A study of the microbial mineralization in submarine black smoker chimneys from the Okinawa Trough

Large amounts of microfossil records discovered in the seafloor black smoker chimney are reported from the Okinawa Trough. They are well preserved and can be divided into four types of filamentous microfossils. It suggests that the fossils may be derived from sulfur or iron oxidation chemolithotrophic prokaryotes and fungi. Based on the comparison studies of the microbial mineralization processes, two steps of biomineralization were hypothesized:(1) biology controlled mineralization; and (2) biology induced mineralization. At the early stage of the mineralization, the biology controlling mineralization is dominating; at the later stage, the biology inducing mineralization is the main mechanism. The composition of the fluids and the species of the microbes will determine the types of the minerals formed.