Do we dare open it?
Ancient groundwater provides clues about alien worlds
Uranium and other radioactive elements were naturally formed in the rocks surrounding the groundwater. The presence of these elements provides new clues as to how the groundwater played a role as a power generator for chemolithotrophic groups of cohabitating microorganisms that are known to live in the Earth's deep subsurface.
The radiation from these elements breaks apart water molecules in a process called radiolysis, which produces large concentrations of hydrogen. Hydrogen, meanwhile, is a vital energy source for subsurface microbial life that has no access to energy from the sun for photosynthesis. The researchers found that radiogenic helium diffuses up from the deep Earth with impressive efficiency. "Solid materials such as plastic, stainless steel, and evenare eventually penetrated by diffusing helium, much like the deflation of a helium-filled balloon," Warr explained."Our results show that diffusion has provided a way for 75 to 82 percent of the helium and neon originally produced by the radiogenic reactions to be transported through the overlying crust.
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