Lithophile

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For Lithophile elements, see Goldschmidt classification.

Lithophiles are micro-organisms that can live within the pore interstices of sedimentary and even igneous (if they are cracked—no natural space in igneous) rocks to depths of several kilometers.

Some are known to live in surface rocks, and make use of photosynthesis for energy.

Those that live in deeper rocks cannot use photosynthesis to gather energy, but instead extract energy from minerals around them. They live in cracks in the rock where water seeps down. The water contains dissolved carbon dioxide (CO₂) which the organisms use for their carbon needs.^[1] They have been detected in rocks down to depths of nearly three km, where the temperature is approximately 75°C.

References

↑ Ecology of stone-encrusting organisms in the Greenland Sea—a review - Kuklinski - 2009 - Polar Research - Wiley Online Library

Extremophiles

Types

Notable
extremophiles

Bacteria	Chloroflexus aurantiacus Deinococcus radiodurans Deinococcus-Thermus Snottite Thermus aquaticus Thermus thermophilus Spirochaeta americana GFAJ-1

Archaea	Pyrococcus furiosus Strain 121 Pyrolobus fumarii

Animalia	Paralvinella sulfincola Halicephalobus mephisto Pompeii worm Tardigrada

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