Geomicrobiologists study microbial interactions with earth materials: soils, sediments, solutes, atmospheric gases, minerals, and rocks. They see microorganisms as agents of geologic and environmental change, and the earth system as a crucible for the evolution of life. They explore how microorganisms shape earth's environment in the present and over geologic time scales, and are at the forefront of efforts to explore the uncharted microbial world. There are important links between geomicrobiology and astrobiology (the study of life in the universe), the origin of life, paleobiology, nanoscience, soil science, limnology, oceanography, global climate change, medical microbiology, and environmental engineering.

cave microbiology

methane oxidation

lipid biogeochemistry

deep biosphere genomics