Uncovering Hidden Microbial Diversity in Nitrate/Iodide Deposits (NIDs) in the Domeyko District, Atacama Desert, Chile
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2024
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Unique worldwide, nitrate/iodine deposits (NIDs) are located along a 700 km geological
belt in the Atacama Desert, Chile. They serve as the primary source of mineral ores for the extraction
of iodine, sodium, and potassium nitrates. NIDs have been relatively underexplored from a biological
perspective. To address this, we collected sixteen soil samples from abandoned mines in Oficinas
Pissis and Savona for chemical, mineralogical, and metagenomic analyses. The soils primarily
consisted of halite and darapskite, with only one sample being predominantly composed of thenardite.
Deliquescence and water activity measurements yielded values ranging from 0.02% to 0.40% and
0.47 to 0.62, respectively. To investigate the presence, identification, relative abundance, and diversity
of microbial life in NID soils, we employed MiSeq high-throughput sequencing and bioinformatic
tools. The dominant phyla observed were Firmicutes and Proteobacteria, with Actinobacteria and
Cyanobacteria being predominant in two soil samples. Furthermore, we detected nitrate/perchloratereducing
bacterial activity in enriched cultures from the soil samples. This study sheds light on
the resilience of microbial life in the Atacama Desert NIDs, providing compelling evidence for its
existence and offering insight into factors that could facilitate it within this unique environment.