Economic Geology; October 2005; v. 100; no. 7;
p. 1471; DOI: 10.2113/100.7.1471
© 2005 Society of Economic Geologists
The Subseafloor Biosphere at Mid-Ocean Ridges.
W. S. D. WILCOCK, E. F. DELONG, D. S. KELLEY, J. A. BAROSS, AND S. C. CARY, EDITORS. AGU Geophysical Monograph 144. 408 Pp. ISBN 0-87590-409-2. 2004. Price $80.
Sven Petersen
Leibniz-Institut Für Meereswissenschaften, IFM-Geomar, Dienstgebäude Ostufer, Wischhofstr, 01–3, Geb. 8E/Raum 009, D-24148 Kiel, Germany.
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During the last decade, marine science went through a major change with respect to funding and the focus of resulting work. Rather than working independently from each other, scientists in marine disciplines are now working together in order to document the interaction of geological, biological, and oceanographic processes at spreading ridges and trying to understand them at different scales and in four dimensions. This fruitful interdisciplinary science is evident in two recently published volumes from the American Geophysical Union (volumes 144 and 148 of the AGU Geophysical Monograph Series). It has recently become evident that submarine hydrothermal systems may harbor a substantial subsea-floor biosphere sustained by the heat and chemical fluxes ultimately derived from magmatic processes. To address this new field of research, a RIDGE Theoretical Institute meeting was held in Montana in 2000 and the AGU Geophysical Monograph 144, The Subseafloor Biosphere at Mid-Ocean Ridges, represents the resulting outcome. The volume includes contributions from marine geoscientists, chemists, biologists, and microbiologists, thus providing a comprehensive synthesis of our current knowledge on midocean ridge science.
Following an introduction, the articles are grouped into six chapters . . . [Full Text of this Article]
Copyright © 2009 by Society of Economic Geologists
