Endoliths and their implications

[Dave]

Endoliths are microbes that live in rock, up to miles deep in the Earths crust and at temperatures over 100^oC or down to -15^oC

I am listening to a BBC prog, Keep digging, about a project to drill into the mantle. They have said there may be a larger biomass in the Earth's crust, living within the grains of the rock itself as well as in cracks or other cavities, than there is on the surface.

There is also a vast amount of water locked up in the crystaline structure of some deep crustal rocks.

This, of course, has implications for life on other planets . . .



See here

[joeactor]

Life is pretty pervasive. Amazing stuff. The earth is alive...

[Dave]

Brain fail, first line should read:

Endoliths are microbes that live in rock, up to miles deep in the Earths crust and at temperatures over 100^oC or down to -15^oC