The 2015 annual meeting was held on July 15 in IACT (Granada, Spain), with attendees: Juan Manuel Garcia Ruiz, Juan Morales, Cristóbal Verdugo, Alfonso García Caballero, Manolis Giampouras, Julian Opel, Francisca Espinosa, and Luis González. During that meeting, the Ph.D student Manolis Giampouras gave a presentation on the working plan of his thesis on “Mg and Ca carbonate and hydroxide precipitation in serpentinite-hosted alkaline environments”. Also, Luis González presented the main results of a study…
Read MoreFirst annual meeting of Prometheus
The first annual meeting of the Prometheus project was held on 16-17 September 16-17, 2014, in IACT (Granada, Spain). Prof. Juan Manuel Garcia Ruiz introduced the general aspects related to the ”Pattern formation and mineral self-organization in highly alkaline natural environments”. Other important scientists gave talks on related subjects including: The geochemistry of potential environments for the origin of life on the early Earth; Organic compounds in serpentinization scenarios; Precipitation of calcium carbonate; Silica gardens;…
Read More”Something in the water” by Till Lucat
In the following link you can find the available information on the book ”Algo en el agua”: https://www.westindies.eu/2020/01/18/algo-en-el-agua/
Read More2001: THE CRYSTAL MONOLITH
2001: IL MONOLITO DI CRISTALLO by Juan Manuel García-Ruiz Humans are fascinated by crystals since the primitive era, and even today they are considered to have a mysterious power. Available the article in pdf here: 2020 JuanMa Garcia-Ruiz RUIZ_p.98-101 2001 Il monolitoL
Read MoreIdentifying microbial life in rocks: Insights from population morphometry
Rouillard, J., García-Ruiz, J. M., Kah, L., Gérard, E., Barrier, L., Nabhan, S., … & van Zuilen, M. A. (2019). Identifying microbial life in rocks: Insights from population morphometry. Geobiology. Download here: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/gbi.12377 The identification of cellular life in the rock record is problematic, since microbial life forms, and particularly bacteria, lack sufficient morphologic complexity to be effectively distinguished from certain abiogenic features in rocks. Examples include organic pore‐fillings, hydrocarbon‐containing fluid inclusions, organic coatings on exfoliated…
Read MoreField trip to Ronda peridotites (Malaga, Spain)
A second field trip to the Ronda peridotites was carried out on the 2-5th May 2016 in order to investigate in more details the geochemistry of the alkaline waters and the occurring mineralization. We collected several water and solid samples to examine the chemical profiles of river and hyperalkaline spring waters, as well as the phases and textures of the present carbonate minerals. Finally, we conducted an additional field trip to the alkaline springs in…
Read MoreA big ”Thank you” to all the ERC officials from the members of the Prometheus project
ERC (European Research Council) projects have earned an excellent reputation within and outside Europe. They are difficult projects to obtain, but once you get one, you can understand that they are designed specifically for the leading scientists of each project and the people who are going to carry them out. It is evident that the ERC officials are there to help and facilitate the research under a strict framework of legality. From the evaluation to…
Read MoreOn the controls of mineral assemblages and textures in alkaline springs, Samail Ophiolite, Oman
Giampouras, M., Garrido, C. J., Bach, W., Los, C., Fussmann, D., Monien, P., & García-Ruiz, J. M. (2020). On the controls of mineral assemblages and textures in alkaline springs, Samail Ophiolite, Oman. Chemical Geology, 533, 119435. Download here: https://reader.elsevier.com/reader/sd/pii/S0009254119305649?token=FACA37743A2F972AE2B911F77A8DCCDEACF06A0C63789FD0DBD05292BFA1840E2464C5ECD037CC97ADD42D8E8A33CEDC Interactions between meteoric water and ultramafic rocks in the Oman Ophiolite generate waters of variable physicochemical characteristics. The discharge of these waters forms complex alkaline pool networks, in which mineral precipitation is triggered by mixing, evaporation, and uptake…
Read MoreGeochemistry and mineralogy of serpentinization-driven hyperalkaline springs in the Ronda peridotites
Giampouras, M., Garrido, C. J., Zwicker, J., Vadillo, I., Smrzka, D., Bach, W., … & García-Ruiz, J. M. (2019). Geochemistry and mineralogy of serpentinization-driven hyperalkaline springs in the Ronda peridotites. Lithos, 350, 105215. Download here: https://reader.elsevier.com/reader/sd/pii/S0024493719303743?token=F0784FC81F5A036EDA8C552FF36661EC672B7D471A5884AAF2A4DC869AEB9BAD907638B73D29C64A5FA0E30461D5CCD4 We present a detailed study of the water geochemistry, mineralogy and textures in serpentinization-related hyperalkaline springs in the Ronda peridotites. Ronda waters can be classified into hyperalkaline fluids and river waters that are broadly similar to Ca2+–OH– and Mg2+–HCO3– water types described in…
Read MoreA Polyextreme Hydrothermal System Controlled by Iron: The Case of Dallol at the Afar Triangle
Kotopoulou, E., Delgado Huertas, A., Garcia-Ruiz, J. M., Dominguez-Vera, J. M., Lopez-Garcia, J. M., Guerra-Tschuschke, I., & Rull, F. (2018). A Polyextreme hydrothermal system controlled by iron: the case of Dallol at the Afar triangle. ACS Earth and Space Chemistry, 3(1), 90-99. Download here: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdf/10.1021/acsearthspacechem.8b00141 One of the latest volcanic features of the Erta Ale range at the Afar Triangle (NE Ethiopia) has created a polyextreme hydrothermal system located at the Danakil depression on top of a…
Read More