Evidence of deep subsurface sulfur cycle in a sediment core from eastern Arabian Sea

Abstract. Anaerobic microbial sulfate reduction and oxidative sulfur cycling have been studied in long sediment cores mainly acquired as part of IODP explorations. The most remarkable observation in many of these studies is the existence of an active sulfur cycle in the deep subsurface sediments that have very low organic carbon content and are presumably refractory. Here we investigate the interstitial sulfate concentrations and sulfur isotope ratios in a 290 m long core collected from the eastern Arabian Sea at a water depth of 2663 m. Continuous decrease in pore water-sulfate concentrations with depth (up to 75 mbsf) coupled with enrichment in δ³⁴S_SO4 values suggests organoclastic sulfate reduction (OSR) processes attributed to the activity of sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) and retention of labile organic substrates amenable to the SRBs. Below a depth of 75 mbsf, the absence of a further reduction in sulfate concentrations indicates insufficient labile substrate to drive SRB. An increase in sulfate concentrations at the deeper subsurface (below 128.5 mbsf) coupled with decreasing δ³⁴S_SO4 values may be attributed to a ferric-oxyhydroxide driven oxidation of Fe-sulfide. This study reveals that even under deep aerobic water columns, organic matter may continue to be a source of labile organic substrates at significantly deeper subsurface. Enhanced sulfate concentrations in the deeper depths may be attributed to the oxidation of sulfides via ferric-oxyhydroxides buried deep within the sediment. A microbiological investigation may reveal further details of the sulfur cycle at the deep surface.