Some bacteria break down minerals, while others make them.

Geologists are studying bacteria nowadays. It's not that the rock hounds have gone soft. Instead, they've found that geological processes once attributed solely to simple inorganic chemistry have microbial fingerprints all over them. In rocky venues ranging from abandoned mines in California to water wells in Bangladesh to hydrothermal vents on the seafloor, bacteria are at work. If the microbes aren't driving the underlying chemical reactions in those places, they're at least taking advantage of the energy that's being released by these reactions.

Researchers are finding that bacteria living on the seafloor may be key players in the chemical reactions that slowly transform the rocks there, and in the process, help balance ocean chemistry. Others are discovering that microbes can create tiny mineral particles by extracting exceedingly small concentrations of dissolved metals from the fluids that course through soils and sediments. In at least one instance, bacteria probably created a significant deposit of high-value mineral ore.

Geochemists are finding that mineral-eating bacteria can be partly to blame for major environmental problems. For instance, when mines go bust, they often leave behind a mix of water and minerals that bacteria can convert into acidic runoff that's deadly to plants and animals.

It's the presence of particular microbes that really aggravate the situation.

For instance, the oxidation of iron exposed by mining typically takes place more slowly in acidic conditions than in solutions with neutral pH. However, acid-tolerant microorganisms can accelerate the oxidation reaction and harness the energy it provides. This process also speeds up the mineral breakdown and releases up to 10 times as many metal ions into the water as sterile acid runoff would.

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