Astrobiological significance of minerals on Mars surface environment

Martínez‐Frías, Jesús; Amaral, G. A.; Vázquez, Luis

doi:10.1007/978-1-4020-6285-8_4

Cited by 6 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 77 publications

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“…Stable conditions in these environments lead to the formation and preservation of secondary mineral deposits, which may harbour chemical compounds produced by living organisms or derived from other biogenic organic compounds reflective of the processes by which the minerals formed or of any biological activity in the environment (such biotic chemicals will be referred to as bio/organic compounds). Owing to the thin atmosphere and weak magnetic field, the upper few metres of the Martian surface are constantly bombarded with ultraviolet radiation, gamma-rays and high-energy galactic cosmic particles (Benner et al 2000;Badhwar 2004;Martinez-Frias et al 2006;Parnell et al 2007). Lava tubes and caves on Mars would represent ideal locations to search for past evidence of aqueous and biological activity because these subsurface environments would offer protection from radiolytic degradation and diurnal temperature fluctuations (Boston et al 2001;Boston 2010;Léveillé & Datta 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evidence for biological activity in mineralization of secondary sulphate deposits in a basaltic environment: implications for the search for life in the Martian subsurface

Richardson

Hinman

Scott

2013

International Journal of Astrobiology

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Evidence of microbial activity associated with mineralization of secondary Na-sulphate minerals (thenardite, mirabilite) in the basaltic subsurface of Craters of the Moon National Monument (COM), Idaho were examined by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, laser desorption Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (LD-FTICR-MS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and isotope ratio mass spectrometry. Peaks suggestive of bio/organic compounds were observed in the secondary Na-sulphate deposits by LD-FTICR-MS. FTIR provided additional evidence for the presence of bio/organic compounds. Sulphur fractionation was explored to assist in determining if microbes may play a role in oxidizing sulphur. The presence of bio/organic compounds associated with Na-sulphate deposits, along with the necessity of oxidizing reduced sulphur to sulphate, suggests that biological activity may be involved in the formation of these secondary minerals. The secondary Na-sulphate minerals probably form from the overlying basalt through leached sodium ions and sulphate ions produced by bio-oxidation of Fe-sulphide minerals. Since the COM basalts are one of the most comparable terrestrial analogues for their Martian counterparts, the occurrence of biological activity in the formation of sulphate minerals at COM has direct implications for the search for life on Mars. In addition, the presence of caves on Mars suggests the importance of these environments as possible locations for growth and preservation of microbial activity. Therefore, understanding the physiochemical pathways of abiotic and biotic mineralization in the COM subsurface and similar basaltic settings has direct implications for the search for extinct or extant life on Mars.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evidence for biological activity in mineralization of secondary sulphate deposits in a basaltic environment: implications for the search for life in the Martian subsurface

Richardson

Hinman

Scott

2013

International Journal of Astrobiology

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“…Stoker & Bullock 1997). Subsequent changes in the terrestrial and Martian environment would have caused organisms to adopt various survival strategies, such as the colonization of new habitats and the adaptation of suitable protective mechanisms and strategies (Martinez-Frias et al 2006;Villar et al 2006;Edwards 2010). Subsequent changes in the terrestrial and Martian environment would have caused organisms to adopt various survival strategies, such as the colonization of new habitats and the adaptation of suitable protective mechanisms and strategies (Martinez-Frias et al 2006;Villar et al 2006;Edwards 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Gypsum can provide microbes with sufficient water to survive by retaining moisture, and this is especially relevant in polar deserts and hyper-arid climates (Wierzchos et al 2006). Colonization of the gypsum subsurface provides protection against environmental conditions (Villar et al 2006), and although terrestrial analogue environments are less harsh, analogues share characteristics in common with current day Mars (Martinez-Frias et al 2006). Colonization of the gypsum subsurface provides protection against environmental conditions (Villar et al 2006), and although terrestrial analogue environments are less harsh, analogues share characteristics in common with current day Mars (Martinez-Frias et al 2006).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, when life arose on the Earth ~3.8 Gyr ago, environmental conditions were probably similar to the environmental conditions experienced on early Mars, 3.5–4.0 Gyr ago (Davis & McKay 1996; McKay 1997; Holm & Andersson 2005; Cockell et al 2010; Edwards 2010). Subsequent changes in the terrestrial and Martian environment would have caused organisms to adopt various survival strategies, such as the colonization of new habitats and the adaptation of suitable protective mechanisms and strategies (Martinez-Frias et al 2006; Villar et al 2006; Edwards 2010). If life had previously existed on Mars before the planet became a cold desert, these organisms may have been similar to those living in extreme environments on present day Earth, and taken refuge in gypsum as cryptoendoliths (McKay 1997; Raulin & McKay 2002; Simoneit 2004; Delaye & Lazcano 2005; Edwards 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Gypsum-hosted endolithic communities of the Lake St. Martin impact structure, Manitoba, Canada: spectroscopic detectability and implications for Mars

Rhind

Ronholm

Berg

et al. 2014

International Journal of Astrobiology

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There is increasing evidence that Mars may have once been a habitable environment. Gypsum is targeted in the search for Martian biosignatures because it can host extensive cryptoendolithic communities in extreme terrestrial environments and is widespread on Mars. In this study the viability of using different spectroscopy-based techniques to identify the presence of gypsum endolithic communities was investigated by analysing various cryptoendoliths collected from the Lake St. Martin impact crater (LSM), a Mars analogue site found in Manitoba, Canada. Concurrently, the cryptoendolithic microbial community structure present was also analysed to aid in assigning spectroscopic features to microbial community members. Two main morphologies of endolithic communities were collected from gypsum deposits at LSM: true cryptoendolithic communities and annular deposits on partially buried boulders and cobbles <1 cm below the soil surface. Endolithic communities were found to be visibly present only in gypsum with a high degree of translucency and could occur as deep as 3 cm below the exterior surface. The bacterial community was dominated by a phylum (Chloroflexi) that has not been previously observed in gypsum endoliths. The exterior surfaces of gypsum boulders and cobbles are devoid of spectroscopic features attributable to organic molecules and detectable by reflectance, Raman, or ultraviolet-induced fluorescence spectroscopies. However, exposed interior surfaces show unique endolithic signatures detectable by each spectroscopic technique. This indicates that cryptoendolithic communities can be detected via spectroscopy-based techniques, provided they are either partially or fully exposed and enough photon-target interactions occur to enable detection.

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“…On Earth microbial colonizers abound in continental evaporite ecosystems. They can be either involved in specific biochemical processes, such as the oxidation of sulphides to sulphates, or they may just use the evaporite crusts and minerals as physical habitats (Rothschild, ; Rothschild et al ., ; Martinez‐Frias et al ., ); in both cases, they can leave some permanent record through the microbial lithification and/or the precipitation of minerals related to microbial metabolisms. Martian analogues of these environments might, therefore, have obvious interest in the search for traces of Martian life.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Continental evaporites and the search for evidence of life on Mars

Barbieri

Stivaletta

2011

Geological Journal

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Continental evaporites are deposits that originate from the evaporation of saline waters in the low areas of saline lakes from all continents, except Europe, and mainly consist of chloride, sulphate and potash minerals. In recent years, the discovery on the Martian surface of hydrated salt minerals, including sulphates and chlorides, interpreted as deriving from the desiccation of preexisting large bodies of water, such as lakes, has provided further convincing evidence of liquid water activity on the surface of Mars and, consequently, it has reinforced the plausibility of finding life. Because evaporites require short-term aqueous processes for their formation, they can trap and preserve over geologic times a biological record made up of halophilic extremophiles-such as microalgae, bacteria, and their remains-that recent research on Earth has shown to be characterized by unexpectedly high biodiversity. This record may consist of varying types of fossils, including morphological fossils, chemofossils and biominerals. As a consequence, continental evaporite environments and their saline deposits are now a primary target for the near future astrobiology missions devoted to the search for fossil Martian life. Lacustrine evaporite deposits and minerals have, therefore, been identified as primary targets for the NASA-ESA joint programme of the Mars sample return, planned for the end of the current decade.

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Astrobiological significance of minerals on Mars surface environment

Cited by 6 publications

References 77 publications

Evidence for biological activity in mineralization of secondary sulphate deposits in a basaltic environment: implications for the search for life in the Martian subsurface

Evidence for biological activity in mineralization of secondary sulphate deposits in a basaltic environment: implications for the search for life in the Martian subsurface

Gypsum-hosted endolithic communities of the Lake St. Martin impact structure, Manitoba, Canada: spectroscopic detectability and implications for Mars

Continental evaporites and the search for evidence of life on Mars

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