Volatile organic compounds (VOC) are known to be contaminants originating in industrial processes and materials, as well as a reason for substandard indoor air, but they are also formed in nature, including wetlands, forests, volcanoes and hydrothermal vents.
Volatile organic compounds (VOC) are known to be contaminants originating in industrial processes and materials, as well as a reason for substandard indoor air, but they are also formed in nature, including wetlands, forests, volcanoes and hydrothermal vents.
Researchers from the University of Helsinki and VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland took gas and microbial samples from a deep borehole drilled by the Geological Survey of Finland (GTK) for research purposes in an area known for its ore deposits in Outokumpu.
A wide range of natural VOCs were found in bedrock groundwater from depths ranging between 500 and 2,300 metres.
Prior to this, little information was available on the VOCs detected in crystalline bedrock and its uncontaminated groundwater. The results were recently published in the Communications Earth & Environment journal.
Read more at University of Helsinki
Image: The Outokumpu borehole from above. It is a A 2,516-metre deep vertical window, 22 cm in diameter, to crystalline bedrock dating back 1.9 billion years. (Credit: Riikka Kietäväinen)
