Data from Chicxulub crater (NERC grant NE/P006736/1)

Cell count data from the Chicxulub crater. Grant abstract: The deep subsurface is recognised to be an environment that supports a large and diverse microbial biosphere, and yet we still know very little about how microorganisms grow in this environment, what their spatial diversity is and how this diversity is controlled by subsurface geochemical conditions. Previous research has primarily focused on deep-ocean sediments. Work in these environments has shown that geochemical interfaces are important for determining the diversity of the subsurface biosphere. Little is known about how the subsurface biosphere in marine environments compares to that in continental subsurface environments. Our laboratory will acquire core samples collected from the peak ring of the 66 million-year old Chicxulub impact structure buried beneath the Gulf of Mexico in April-May 2016 during IODP Expedition 364. This end-Cretaceous impact structure is hypothesised to have been responsible for causing the extinction of the dinosaurs and ~75% of all other life at this time. The drill core will be retrieved with microbiological contamination control to ~1.5 km depth. Thus, the drill core offers the opportunity to investigate the subsurface microbiology of a continental site and also how the microbial diversity relates to a unique, but well-defined subsurface lithologic sequence. In this project we propose to use these cores to gain new insights into the diversity of microorganisms in the subsurface. In this project we will: 1) Quantify the biomass of microorganisms through the core and correlate it to the lithologies to understand how microbial life in the continental deep subsurface is influenced by lithology, 2) Specifically investigate how microbial abundance and diversity is correlated to impact lithologies to understand how impacts can disrupt the deep subsurface biosphere, 3) Culture and use '-omics' methods such as metagenomics to understand how the functional capabilities and metabolisms of organisms correlate to the environment and lithology through the core to gain a better understanding of microbial biogeochemical processes in the deep subsurface in general and specifically in an impact crater, 4) Use the above data to understand more generally how life recolonises impact craters and how craters might provide a habitat for life despite otherwise catastrophic effects on large surface dwelling life.
 
Citation proposal
. Data from Chicxulub crater (NERC grant NE/P006736/1). https://metadata.bgs.ac.uk/geonetwork/srv/api/records/78815d18-4d54-6f3e-e054-002128a47908

Simple

Date ( Creation )
2018-10-11
Identifier
http://data.bgs.ac.uk/id/dataHolding/13607393

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notApplicable notApplicable
GEMET - INSPIRE themes
  • Geology
BGS Thesaurus of Geosciences
  • Core samples , Impact structures , Microorganisms
Keywords
  • NERC_DDC
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otherRestrictions Other restrictions
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The copyright of materials derived from the British Geological Survey's work is vested in the Natural Environment Research Council [NERC]. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a retrieval system of any nature, without the prior permission of the copyright holder, via the BGS Intellectual Property Rights Manager. Use by customers of information provided by the BGS, is at the customer's own risk. In view of the disparate sources of information at BGS's disposal, including such material donated to BGS, that BGS accepts in good faith as being accurate, the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) gives no warranty, expressed or implied, as to the quality or accuracy of the information supplied, or to the information's suitability for any use. NERC/BGS accepts no liability whatever in respect of loss, damage, injury or other occurence however caused.
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Available under the Open Government Licence subject to the following acknowledgement accompanying the reproduced NERC materials "Contains NERC materials ©NERC [year]"
Metadata language
English English
Topic category
  • Geoscientific information
Geographic identifier
YUCATAN PENINSULA [id=799700]

 

Date ( Creation )
1979

N
S
E
W


Supplemental Information
ICDP drilling of Chicxulub crater

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  • MS Excel ()

OnLine resource
https://www.bgs.ac.uk/services/ngdc/accessions/index.html#item120691  
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dataset Dataset
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dataset

Conformance result

Date ( Publication )
2011
Explanation
See the referenced specification
Pass
false

Conformance result

Date ( Publication )
2010-12-08
Explanation
See http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2010:323:0011:0102:EN:PDF
Pass
false
Statement
Staining and counting. See: Morgan J. et al. Proceedings of the International Ocean Discovery Program: Chicxulub: Drilling the K-Pg Impact Crater. Volume 364, IODP (2018).

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78815d18-4d54-6f3e-e054-002128a47908   XML
Metadata language
English English
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dataset Dataset
Date stamp
2021-04-09
Metadata standard version
2.3

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http://data.bgs.ac.uk/id/dataHolding/13607393
 
 

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