves of buried marine sand is 12.5 × 108 m3 in 20 sites, of which 10 sites with 5.38 × 108 m3 were suggested to be suitable for current exploitation, other part of these reserves were put aside for exploitation as their thick cover in 4 sites with 2.75 × 108 m3, seriously contaminated cover in 1 site with 2.5 × 108 m3 or ecological or environmental sensitivity in 5 sites with 5.38 × 108 m3. This research results can give some overall description of marine sand resources in the Pearl River estuary waters and provide scientific base for macroscopic management. Gassy sediments recorded by acoustic turbidity change the geoacoustic properties of the seabed, weaken geophysical exploration effect, and have great engineering and environment significance.

Societies and Academies

LONDON. Geological Society, June 4.—Mr. G. W. Lamplugh, president, in the chair.—Dr. A. S. Woodward; The dentition of the Petalodont shark, Climaxodus. The author describes the nearly complete dentition of a new species of Climaxodus from the Calciferous Sandstone of Calderside, near East Kilbride (Lanarkshire), now in the Royal Scottish Museum, Edinburgh. Climaxodus and Janassa are shown to be two distinct genera. These Petalodonts are especially noteworthy among the Elasmobranchii, because during the greater part of the life of each individual there cannot have been more than six or eight teeth in succession, a condition remarkably different from that in all ordinary sharks and skates, in which the suc-cessional teeth are always very numerous and rapidly replaced. The same limited tooth-succession is to be observed in the Carboniferous Cochliodontidae, and perhaps also in the contemporaneous Psammodontidas.—F. Debenham: A new theory of transportation by ice: the raised marine muds of South Victoria Land (Antarctica). A series of deposits of marine muds are found on the surface of floating “land-ice” in the deep bays of Ross Sea (Antarctica). Similar deposits are also found on land up to a height of 200 ft., in some cases on old ice, in other cases on moraine. The deposits are briefly described, and former theories concerning them are discussed. A new theory is put forward, prefaced by an account of the nature of the typical ice-sheet which bears them. The upper surface of the sheet is known to suffer a net annual decrease, and evidence is given to show that the lower surface has a net increase by freezing from below. The theory is that the sheet will freeze to the bottom in severe seasons, and enclose portions- of the sea-floor. Owing to the method of growth of the sheet bv increments from below, the enclosed portions will ultimately appear on the surface, thus being raised vertically as well as translated horizontally.