Tag: ta1.1

20-EPN2-066: From Geitafell volcano (Iceland) to Mars: How hydrothermal alteration of basalt can guide our understanding of habitable environments on Mars

Visit by Julia Semprich and Geoff Austin, Open University (UK), to TA1 – Iceland Field Sites, MATIS
Dates of visit: 21 September – 01 October 2022

Hydrothermal systems provide conditions and nutrients for microbial life and thus have the potential to create subsurface habitats on Mars. Characteristic minerals associated with these hydrothermal systems have been detected on Mars’ surface by spectral observations from orbit, but their formation conditions and spatial distribution remain unknown. The aim of this study was a detailed characterisation of the spatial distribution and mineral chemistry of the low-grade metamorphic/hydrothermal alteration mineralogy in an extinct hydrothermal system.

Field work was conducted at the Geitafell central volcano near Hoffell in the south-eastern part of Iceland, an ideal analogue for Mars. The focus of this research was to record spatial relationships between the basaltic host rocks and the hydrothermal alteration in the field and to sample characteristic low-grade metamorphic minerals, which have also been detected on Mars.

We collected 19 samples from different alteration zones within the hydrothermal system including veins and vesicular basalt showing a range of alteration minerals such as carbonates, quartz, zeolites, chlorite, prehnite, epidote, andradite, and actinolite. We will now be able to conduct a detailed study of the samples including petrography, mineral chemistry, and spectroscopy, which can then be used to further constrain our models of hydrothermal alteration on Mars.

We expect this research to be highly relevant to the study of hydrothermal systems on Mars and particularly for sample return once the Perseverance Rover reaches the rim of Jezero Crater, which likely exposed hydrothermally altered rocks.

Banner image: View towards Hoffellsjökull glacier. CC BY-SA 3.0 (Gummao)

20-EPN2-105: Uncrewed Aerial System (UAS) and LiDAR Survey of Relict and Active Periglacial Patterned Ground as Analogues for Mars

Visit by Paul Knightly, Northern Arizona University (USA), and Shannon Hibbard, JPL (USA), to TA1 – Iceland Field Sites, MATIS
Dates of visit: 22-31 August 2022

Uncrewed aerial system (UAS) and LiDAR surveys were performed at periglacial patterned ground sites, including polygons terrain and stone circles, in the Westfjords and Central Highlands, Iceland during the 2022 site field season. Shallow trenches (up to 1 m depth) were excavated to gather in­situ measurements and observations to determine the presence or absence of permafrost and substrate characteristics. No permafrost was observed at either site suggesting the features may be periglacially relict. The processed UAS and LiDAR data will be used to perform morphometric evaluations of patterned ground at each site and compared to previously collected and analyzed morphometric evaluations of periglacially active patterned ground in the Canadian Arctic. The objective of this work is to develop a set of morphometric criteria for distinguishing between active and relict patterned ground. The developed criteria may help inform on the current level (or absence of) periglacial activity and ice content of patterned ground on Mars.

Read the full scientific report, with kind permission from Paul Knightly.

20-EPN2-099: Bioaerosol generation at geothermal systems: Implications for the detection of biosignatures in cryovolcanic plumes at the ocean worlds

Visit by Mark Fox-Powell and Claire Batty, Open University (UK) to TA1 – Iceland Field Sites, MATIS
Dates of visit: 27 July – 09 August 2022

The aim of our project was to capture and study microscopic aerosols ejected from bubbling or geysering geothermal springs in Iceland. Our primary motivation was to understand the potential for biosignatures to become entrained within cryovolcanic plumes at icy moons, such as Saturn’s moon Enceladus, where similar bubbling of hydrothermal gases is thought to drive the formation of aerosols that are then accelerated into space. Fieldwork was conducted at geothermal systems in Iceland in July and August 2022 by a team from the Open University (UK).

We focused our aerosol sampling efforts on two locations that exhibit contrasting aerosolisation regimes: Olkelduhals hot springs, Hverageroi, which exhibit constant, moderate bubbling of geothermal gases, and Strokkur, Geysir, which experiences regular energetic geyser eruptions. Our aerosol flux monitoring showed that geothermal springs are prolific local sources of aerosols, producing fluxes orders of magnitude above background levels. We also found that aerosol production is tightly controlled by bubbling and/or eruption activity.

Successful replicate sample sets were taken at upwind locations to characterise the background aerosol environment, and at multiple downwind locations to capture geothermal aerosols. We also took samples of spring fluids, as the assumed local aerosol sources, and geothermal gases, which are responsible for driving bubbling activity. Ongoing work is investigating the chemical composition, biomass content and microbial diversity of aerosols, and the volatile profiles of geothermal gases. Our data will provide the first insights from natural analogues into the formation of aerosols within cryovolcanic plumes.

Read the full scientific report, with kind permission from Mark Fox-Powell.

20-EPN2-120: A Molecular Toolkit to Hunt and Resolve Fungal Dark Matter (FDM) in Extreme Planetary Environments

Visit by Ali Nawaz and Christian Wurzbacher, Technical University of Munich (Germany) to TA1 – Iceland Field Sites, MATIS
Dates of visit: 19 – 23 July 2022

Fungi are amazing but largely enigmatic creatures with huge diversity and biological potential in any conceivable ecosystem known so far. This holds for our planet, but this also seems true for outer space and other planetary bodies. However, we do not know what kind of extremophile fungi are or have been growing on other planets.

To have a clue, we need to explore extreme analogue sites on our planet using novel and advanced methods. Therefore, we here propose to collect and study samples from various extreme habitats of Iceland using a unique combination of Laser-microdissection of single cells and long-read sequencing to fully resolve the Fungal Dark Matter of Mars-analogue extreme sites in Iceland.

We believe that the outputs of this project will bring novel fungal species into scientific arena and the findings of this proposal will help the broader general scientific community dealing with AstroMycology in specific, and Astrobiology in general, to rightly speculate on the capabilities and limitations of microbial life in extreme environments and correlate it with the conditions of other planets.

Read the full scientific report, with kind permission from Ali Nawaz.