GeoMicrobiology

Catalog description

Description: Microbes have altered Earth's landscape over the past 3.5 billion years driving biogeochemical cycles and are still shaping our planet's surface. This course explores how microbes control geochemical processes and how geochemistry influences microbes. Course topics will cover microbe-mineral interactions, extremophiles, redox-geochemistry, enhanced oil and gas recovery, microbial metabolism and the diversity of microbial lifestyles. Students will gain an overview of methods used for the detection and identification of microorganisms in geological materials. This course is a journey along deep-sea sediments, hydrothermal systems, oil and gas reservoirs, agricultural soils, caves, Mars and many more.