Some like it hot... in the acidic mudpot
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Some like it hot... in the acidic mudpot

by Chiara Arrighi, University of Florence, Florence, Italy

Acidic mudpots dot the landscape in the geothermal area of Krafla caldera in the Mývatn region (Iceland). The acidic conditions and microorganisms are responsible for this biogeochemical process. The microorganisms convert hydrogen sulfide rising from the deep volcanic rock layers into sulfuric acid, which dissolves rock into clay.