Ancient Aqueous Environments at Endeavour Crater, Mars

Arvidson, R. E.; Squyres, S. W.; Bell, James F.; Catalano, Jeffrey G.; Clark, B. C.; Crumpler, L. S.; Souza, P. A. de; Fairén, Alberto González; Farrand, W. H.; Fox, V. K.; Gellert, R.; Ghosh, A.; Golombek, M. P.; Grotzinger, J. P.; Guinness, E. A.; Herkenhoff, K. E.; Jolliff, Bradley L.; Knoll, Andrew H.; Li, R.; McLennan, Scott M.; Ming, D. W.; Mittlefehldt, David W.; Moore, J. M.; Morris, R. V.; Murchie, S. L.; Parker, T. J.; Paulsen, G.; Rice, J. W.; Ruff, Steven W.; Smith, M. D.; Wolff, Michael

doi:10.1126/science.1248097

Cited by 180 publications

(256 citation statements)

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“…Mineral assemblages such as jarosite suggest that acidic, oxidizing, and saline conditions once prevailed at Gusev Crater and Meridiani Planum (Hurowitz and McLennan, 2007). Smectite signatures associated with fine-grained, layered rocks containing spherules indicate aqueous environments of slightly acidic to circumneutral pH in the Endeavour Crater, which would have been more favorable for prebiotic chemistry and microorganisms than those recorded by younger sulfate-rich rocks at Meridiani Planum (Arvidson et al, 2014). The mineralogy at Yellowknife Bay, Gale Crater, indicates a habitable fluviolacustrine environment characterized by neutral pH and low salinity and variable redox states of both sulfur and iron species .…”

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confidence: 99%

“…) and orbiter, lander, and rover missions have provided detailed insight on its mineralogy and therewith its evolution and habitability (e.g., Hanslmeier, 2009;Arvidson et al, 2014;. While current conditions on the surface of Mars are hostile to life and the persistence of biomarkers, conditions in the past were more compatible with life.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…The presence of evaporite minerals and hydrated silicate minerals is indicative of past aqueous activity (Meslin et al, 2013). Martian mineralogy is diverse and spatially variable, with iron oxides (magnetite and hematite), iron oxyhydroxides (goethite and ferrihydrite), iron sulfides, silicates (feldspar, olivine, pyroxene, and plagioclase), evaporites (sulfates, e.g., jarosite and gypsum), carbonates, clay minerals (phyllosilicates; e.g., montmorillonite and kaolinite), and quartz (e.g., Squyres et al, 2004aSquyres et al, , 2004bPoulet et al, 2005;Grady, 2008;Mustard et al, 2008;Bish et al, 2013;Arvidson et al, 2014;Vaniman et al, 2014). Mineral assemblages such as jarosite suggest that acidic, oxidizing, and saline conditions once prevailed at Gusev Crater and Meridiani Planum (Hurowitz and McLennan, 2007).…”

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confidence: 99%

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The Significance of Microbe-Mineral-Biomarker Interactions in the Detection of Life on Mars and Beyond

Röling¹,

Aerts²,

Patty³

et al. 2015

Astrobiology

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The detection of biomarkers plays a central role in our effort to establish whether there is, or was, life beyond Earth. In this review, we address the importance of considering mineralogy in relation to the selection of locations and biomarker detection methodologies with characteristics most promising for exploration. We review relevant mineral-biomarker and mineral-microbe interactions. The local mineralogy on a particular planet reflects its past and current environmental conditions and allows a habitability assessment by comparison with life under extreme conditions on Earth. The type of mineral significantly influences the potential abundances and types of biomarkers and microorganisms containing these biomarkers. The strong adsorptive power of some minerals aids in the preservation of biomarkers and may have been important in the origin of life. On the other hand, this strong adsorption as well as oxidizing properties of minerals can interfere with efficient extraction and detection of biomarkers. Differences in mechanisms of adsorption and in properties of minerals and biomarkers suggest that it will be difficult to design a single extraction procedure for a wide range of biomarkers. While on Mars samples can be used for direct detection of biomarkers such as nucleic acids, amino acids, and lipids, on other planetary bodies remote spectrometric detection of biosignatures has to be relied upon. The interpretation of spectral signatures of photosynthesis can also be affected by local mineralogy. We identify current gaps in our knowledge and indicate how they may be filled to improve the chances of detecting biomarkers on Mars and beyond.

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confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

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The Significance of Microbe-Mineral-Biomarker Interactions in the Detection of Life on Mars and Beyond

Röling¹,

Aerts²,

Patty³

et al. 2015

Astrobiology

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“…extreme halophiles | Euryarchaeota | carbon monoxide | Mars regolith T he search for past or extant microbial life remains a focal point for astrobiological research on Mars and elsewhere (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8). Orbiting and rover-based explorations have emphasized historical and contemporary distributions of liquid water as central elements of theories about when, where, and under what conditions life might have existed or continues to exist on Mars.…”

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confidence: 99%

Carbon monoxide as a metabolic energy source for extremely halophilic microbes: Implications for microbial activity in Mars regolith

King

2015

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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Carbon monoxide occurs at relatively high concentrations (≥800 parts per million) in Mars' atmosphere, where it represents a potentially significant energy source that could fuel metabolism by a localized putative surface or near-surface microbiota. However, the plausibility of CO oxidation under conditions relevant for Mars in its past or at present has not been evaluated. Results from diverse terrestrial brines and saline soils provide the first documentation, to our knowledge, of active CO uptake at water potentials (−41 MPa to −117 MPa) that might occur in putative brines at recurrent slope lineae (RSL) on Mars. Results from two extremely halophilic isolates complement the field observations. Halorubrum str. BV1, isolated from the Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah (to our knowledge, the first documented extremely halophilic CO-oxidizing member of the Euryarchaeota), consumed CO in a salt-saturated medium with a water potential of −39.6 MPa; activity was reduced by only 28% relative to activity at its optimum water potential of −11 MPa. A proteobacterial isolate from hypersaline Mono Lake, California, Alkalilimnicola ehrlichii MLHE-1, also oxidized CO at low water potentials (−19 MPa), at temperatures within ranges reported for RSL, and under oxic, suboxic (0.2% oxygen), and anoxic conditions (oxygen-free with nitrate). MLHE-1 was unaffected by magnesium perchlorate or low atmospheric pressure (10 mbar). These results collectively establish the potential for microbial CO oxidation under conditions that might obtain at local scales (e.g., RSL) on contemporary Mars and at larger spatial scales earlier in Mars' history. Geological, geochemical, and geomorphological observations have provided definitive evidence for large, ancient fluvial systems that might have been conducive to life (8-13), but the timing, temperature, and composition of surface water have been controversial (14-17). Although unequivocal evidence for contemporary liquid water reservoirs has not yet been obtained, experimental evidence suggests plausible conditions under which brines might form (18), and observations from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter suggest that recurring slope lineae (RSL) at latitudes between 32°S and 48°S might develop in association with seasonally moderate conditions during late spring-summer (19-21). McEwen et al. (19) have proposed that these features can be best explained by near-surface liquid water brines that form between temperatures of about −10°C and 25°C during late spring-summer.However, even if liquid water was at one time or is now sufficient to support microbial life, energy sources that could sustain metabolism in near-surface regolith have not been identified. Although the 1976 Viking lander results appeared to exclude surface organic matter (e.g., 22, 23), recent evidence suggests that low organic matter levels might indeed occur in some deposits (e.g., 12). Even so, it is uncertain whether this material exists in a form or concentrations suitable for microbial use.The Martian atmosphere has largely been ign...

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“…Conversely, geological explorations of Meridiani Planum by the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity suggest that the Martian paleoenvironment was likely to have been acidic, arid and oxidizing (Squyres & Knoll 2005;Hurowitz & McLennan 2007;Ehlmann et al 2011), while the salinity, ionic strength and chaotropic activity were potentially higher than the tolerance levels of current terrestrial organisms (Tosca et al 2008;Ball & Hallsworth 2015;Fox-Powell et al 2016). These factors may have collectively posed difficulties for subsequent prebiotic chemical reactions and abiogenesis to occur on ancient Mars , although the environmental conditions at the Endeavour and Gale craters during the Noachian and/or Hesperian eras were possibly more favorable for the emergence of life (Arvidson et al 2014;Hurowitz et al 2017). …”

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The Propitious Role of Solar Energetic Particles in the Origin of Life

Lingam

Dong

Fang

et al. 2018

ApJ

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We carry out 3-D numerical simulations to assess the penetration and bombardment effects of Solar Energetic Particles (SEPs), i.e. high-energy particle bursts during large flares and superflares, on ancient and current Mars. We demonstrate that the deposition of SEPs is non-uniform at the planetary surface, and that the corresponding energy flux is lower than other sources postulated to have influenced the origin of life. Nevertheless, SEPs may have been capable of facilitating the synthesis of a wide range of vital organic molecules (e.g. nucleobases and amino acids). Owing to the relatively high efficiency of these pathways, the overall yields might be comparable to (or even exceed) the values predicted for some conventional sources such as electrical discharges and exogenous delivery by meteorites. We also suggest that SEPs could have played a role in enabling the initiation of lightning. A notable corollary of our work is that SEPs may constitute an important mechanism for prebiotic synthesis on exoplanets around M-dwarfs, thereby mitigating the deficiency of biologically active ultraviolet radiation on these planets. Although there are several uncertainties associated with (exo)planetary environments and prebiotic chemical pathways, our study illustrates that SEPs represent a potentially important factor in understanding the origin of life.

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Ancient Aqueous Environments at Endeavour Crater, Mars

Cited by 180 publications

References 34 publications

The Significance of Microbe-Mineral-Biomarker Interactions in the Detection of Life on Mars and Beyond

The Significance of Microbe-Mineral-Biomarker Interactions in the Detection of Life on Mars and Beyond

Carbon monoxide as a metabolic energy source for extremely halophilic microbes: Implications for microbial activity in Mars regolith

The Propitious Role of Solar Energetic Particles in the Origin of Life

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