Microbial methanogenesis fueled by freshwater infiltration and oil biodegradation in the Siljan impact structure, Sweden

Abstract

Deeply fractured rocks of meteorite impact craters are suggested as prime niches for subsurface microbial colonization. Methane can be a product of such microbial communities and seeps of methane from impact craters on Earth are of strong interest as they act as analogs for Mars. Previous studies report signs of ancient microbial methanogenesis in the Devonian Siljan meteorite impact structure in Sweden, but the proportion of microbial methane, metabolic pathways, and potential modern activity remain elusive. In this study, gas composition, hydrochemistry, oil organic geochemistry, and microbial community analyses are reported in 400 m deep fractures of the Siljan impact structure. The results showed a dominantly microbial origin for methane, which was supported by highly negative δ13CCH4 and positive δ13CCO2 values along with multiply substituted isotopologues (Δ13CH3D) that indicated disequilibrium fractionation due to microbial kinetic isotope effects. The presence of C2 to C5 hydrocarbons suggested a minor thermogenic input in the gas mix. Characterization of the microbial community via 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing and real-time PCR indicated a low abundance of several methanogenic archaeal populations, which is common for settings with active methanogenesis. Evidence of oil biodegradation suggested that secondary microbial hydrocarbon utilization was involved in the methanogenesis. Low sulfate and high alkalinity in the groundwaters also suggested a dominantly microbial methane formation driven by infiltration of freshwater that was coupled to sulfate reduction and secondary utilization of early mature thermogenic hydrocarbons.