Biogeochemical cycling of iron and magnesium in tropical serpentine soils and their relationship with carbonate biomineralisation and methanogenesis

The natural biogeochemical cycling of Fe and Mg as major elements in lateritic soils is integral to the serpentine ecosystems associated. The Santa Elena Ophiolite in the Pacific coast of Costa Rica has been proposed as a model area to study the natural geomicrobiology of serpentine soils as it is a protected ecological area that is subjected to active tropical lateritic soil formation from serpentinized peridotites. The aim of this study was to analyse the biogeochemical cycling of Fe and Mg in three serpentine soil types from Santa Elena Ophiolite area, following their geochemical-landscape classification.