Document of dataset 4783

Dataset record

Type

Dataset

title in English

Geothermal Fumarole Subsurface Mt. Erebus, Antarctica

Description in English

The summit of Mt. Erebus features several high-elevation geothermal features that are separated from similar features at Mts. Melbourne and Rittman by 350-400 km. Warm fumarolic ground and ice towers on the flanks of Mt. Erebus passively emit steam and CO2 that are believed to have magmatic origins(Wardell et al., 2003). The lower end of Tramway Ridge, located approximately 1.5 km NW of the main crater of Erebus, at an elevation between 3350 and 3400 m, is an extensive warm fumarolic area protected by international treaty as a site of particular biological interest (ASPA 130 Management Plan). At Tramway Ridge, unique communities of photoautotrophic organisms (mosses and cyanobacterial mats) surround fumaroles that reach and maintain year round surface temperatures of 60-65°C, have a neutral to mildly alkaline pH, and are characterized by steep lateral pH and temperature gradients (Broady, 1984; Hudson et al., 1989; Soo et al., 2009).

Abstract in English

The Tramway Ridge geothermal site on Mt. Erebus in Antarctica, is the most geographically isolated geothermal site on earth. This makes it an excellent system for studies of microbial speciation, biogeography, and evolution.

License

https://spdx.org/licenses/CC-BY-4.0.html

bibliographicCitation

Herbold, CW; Lee, CK; McDonald, IR; Cary, SC; Evidence of global-scale aeolian dispersal and endemism in isolated geothermal microbial communities of Antarctica; Nature Comms (2014); 5

Version

3.0