(c) Sulfur steam cave SW3 Lassen, steam vapor clouds mix with air. (d) Salt cave site Hawai'i 5, rainwater-lava interaction result in salt cave deposits on the ceiling, wall and floor deep within Hawai'I 5. Mixed culture enrichments, pH 4.5, 55 °C, include abundant unknown thin filaments. (e) Iron steam vent site SW4 Lassen, unknown archaeon recovered and subcultured. (f) Measuring temperature in iron vent SW4 with mercury maximum recording thermometer. "/>
Figure 1.2 Steam deposit sampling sites: (a) Nonsulfur steam cave site Hawai’i 1, rising steam vapors fill the air to the left of the cave opening (arrow). Ammonia oxidizing archaea (AOA) clones recovered from H1. (b) Nonsulfur steam cave site SW1 Lassen, unknown spherical cell culture recovered and subcultured. (c) Sulfur steam cave SW3 Lassen, steam vapor clouds mix with air and deposit yellow S° inside cave and on outside rock surfaces. Sulfolobus cultures recovered from SW3 and subcultured, pH 4.5, 85 °C. (d) Salt cave site Hawai’i 5, rainwater-lava interaction result in salt cave deposits (white) on the ceiling, wall and floor deep within Hawai’i 5. Mixed culture enrichments, pH 4.5, 55 °C, include abundant unknown thin filaments. (e) Iron steam vent site SW4 Lassen, unknown archaeon recovered and subcultured. (f) Measuring temperature in iron vent SW4 with mercury maximum recording thermometer (arrow). B, E Cultures isolated and subcultured at pH 4.5, 80 °C; SW4 isolate was also subcultured at pH 3, 80 °C. (Image credit: the authors).
Table 1.2 Analysis of steam deposits in Hawai’i and Lassen fumaroles.1
| Analyte (mg L-1) | H1NS°C2 | SW1NS°C | SW4FeV3 |
| Na | 3.454 | 3.457 | 3.453 |
| Ca | 2.285 | 2.119 | 2.870 |
| Al | 1.024 | 1.258 | 2.006 |
| Fe (total) | 0.975 | 0.974 | 0.997 |
| Si | 18.579 | 21.932 | 25.706 |
| B | 0.697 | 0.723 | 0.760 |
| K | 2.864 | 3.965 | 3.401 |
| Mg | 0.119 | 0.138 | 0.945 |
| Zn | 0.0147 | 0.00455 | 0.0362 |
| Mn | 0.00604 | 0.00618 | 0.0256 |
| Mo | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Se | 0.0289 | 0.0242 | 0.0251 |
| Ni | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Pb | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Cr | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Cd | 0.00164 | 0.00178 | 0.00236 |
| Cu | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Hg | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| As (total) | 0.0242 | 0.0201 | 0.0209 |
| S | 0.0312 | 5.143 | 17.833 |
| Sr | 0.0832 | 0.00596 | 0.0187 |
| NO2/NO3, N-NO3 (µM) | 0.00 | 0.00 | 3.453 |
| NH4,N-NH4 (µM) | 19.550 | 79.023 | 5.780 |
| PO4,P-PO4 (µM) | 0.00 | 27.372 | 0.00 |
| SO4 (µM) | 0.00 | 0.00 | 222.0 |
| Conductivity (µScm-1) | 13.9 | 167.2 | 516 |
1 Analysis by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry and wet chemistry.
2 Column 1 Data from Bizzoco and Kelley [1.3].
3 Column 3 data from Bizzoco and Kelley [1.2].
H1NS°C, Hawai’i 1 nonsulfur cave, SW1NS°C Sulphur Works 1 nonsulfur cave, SW4FeV, Sulphur Works 4 iron vent.
The Hawai’i H1 sample (Figure 1.3a) was collected from a hard lava cave ceiling (Figure 1.2a) and contained strong peaks for aluminum (Al), silicon (Si) and iron (Fe). The aluminum peak was also formed by a smaller peak of iridium (Ir). Although characterized as a nonsulfur cave, a small sulfur (S) peak was present in the collected sample and was a characteristic of this cave site. Also observed was a strong peak for oxygen (O) and moderate peaks for titanium (Ti) and several biologically important elements, potassium (K), sodium (Na), magnesium
