Geomicrobiology

Geomicrobiology is a key subfield of geobiology and is the scientific field at the crossroads of geology and microbiology. It is concerned with the effects of minerals and metals on microbial growth, activity, and survival, as well as the function of microorganisms in geological and geochemical processes. The geosphere (rocks, minerals, soils, and sediments), the atmosphere, and the hydrosphere all have such interactions. Microorganisms that drive the Earth's biogeochemical cycles, mediate mineral precipitation and dissolution, and sorb and concentrate metals are studied in geomicrobiology. Bioremediation, mining, climate change mitigation, and public drinking water sources are just a few of the applications. Geomicrobiology is the study of microbes' role in the geological and geochemical processes that shaped the earth and continue to operate now. Through biogeochemical cycles that span the atmosphere, hydrosphere, and deep lithosphere, microbes play a critical role in recycling, producing, sequestering, and eliminating a wide range of chemicals and chemical components in the environment.

• Microbial Weathering of Rocks
• Microbial Roles in Formation and Degradation of Specific Minerals
• Mineralization of Organic Matter
• Subsurface Microbiology
• Biogeochemical Cycling of Elements
• Isotopic Fractionation and Paleomicrobiology
• Bioleaching Microbiology
• Petroleum Geomicrobiological Prospecting
• Groundwater Microbiology