The Conversation (0)
WIRED.com reported that a Colorado School of Mines professor is examining how the presence of humans at Freeport-McMoRan Inc.’s (NYSE:FCX) Henderson mine has altered its “geochemical and geobiological reality.”
WIRED.com reported that a Colorado School of Mines professor is examining how the presence of humans at Freeport-McMoRan Inc.’s (NYSE:FCX) Henderson mine has altered its “geochemical and geobiological reality.”
Henderson is North America’s largest molybdenum producer.
As quoted in the market news:
Reflecting on years of mine-based microbiological work at the International Society of Subsurface Microbiology conference, [Professor John] Spear showed that the human presence in the mine has pervasively altered the Henderson’s geochemical and geobiological reality. The lake at the bottom of the mine – where fluid from throughout the operation collects – contained abundant nitrate and nitrite chemicals, which Spear attributes to episodes of TNT blasting.
The anthropogenic impact on mine microbiology was also apparent when the team of scientists examined the array of species inhabiting the mine’s rock walls. At one collection site, 10% of the recovered organisms – a relatively large number for a site of moderate diversity – belonged to the Ascomycota fungal phylum, which is a common stowaway on human skin. The fungal prevalence in such a remote location was surprising, as microbiologists tend to focus on Bacteria and Archaea rather than the more complicated eukaryotic organisms. ‘When we look for life in the subsurface,’ Spear cautioned, ‘we can’t forget about the Eukaryotes. They’re around, but we just don’t hear much about them.’