Geomicrobiology Lab
NASA Astrobiological Institute

The Geomicrobiology lab is located on the first floor in the Mineral Science and Engineering Complex (MSEC) at New Mexico Institute of Mining & Technology. Our research group focuses on cave studies, geomicrobiology and astrobiology. We investigate the biogenicity of minerals in secondary cave deposits and perform laboratory demonstrations of microbial precipitation of these minerals. This involves various culturing techniques and biomineralization microcosms depending on the environment and mineral compositions. We focus primarily on calcite, copper, iron, and manganese mineral precipitation within caves and other surface environments, such as moonmilk and desert varnish. Other research includes microbial corrosion of bedrocks and non-consumptive exoenzyme assays for microorganism detection on rocks, buildings/monuments, unconsolidated materials, and waters.