An extinct Red Sea brine pool preserves evidence that microbial activity can enrich deep-sea sediments with metals and trace elements, and that these deposits can persist in the geological record. Analyses of an active nearby pool suggest microbe-mineral interactions may drive enrichment up to 117× above background, with the Hume Deep last active roughly 2,000 to 16,000 years ago. [agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com]
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