These new Archaea were discovered in a sediment core extracted by a research ship. The scientists analyzing the sample have surmised that the organisms are able to survive off of methane released from hydrocarbons in the stone. The tremendous heat and pressure at that depth cooks the fossil fuel, breaking it down into compounds potentially useful to the Archaea. How they arrived in the bedrock is also something of a mystery; the two leading theories are that they were brought down by water currents or that they have been living in the rock since the days it was formed millions of years ago. [Via the Guardian]
