Research on N-bearing micro-nanoparticles in the earth’s deep interior: new forms of existence and migration in the nitrogen cycle

Nitrogen (N) is vital for life and widely distributed in Earth’s crust, mantle, and core. Current knowledge is largely limited to surficial biological N cycling, with poorly constrained deep geological cycling and its carrier forms. Here we used transmission electron microscopy to characterize micro-nanoparticles in fault gases and geothermal fluids. We report abundant N-bearing micro-nanoparticles with diverse morphologies, sizes, compositions, and crystallinity in both sample types. This disco