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Geomicrobiology of Impact-Altered Rocks

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Biological Processes Associated with Impact Events

Part of the book series: Impact Studies ((IMPACTSTUD))

Abstract

Rocks shocked by asteroid or comet impact events can be made more porous by the shock volatilization of minerals, and they can be fractured by the intense heat and pressures of impact. New spaces within the rock provide access points and surfaces for the growth of microbial communities, illustrating an example of how shock metamorphism can generate new habitats for microbial colonization. We review data on the colonization of shocked gneiss from the Haughton impact structure by phototrophs and heterotrophs. Shocked rocks can preferentially trap water and protect against wind-induced desiccation. The interior of shocked rocks is often warmer than the air temperature, and protects against ultraviolet radiation. Because impact events are a ubiquitous process on solid planetary surfaces, the shocked-rock habitat may be important on other planets, and it may have been important on the early Earth when primitive microorganisms lived under a much higher impact flux than today.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Open University, Milton Keynes, MK7 6AA, UK

    Charles S. Cockell

  2. Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, 54-812, Cambridge, MA, 01239, USA

    David A. Fike

  3. Planetary and Space Sciences Center, Department of Geology, University of New Brunswick, Bailey Drive, Fredricton, New Brunswick, E3B 5A3, Canada

    Gordon R. Osinski

  4. NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA, 94035-1000, USA

    Pascal Lee

Authors
  1. Charles S. Cockell
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  2. David A. Fike
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  3. Gordon R. Osinski
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  4. Pascal Lee
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Planetary and Space Sciences Research Institute, Open University, Milton Keynes, UK

    Charles Cockell  & Iain Gilmour  & 

  2. Department of Geological Sciences, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090, Vienna, Austria

    Christian Koeberl

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© 2006 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Cockell, C.S., Fike, D.A., Osinski, G.R., Lee, P. (2006). Geomicrobiology of Impact-Altered Rocks. In: Cockell, C., Gilmour, I., Koeberl, C. (eds) Biological Processes Associated with Impact Events. Impact Studies. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-25736-5_2

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