Tetsuro Urabe

Acidic and sulfate-rich hydrothermal fluids from the Manus back-arc basin, Papua New Guinea

Hot (≥ 88-120 °C) and acidic (pH ≤ 2.1) hydrothermal fluids rich in sulfate were discovered venting in the DESMOS caldera (depth = 1926 m), eastern Manus back-arc basin, Bismarck Sea, surrounded by Papua New Guinea. The abundant sulfate (≥ 32.8 m M , higher than the seawater value of 28 m M ) with elemental sulfur deposition around the vents, and remarkably low δD(H 2 O) and δ 34 S(H 2 S) values (−8.1‰ and −5.6‰, respectively), are suggestive of the incorporation of a magmatic fluid and the disproportionation of the exsolved SO 2 from a magma body. The DESMOS fluid may be similar in origin to the acidic sulfate-chloride hot springs associated with subaerial volcanic activity. In contrast to the typical hydrothermal end member Mg concentration of 0, the DESMOS fluids are rich in Mg (46–52 m M ), probably because of Mg dissolution by acid attack upon magnesium silicate minerals.

Nankai Trough and Zenisu Ridge: a deep-sea submersible survey

Abstract Eight submersible dives between 3000 and 4200 m water depth were made off southern Japan in the eastern Nankai subduction zone. Benthic communities associated with chemosynthetic processes were discovered along the 800 m wide active tectonic zone, at the toe of the accretionary prism. A benthic community was also discovered along a zone of active compression, at the foot of Zenisu Ridge, 30 km south of Nankai Trough. Temperature measurements within the sediments below the benthic communities confirm that upward motion of interstitial water occurs there. Studies of water samples indicate advection of methane and light hydrocarbons. Specimens of the benthic community have been shown to have included in their shells carbonate resulting from methane consumption. Thus the benthic communities are related to overpressure-driven fluid advection along tectonic zones with active surface deformation. A 300 m high active scarp at the toe of the accretionary prism is related to relative motion in a 280° direction which is close to the 305° average direction of subduction in this area. The dives establish further that compressive deformation is presently occurring at the foot of Zenisu Ridge. The previous interpretation of the Zenisu Ridge as a zone of recent north-south intraplate shortening, 40 km south of the Nankai Trench, is confirmed. We conclude that tectonic evolution might well lead to future detachment of the Zenisu Ridge and overthrusting of this large piece of oceanic crust over the continental margin. Such a process might be an efficient one to emplace ophiolites over continents.

Abundance of Zetaproteobacteria within crustal fluids in back-arc hydrothermal fields of the Southern Mariana Trough

To extend knowledge of subseafloor microbial communities within the oceanic crust, the abundance, diversity and composition of microbial communities in crustal fluids at back-arc hydrothermal fields of the Southern Mariana Trough (SMT) were investigated using culture-independent molecular techniques based on 16S rRNA gene sequences. Seafloor drilling was carried out at two hydrothermal fields, on- and off-ridge of the back-arc spreading centre of the SMT. 16S rRNA gene clone libraries for bacterial and archaeal communities were constructed from the fluid samples collected from the boreholes. Phylotypes related to Thiomicrospira in the Gammaproteobacteria (putative sulfide-oxidizers) and Mariprofundus in the Zetaproteobacteria (putative iron-oxidizers) were recovered from the fluid samples. A number of unique archaeal phylotypes were also recovered. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis indicated the presence of active bacterial and archaeal populations in the fluids. The Zetaproteobacteria accounted for up to 32% of the total prokaryotic cell number as shown by FISH analysis using a specific probe designed in this study. Our results lead to the hypothesis that the Zetaproteobacteria play a role in iron oxidation within the oceanic crust.

Barite silica chimneys from the Sumisu Rift, Izu-Bonin Arc: possible analog to hematitic chert associated with Kuroko deposits

Abstract Barite-bearing silica chimneys and crusts were found during alvin dives in a back-arc basin called the Sumisu Rift of the Izu-Bonin arc, northwest Pacific. These silica deposits mainly occur on the flank of a rhyolite lava dome of the bimodal volcanic suite along the rift axis. Analogous hydrothermal activity occurred around 15 Ma in the northeast Japan arc; the formation of Kuroko deposits at this time was closely related to submarine rhyolitic volcanism of bimodal suite in a back-arc rift. The chimneys are composed of filamentous amorphous silica and minor amount of barite and iron oxide amorphous to X-rays. The concentrations of minor elements Fe, Mn, Ba, Pb, Zn, Cu, As, and Sb are similar to those in the hematitic chert layers which constitute the uppermost part of Kuroko orebodies. Theδ 34 S andδ 18 O values of barite from the Sumisu Rift have ranges of 21.7–22.3 and 8.8–10.3‰, respectively. The oxygen isotopic values, which are about 2‰ higher than those of the Kuroko barite, indicate that the temperature of formation was less than 150°C. This is supported by the dominance of one phase (liquid) inclusions in the barite crystals and occurrence of amorphous silica. Such a low formation temperature has also been deduced for the hematitic chert of the Kuroko deposits. Therefore, it is suggested that the silica deposits in the Sumisu Rift are the present-day analog to the Kuroko chert. This hydrothermal activity appears to be responsible for the observed high contents of manganese in surface sediments of the Sumisu Rift basin. Equivalent regional zoning of distal bedded manganese deposits around Kuroko deposits is observed at the Hokuroku basin.

Distribution and diversity of thermophilic sulfate-reducing bacteria within a Cu-Pb-Zn mine (Toyoha, Japan)

The distribution and diversity of thermophilic sulfate-reducing bacteria at the Cu-Pb-Zn Toyoha underground mine, Japan, were investigated using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis analysis based on the 16S rRNA gene, and sequence analysis of the dissimilatory sulfite reductase gene. Hydrothermal waters from different boreholes penetrating the Cu-Pb-Zn sulfide veins were collected and concentrated with a sterile filter (pore size: 0.2 mum) at sites A (64 degrees C), B (71 degrees C), and C (48 degrees C). Microbial mats developed at sites A (53 degrees C), B (66 degrees C), and D (73 degrees C) were harvested. The denaturing gel electrophoresis analysis showed 17 bacterial and three archaeal bands including two of spore-forming, Gram-positive sulfate-reducing bacteria, Desulfotomaculum-like 16S rDNA sequences from site B. The phylogenetic analysis of 16 clone families of dissimilatory sulfite reductase genes indicated that they are Desulfotomaculum-, Thermodesulforhabdus-like sequences, and unresolved sequences. We obtained evidence of the diversity and distribution of microbes related to thermophilic sulfate-reducing bacteria within effluent-hydrothermal groundwater and microbial mats in the thermophilic subsurface environment of the Toyoha Mine.

Analysis of Dissimilatory Sulfite Reductase and 16S rRNA Gene Fragments from Deep-Sea Hydrothermal Sites of the Suiyo Seamount, Izu-Bonin Arc, Western Pacific

ABSTRACT This study describes the occurrence of unique dissimilatory sulfite reductase (DSR) genes at a depth of 1,380 m from the deep-sea hydrothermal vent field at the Suiyo Seamount, Izu-Bonin Arc, Western Pacific, Japan. The DSR genes were obtained from microbes that grew in a catheter-type in situ growth chamber deployed for 3 days on a vent and from the effluent water of drilled holes at 5°C and natural vent fluids at 7°C. DSR clones SUIYOdsr-A and SUIYOdsr-B were not closely related to cultivated species or environmental clones. Moreover, samples of microbial communities were examined by PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) analysis of the 16S rRNA gene. The sequence analysis of 16S rRNA gene fragments obtained from the vent catheter after a 3-day incubation revealed the occurrence of bacterial DGGE bands affiliated with the Aquificae and γ- and ε-Proteobacteria as well as the occurrence of archaeal phylotypes affiliated with the Thermococcales and of a unique archaeon sequence that clustered with “Nanoarchaeota.” The DGGE bands obtained from drilled holes and natural vent fluids from 7 to 300°C were affiliated with the δ-Proteobacteria, genus Thiomicrospira, and Pelodictyon. The dominant DGGE bands retrieved from the effluent water of casing pipes at 3 and 4°C were closely related to phylotypes obtained from the Arctic Ocean. Our results suggest the presence of microorganisms corresponding to a unique DSR lineage not detected previously from other geothermal environments.

Caldisericum exile gen. nov., sp. nov., an anaerobic, thermophilic, filamentous bacterium of a novel bacterial phylum, Caldiserica phyl. nov., originally called the candidate phylum OP5, and description of Caldisericaceae fam. nov., Caldisericales ord. nov. and Caldisericia classis nov.

An anaerobic, thermophilic, thiosulfate-reducing bacterium, strain AZM16c01(T), isolated from a hot spring in Japan [Mori, K., Sunamura, M., Yanagawa, K., Ishibashi, J., Miyoshi, Y., Iino, T., Suzuki, K. & Urabe, T. (2008). Appl Environ Microbiol 74, 6223-6229] was characterized in detail. The 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis had revealed that strain AZM16c01(T) was the first cultivated representative of the candidate phylum OP5. The cells were multicellular filaments with a single polar flagellum. The strain contained iso-C(17 : 0) as the major fatty acid and menaquinone-8(H(6)), menaquinone-8(H(8)) and menaquinone-8(H(10)) as the respiratory quinones. The G+C content of the genomic DNA of strain AZM16c01(T) was 34.6 mol%. Optimum growth was obtained at 65 degrees C, pH 6.5 and in the absence of NaCl, with a doubling time of 10.6 h. On the basis of the results of phylogenetic analysis based on the 16S rRNA gene sequence and the characterization of the strain in this study, we propose the name Caldisericum exile gen. nov., sp. nov. for strain AZM16c01(T) (=NBRC 104410(T)=DSM 21853(T)). In addition, we propose the new phylum name Caldiserica phyl. nov. for the candidate phylum OP5 represented by C. exile gen. nov., sp. nov., and Caldisericaceae fam. nov., Caldisericales ord. nov. and Caldisericia classis nov.

Microbial diversity in hydrothermal surface to subsurface environments of Suiyo Seamount, Izu-Bonin Arc, using a catheter-type in situ growth chamber

After excavation using a portable submarine driller near deep-sea hydrothermal vents in the Suiyo Seamount, Izu-Bonin Arc, microbial diversity was examined in samples collected from inside the boreholes using an in situ growth chamber called a vent catheter. This instrument, which we devised for this study, consists of a heat-tolerant pipe tipped with a titanium mesh entrapment capsule that is packed with sterilized inorganic porous grains, which serve as an adhesion substrate. After this instrument was deployed inside each of the boreholes, as well as a natural vent, for 3-10 days in the vicinity of hot vent fluids (maxima: 156-305 degrees C), DNA was extracted from the adhesion grains, 16S rDNA was amplified, and randomly selected clones were sequenced. In phylogenetic analysis of more than 120 clones, several novel phylotypes were detected within the epsilon-Proteobacteria, photosynthetic bacteria (PSB)-related alpha-Proteobacteria, and Euryarchaeota clusters. Members of epsilon-Proteobacteria were frequently encountered. Half of these were classified between two known groups, Corres B and D. The other half of the clones were assigned to new groups, SSSV-BE1 and SSSV-BE2 (Suiyo Seamount sub-vent origin, Bacteria domain, epsilon-Proteobacteria, groups 1 and 2). From this hydrothermal vent field, we detected a novel lineage within the PSB cluster, SSNV-BA1 (Suiyo Seamount natural vent origin, Bacteria domain, alpha-Proteobacteria, group 1), which is closely related to Rhodopila globiformis isolated from a hot spring. A number of archaeal clones were also detected from the borehole samples. These clones formed a novel monophyletic clade, SSSV-AE1 (Suiyo Seamount sub-vent origin, Archaea domain, Euryarchaeota, group 1), approximately between methanogenic hyperthermophilic members of Methanococcales and environmental clone members of DHVE Group II. Thus, this hydrothermal vent environment appears to be a noteworthy microbial and genetic resource. It is also noteworthy that some of the findings presented here were made possible by the application of the in situ growth chamber into the hot fluids deep inside the boreholes.

Helium and carbon geochemistry of hydrothermal fluids from the North Fiji Basin spreading ridge (southwest Pacific)

The North Fiji Basin is one of the active marginal basins in the southwestern Pacific. Hydrothermal fluid emanations were located at two sites on the Central ridge of the basin. High-temperature fluids (230–290°C) venting from anhydrite chimneys at a 17°S site have end-member compositions of: 11.0–14.5 mmol/kg of CO2; 30.4–43.5 μmol/kg of CH4; and 2.3–4.5 × 10−5 cm3STP/g of He. Taking phase separation processes into account, the gas abundances are not enriched compared with the mid-oceanic ridge hydrothermal systems. Isotopic compositions of CO2 (δ13C = −6.2 to −5.7‰PDB), CH4 (δ13C = −20 to −18‰PDB), and helium (RRA = 9.0–10.0) are comparable to the mid-oceanic ridge signature. Together with basalt helium data, the helium isotopic signature may be attributed to the incorporation of a hotspot-like primitive component. Low-temperature shimmering fluids (the highest measured temperature was 5.2°C) associated with biological communities at a site at 18°50′S show slight chemical anomalies, in some species, in SiO2, Mn, Li, pH and CH4, and helium isotope ratios distinct from ambient seawater. Evaluated helium isotopic compositions prior to dilution fall between RRA = 8.4 and 8.9, supporting the suggestion of high-temperature hydrothermal activity at this site, although this was not observed by dive expeditions. The gas geochemistry of these two different types of fluids show several similar characteristics to the mid-oceanic ridge hydrothermal systems. This result is in accordance with previous petrological studies which demonstrated a dominant N-MORB source signature and a co-existing OIB source influence of the North Fiji Basin magmatism.

Niche Separation of Methanotrophic Archaea (ANME-1 and -2) in Methane-Seep Sediments of the Eastern Japan Sea Offshore Joetsu

In this study, we investigated the diversity and spatial distribution of anaerobic methanotrophic archaea (ANMEs) in sediments of a gas hydrate field off Joetsu in the Japan Sea. Distribution of ANMEs in sediments was identified by targeting the gene for methyl coenzyme M reductase alpha subunit (mcrA), a phylogenetically conserved gene that occurs uniquely in methanotrophic and methanogenic archaea, in addition to 16S rRNA genes. Quantitative PCR analyses of mcrA genes in 14 piston core samples suggested that members of ANME-1 group would dominate AOM communities in sulfate-depleted sediments, even below the sulfate-methane interface, while ANME-2 archaea would prefer to populate in shallower sediments containing comparatively higher sulfate concentrations. These results suggest that, although the potential electron acceptors in sulfate-depleted habitats remain elusive, the niche separation of ANME-1 and -2 may be controlled by in situ concentration of sulfate and the availability in sediments.