EPS Colloquium: Magdalena Osburn

Geobiology of the Deep Subsurface Biosphere

The deep continental subsurface harbors a vast array of microbal life. These habitats range from those fueled by exogenous inputs of carbon and oxygen from surficial environments, to those living independently off of rocks and chemicals supplied by geological processes. My talk will focus on one such system, the Deep Mine Microbial Observatory in the former Homestake Gold Mine, SD USA. My team established this network to monitor the long-term geobiology of microbes living from 800 to 4850 feet underground. I will present results from a 2-year time series featuring geochemistry and DNA sequencing, as well as our current efforts to cultivate these fascinating organisms both in situ and in the laboratory.