Geomicrobiology

right|thumb|300px|The bright colors of Grand Prismatic Spring in [[Yellowstone National Park are produced by thermophiles, a type of extremophile.]]

GFAJ-1 is a strain of rod-shaped bacteria in the family Halomonadaceae. It is an extremophile that was isolated from the hypersaline and alkaline Mono Lake in eastern California by geobiologist Felisa Wolfe-Simon, a NASA research fellow in residence at the US Geological Survey. In a 2010 Science journal publication, the authors claimed that the microbe, when starved of phosphorus, is capable of substituting arsenic for a small percentage of its phosphorus to sustain its growth. Immediately after publication, other microbiologists and biochemists expressed doubt about this claim, which was robu

red-colored seep of saltwater flowing from Taylor Glacier in Antarctica

microorganisms which "breathe" sulfates

thumb|Structures found on meteorite fragment Allan Hills 84001

Halomonadaceae is a family of halophilic Pseudomonadota.

thumb|The coccolithophore [[Gephyrocapsa oceanica may become an important carbon sink as the acidity of the ocean increases.]] Geomicrobiology is the scientific field at the intersection of geology and microbiology and is a major subfield of geobiology. It concerns the role of microbes on geological and geochemical processes and effects of minerals and metals to microbial growth, activity and survival. Such interactions occur in the geosphere (rocks, minerals, soils, and sediments), the atmosphere and the hydrosphere. Geomicrobiology studies microorganisms that are driving the Earth's biogeoch

Halotolerance is the ability of organisms to live in salt concentrations beyond which is necessary for their growth. Halotolerant species are found in saline waters and soils. Halotolerant microorganisms include bacteria, archaea, and fungi. Halophilic microorganisms require salt to grow; halotolerant organisms may be classified as some degree halophilic, but are often contrasted from halophiles because halotolerant organisms do not require a high-salinity environment. Halotolerant microorganisms are of considerable biotechnological interest as their roles in saline ecosystems remains unknown.

Biogeophysics is a subdiscipline of geophysics concerned with how plants, microbial activity and other organisms alter geologic materials and affect geophysical signatures.

life in the deep subsurface of the Earth

composite construction material with elemental sulfur as a binder