Karst and Cave Studies: Lava Tubes | Karst and Cave Studies | University of New Mexico

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Lava Tubes

Wooly

Having a fluffy character or appearance, dense and matted

Threads

Filamentous-like structures 100 nm in diameter

Subhedral

Displaying one to two complete or partial crystal faces

Striations

Parallel lines on crystal faces

Stellate

Spheroid with radiating symmetrical protrusions

Spheroid

Spheres and less than perfect spheres

Segmented

Distinct segments denoted by pinching in between segments, like a string of sausages

Roots

Images taken of roots

Rods

Varying length cylindrical shape, does not necessarily imply biological

Polyp

Structure consisting of a rounded head which grows outward from a broad base or stalk, a protuberance

Pinched

Filament or spheroid shape with pinched waist, suggesting cell division. Implies single shape, not multiple (see segmented)

Overview

Any image showing an overview, zoomed out view

Ordered

Repeating structured pattern, such as ordered rods

Knobby

Small knob like protrusions from filaments or other shapes

Hollow

Structures that appear to be hollow inside, such as a filament

Grapes

Several spheroid bodies grouped together like a bunch of grapes. Called botryoidal in biology but not geology.

Film

Smooth, very thin sheet

Filaments

Elongate, curved feature, generally 1-2 µm wide and 1-20µm long

Felted

Composed of strands, fibers, or needles woven together (like felt cloth)

Dimpled

Spheroid or other irregular shape that has a dimple in it, possibly indicating collapse, not including filaments

Debris

Non-specific textured with some vertical relief

Cracked

When substrate appears cracked

Bridging

Film or filaments that bridge between minerals

Attaching

Putative microbial morphologies attaching to minerals

Aggregate

Formation of separate units gathered into a mass

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Scanning electron photomicrographs of microbial life forms from lava tubes. Morphology examples are displayed and explained above.

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