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Serpentinization And Synthesis: Searching For Abiotic And Biotic Non-Volatile Organic Molecules In The Subsurface Of The Atlantis Massif, Katherine A. Hickok

Theses and Dissertations

High concentrations of hydrogen created during serpentinization can promote the formation of abiotic organic carbon molecules such as methane, formate, and short chain hydrocarbons and, in laboratory experiments, larger molecules containing up to 32 carbon atoms. Subsurface archaeal and bacterial communities can use these reduced compounds for metabolic energy. International Ocean Discovery Project Expedition 357 drilled 17 boreholes into the Atlantis Massif with the goals of investigating carbon cycling and the presence of life in a zone of active serpentinization. The expedition recovered multiple lithologies including gabbros, basalts, carbonate sands, and serpentinites. A subset of contrasting lithologies were analyzed for …