In taxonomy, the Korarchaeota are a phylum of the Archaea.^[1]

The Korarchaeota are a group of Archaea known only from 16S rRNA gene sequences obtained from samples of high temperature hydrothermal environments. Analysis of their 16S rRNA gene sequences suggests that they are not a member of the main archaeal groups, Crenarchaeota and Euryarchaeota. However, it is possible that Korarchaeota do not actually form a separate group, but are simply organisms where the 16S rRNA genes have undergone rapid or unusual mutations. The metabolic processes of Korarchaeota, including how they generate energy and obtain carbon, are currently unknown. The genome of one korarchaeote that was enriched from a mixed culture has recently been sequenced.^[2]

Photo: Scanning electron micrograph of the Obsidian Pool enrichment culture