Tag: ta1-report

20-EPN-003: Production and Early Preservation of Biosignatures in Glaciovolcanic Lakes: A Biogeochemical Analogue for Mars

Visit by Erin Gibbons and Richard Leveille, McGill University (Canada) to TA1 – Iceland Field Sites, MATIS
Dates of visit: 28 May – 08 June 2022

The search for extraterrestrial life, either extinct or extant, on Mars is a key objective for several international space exploration programmes. To maximise the likelihood of success for these programmes, we must first study ecosystems on Earth that resemble those on Mars and investigate both the kinds of organisms that can survive there and the processes that control their ultimate preservation/fossilisation in the rock record.

We proposed that the geothermally-heated lake Gengissig, located in the Highlands of Iceland, represented an ideal natural laboratory within which to conduct a Mars-centric taphonomic study. Geologically, this setting provides an excellent analogue for Mars because the basaltic bedrock has a bulk chemical composition that is similar to the rocks measured on Mars by past and current rovers, thereby allowing us to study how signs of life may be preserved by the rock types common on Mars. Furthermore, this remote location is nearly devoid of multicellular life-forms and is isolated from anthropogenic input, providing a pristine ecosystem to study the fossilisation processes expected to be encountered on Mars – those operating on microbial life. 

We collected water, rock, and lake sediment samples to investigate the site. We intentwill use a combined genomic, stable isotope, and geochemical approach to investigate the indigenous microbial communities and their ultimate fossilisation in this Mars-like terrain.  the results of which will be immediately relevant towards directing current and upcoming Mars rovers towards sites on Mars most likely to retain signs of ancient extraterrestrial life.

Read the full scientific report, with kind permission from Erin Gibbons.

20-EPN2-122: IceSCOPE – Iceland Subsurface Classification of Organics, PAHs, and Elements

Visit by Pablo Sobron and Kirby Simon, Impossible Sensing (US) to TA1 – Iceland Field Sites, MATIS
Dates of visit: 15-18 May 2022

The recent volcanic eruption at Geldingadalir in 2021 serves as an ideal analog for studying the biogeochemistry of volcanism on other planetary bodies with active (e.g. Io) and/or extinct (e.g. Mars) volcanic systems. Along with this, comparative analog studies between a recently-active volcano like Geldingadalir and old lava fields present throughout Iceland will provide meaningful context in understanding (1) the conditions necessary for microorganisms to colonise lifeless or barren environments and (2) how life transforms the environment, which has implications in the search for extant or extinct life in our solar system.

Our technology demonstration focused on the deployment of ruggedised, handheld spectroscopic tools for surveying the biology and chemistry present in the lava fields. We deployed a gamma ray spectrometer and laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) instrument to assess the elemental composition of the natural samples, an ultraviolet (UV) fluorescence imager to investigate organic signatures on the rock surfaces, and a near-infrared (NIR) reflectance spectrometer for determining mineralogy and molecular bonding structures.

We collected co-registered spectroscopic measurements on >5 samples throughout the Geldingadalir lava field and at a control field nearby, and surveyed >10 additional surface and subsurface features throughout the lava field with one or more of the instruments. At the conclusion of the work, we had collected >1000 UV fluorescence images, 10s of NIR reflectance and LIBS spectra, and >10 gamma ray measurements.

Highlights of the project: Demonstration of a scientific payload for astrobiological research in volcanic environments and new understanding of microbial colonisation of fresh basalt.

Read the full scientifc report, with kind permission from Pablo Sobron and Kirby Simon.

21-EPN-FT1-018: Biogeochemistry in extreme environments: assessing analogues to early Earth environmental conditions in high-altitude hypersaline Andean lakes

Visit by Alexandra Rodler, Austrian Academy of Sciences (Austria) to TA1.6 Argentinia Andes (Argentina).
Dates of visit: 11-16 December 2022

Microbial activity leaves fingerprints in the sedimentary record, for example, by changes in trace element and isotope ratios. If distinguishable from purely abiotic processes, these traces can potentially be used as biosignatures for geobiological and astrobiological research. Modern analogue environments are useful for better understanding traces of microbial life in the geologic record. This can help to define search criteria for potentially habitable environments on other terrestrial planets. The test site for this project is the Precambrian-analogue TA1 Facility 6 in the Argentinian Andes. This is a shallow lake system with extensive microbial mats, hypersaline conditions at slight acidity, with extreme temperature fluctuations and high-UV ray influx.

Using samples from this site, this project compares between chemically- and microbially influenced carbonate precipitation to further explore if trace element behaviour is related to biological processes, and if specific elements can be used as potential biosignatures. Furthermore, this project investigates trace element behaviour along redox gradients between hydrogenetic and diagenetic microbialite growth. To address if certain elements can serve as biosignatures, we pair petrographic/mineralogical approaches with high-resolution sampling for analysing trace elements as well as redox-sensitive elements and their stable isotopes. The results of this work are integrated in ongoing work focused on the geochemistry of carbonate phases of modern and ancient microbialites as well as the ongoing microbiological work including microbial diversity and metagenomics at this site. This ensures that the results are integrated in and compatible with these diverse fields of research.

20-EPN-24: Spectral investigation of the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans as planetary analog for ancient fluvio-lacustrine environments on Mars

Visit by Katrin Stephan and Ernst Hauber, DLR Institute of Planetary Research (Germany) to TA1.5 Makgadikgadi Salt Pans (Botswana).
Dates of visit: 30 July – 08 August 2022

Sedimentary environments on Mars display evidence for phyllosilicates and salts. The identification and characterisation of such minerals within ancient lacustrine environments on Mars is key to resolving its past habitability. Due to their geologic importance and their potential to preserve bio signatures (e.g. organic compounds), such deposits are prime targets for lander missions (e.g. Mars2020 and Exomars). To identify promising investigation areas and landing sites spectrometers working in the visible-near Infrared (VNIR) wavelength range are extremely useful to identify and map the surface composition of Mars and other planetary surfaces (Mars Express Omega, MRO CRISM< Cassini VIMS, Dawn VIR etc).

The Makgadikgadi Salt Pans of Botswana offer access to a depocenter in a closed basin that is characterised by clastic and chemical sediments. They are therefore an ideal analogue to collect in situ spectra at a terrestrial analogue to martian sedimentary deposits and to collect samples for investigation in the laboratory by other techniques (e.g. Raman spectroscopy). Katrin Stephan and Ernst Hauber (DLR) spent 9 days at the pans and measures a divers range of surfaces at 22 locations with a portable field spectrometer. For most of the measured sites and subsides (at most of the locations, several measurements were performed), samples were collected for further investigation in the laboratory. In parallel with the field measurements, we analyse satellite data to be able to tie the field data not only to laboratory measurements, but also to remote sensing data as we would do in planetary science.

20-EPN-28: 20-EPN-28: Microbial adaptation in the hypersaline environment of Sua Pan Evaporator Ponds in Botswana and implications for search for life on Mars

Visit by Claudia Pacelli, Italian Space Agency (Italy) and Alessia Cassaro, University of Tuscia (Italy) to TA1.5 Makgadikgadi Salt Pans (Botswana).
Dates of visit: 12-21 July 2022

The current conditions of the Martian surface are considered prohibitive for life as we know it, due to strong radiation, highly oxidizing conditions, concentrated evaporative salts, and relatively low water activity. The Earth hosts a multitude of extreme environments whose physico-chemical properties partly match extraterrestrial planetary bodies (e.g. Mars). Such environments are defined “analogue sites” and may offer critical test-bed for astrobiological studies in characterising the physical and chemical boundaries within which life may exist on Earth and in assessing the habitability of other planets, understanding the biological mechanisms for survival in extreme environments.
For example, the Makgadikgadi desert, located in north central Botswana is considered one
of the largest deserts on Earth, where the salts concentration is up to 21% of NaCl. These
conditions may be compared with those detected on Mars.

Here, the main aim of this Europlanet project was to collect soil samples of Makgadikgadi salt pans in order to i) understand the adaptations of microbial systems to extreme conditions in natural terrestrial environments, ii) correlate the biodiversity with the geological context. This study is of significant interest to astrobiology investigations, allowing to assess the effects of hypersaline environment on the survival potential of microorganism and to understand if hypothetical life-forms may exist or have existed on Mars, where the concentration of chlorate salts has been detected in many different locations, from 1970s.

Report Summary:

Read the full report, published with kind permission by Dr Pacelli and Dr Cassaro.

220-EPN2-85: Preservation of Organic Matter in Paleo-Mega Lakes: Implications for Martian Biosignatures

Visit by Charlotte Spencer-Jones, Durham University, (UK) to TA1.5 Makgadikgadi Salt Pans (Botswana).
Dates of visit: 20-29 April 2022

The geological history of Mars indicates that this planet has transitioned between conditions that
could have supported life. Extensive fluvial features on the Martian surface provides evidence for
the presence of water in Martian history and suggests that Mars may have been habitable during
the Noachian period (4.1-3.7 Ga). Therefore, establishing a suite of relevant and robust
biosignatures diagnostic for past life remains one of the key methods for detecting extinct Martian
lifeforms. Organic compounds are the fundamental building blocks of all terrestrial life and are
widespread throughout the solar system with structurally diverse organic compounds detected in
a range of extra-terrestrial samples.

The main aims of this fieldwork campaign (20-EPN2-085) were to collect a range of samples,
including sediments, biofilms, and salts from the Makgadikgadi basin with accompanying physical
data from the basin. The second phase of this study will characterise organic compounds within
the samples. The outcome of this work will be to establish the key parameters that control organic
compound preservation within Martian analogue environments. These results will determine
biosignatures that could be identified during future Mars missions (e.g. ExoMars 2020) and thus
highlight the mineralogies present that have the highest preservation potential for biosignatures.

Report Summary:

Read the full report, published with kind permission by Dr Spencer-Jones.

20-EPN-61: Life in extreme environments: Distribution and importance of far-red light driven photosynthesis to primary production in Martian-like environments

Visit by Dennis Nürnberg, Freie Universität Berlin, (Germany) and Daniel Canniffe, Liverpool University (UK) to TA1.5 Makgadikgadi Salt Pans (Botswana).
Dates of visit: 10-19 February 2022

The aim of this project was to confirm the richness and abundance of chlorophyll f-containing cyanobacteria, and their ability to use low-energy light to perform oxygenic photosynthesis in Martian-like environments. This study was a follow-up to a 2019 sampling trip to the sabkhas of the Western Sahara (Morocco), for which we could show that chlorophyll f-cyanobacteria are highly abundant. Here we expanded this research by collecting samples from the hypersaline environments of the Sua and Ntwetwe Pans in Makgadikgadi (Botswana). Microbial mat and rock samples containing endolithic and hypolithic phototrophs were collected. Light microscopy on site confirmed the abundance of cyanobacteria of various morphologies in most collected samples. The microbial mat samples were especially rich in cyanobacteria, forming a 1-2 mm thick layer at various depths depending on the absorption properties of the top layer.

Preliminary analyses with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) in combination with hyperspectral confocal fluorescence microscopy confirmed the presence of red-shifted chlorophylls in some of these samples but to less extent as observed in the sabkhas. Genomic DNA has been extracted and will be used for sequencing and phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA and specific far-red light genes. This will allow to fully evaluate the microbial diversity and their ability to perform chlorophyll f-driven oxygenic photosynthesis. In addition, the enrichment and isolation process of new chlorophyll f-containing cyanobacteria has been started by transferring the samples to growth media of various salinity and keeping them under selective far-red light illumination.

Report Summary:

Read full report, published with kind permission by Dr Nürnberg and Dr Canniffe.

20-EPN2-121: Constraining the movement of groundwater and fluid expulsion within playa environments on Mars

Visit by Gene Schmidt, Università degli Studi Roma Tre (Italy) and Erica Luzzi, Jacobs University (Germany) to TA1.5 Makgadikgadi Salt Pans (Botswana).
Dates of visit: 20-27 October 2021

Across the surface of Mars there is evidence of past lacustrine and evaporitic environments found within basins and craters, where often layered sedimentary deposits and hydrated minerals are observed. However, the intensity, duration and precise phases of water cycle activity during this period remain unresolved. Although several geological processes and locations on Earth have been previously proposed as examples to describe these deposits on Mars, we lack a strong visualisation of what water activity might have looked like during evaportic stages within basins and craters. The Makgadikgadi Salt Pans of Botswana, where once the Makgadikgadi Lake existed, is a present evaporitic environment rich in hydrated minerals and water activity. It is a depression located at the southwestern end of a northeast-southwest set of graben. Faults have been previously proposed to have been pathways for groundwater to enter basins and craters on Mars, which then contributed to both the deposition and alteration of the sedimentary deposits. Thus, imaging the subsurface of a similar environment on Earth can help us to better understand how water processes on Mars might have continued as the Martian global climate became drier.

By using the already established locations of the faults to the north of the pans, we used remote sensing techniques to trace the best location of the faults underneath the pans (Figures 1 and 2). We then used electrical resistivity surveys to image 70 – 150 m of the pans’ subsurface where the faults were deemed most likely to occur. This work allows us to better understand the possibilities of what the underlying lithology of rocks within filled basins and craters might look like. Furthermore, it demonstrates the scientific importance of future missions to employ subsurface imaging techniques on Mars.

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20-EPN2-046: Characterising dust lifting events using the ground-based Mars-2020-RDS and ExoMars-2022-SIS radiometers

Visit by Daniel Toledo, INTA (Spain) to TA1.5 AU Makgadikgadi Salt Pans (Botswana).
Dates of visit: 29 September – 06 October 2021

Report Summary:

On Mars, the airborne dust is a critical factor that drives the weather and climate of the planet. Dust devils are thought to account for the ~50 % of the total dust budget, and they represent a continuous source of dust, present even outside the dust storms period. For these reasons they have been proposed as the main mechanism able to sustain the observed dust haze of the martian atmosphere. However, additional dust devil surveys covering long diurnal periods are needed to place quantitative constraints on the cycles of these events. In this regard, the present and future observations of the Radiation and Dust Sensor (RDS) and the Sun Irradiance Sensor (SIS), which are part of NASA Mars 2020 and ESA/Roscosmos ExoMars 2022 missions, offer a unique opportunity to monitoring dust devils at high temporal resolution from sunrise to sunset, and with an excellent spatial coverage.

The main goal of the field campaign in the Makgadikgadi Salts Pans (20-EPN2-065) was to study dust lifting events using the spare units of RDS and SIS. During the campaign (29 Sept to 6 Oct 2021), a large number of dust devils (>10) and dust lifting events produced by wind gusts (>10) were observed by RDS and SIS sensors. For each case, information on distance, size, temporal duration and direction was registered. This information along with observations made by other instruments (e.g. wind speed and direction), have allowed us to study the potential RDS and SIS capabilities for dust lifting characterisation on Mars.

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20-EPN2-046: Investigating molecular and isotopic fingerprints of life on Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS) cryo-ecosystems with astrobiological interest for icy worlds.

Visit by Laura Sánchez-García, Centro de Astrobiología (INTA-CSIC), Madrid, Spain, to TA1.4 AU Greenland Kangerlussuaq Field Site (Greenland).
Dates of visit: 19-25 July 2021

Report Summary:

Glacial systems are interesting for studying habitability and limits of life. They are extreme environments where indigenous microorganisms may survive prolonged exposure to sub-zero temperatures and background radiation for geological timescales. Glaciers and the surrounding cryo-environments (permafrost, glacial lakes, or melting streams) arise as relevant scenarios for studying the development of functional microbial cryo-ecosystems and may have implications in the search for past or extant life in icy worlds beyond the Earth. In the Solar System, Europa and Enceladus have been recognized as the icy worlds with highest likelihood to harbor life, largely because liquid water could be in contact with rocks. Both satellites are believed to contain a global ocean of salty water under a rigid icy crust that would provide the scenario for an interaction between briny water and rocks, and the conditions for life to arise.

The permanent Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS) represents a possible analog of such icy worlds, constituting an important long-term repository of psychrophilic microorganisms. Around the GrIS, different formations such as glacial lakes, permafrost, or further peat soils represent diverse degree of succession upon the influence of the GrIS and its thermal destabilisation.

We propose investigating molecular and isotopic lipid biomarkers of microorganisms inhabiting different cryo-ecosystems at and around the GrIS to obtain clues of a potential life development on analogous extraterrestrial cold environments (ice sheet), and learning how ecosystems evolves (biological succession) when the ice cover retreats and gets exposed to the atmosphere (glacier-melting streams, bedrock-erosion sediments, lake sediments, glacial soils).

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20-EPN2-046: Dust-carbon-climate feedbacks tested through detailed independent dating of Arctic wind-blown dust sequences on Greenland.

Visit by Thomas Stevens, Uppsala University (Sweden) to TA1.4 AU Greenland Kangerlussuaq Field Site (Greenland).
Dates of visit: 19-25 July 2021

Report Summary: The aim of this field campaign was to investigate the dynamics of aeolian mineral dust activity and organic carbon burial in western Greenland. Dust is an important component of the global climate system, and investigating its mobilisation, transport and deposition can reveal important information about regional climate and environmental development during the Holocene. Carbon burial in permafrost is one of the main mechanisms by which carbon is sequestered from the atmosphere, and may be linked to dust activity in high latitudes. The work focused on the area between the Greenland Ice Sheet margin and Kangerlussuaq, which represents a range of environmental conditions depending on distance from the ice sheet. We collected modern analogue samples of terrestrial windblown dust (loess) deposits to test and compare the performance of optically stimulated luminescence and radiocarbon dating. These samples were taken at a high-resolution from the surface of the deposits and thus represent recent aeolian activity. Furthermore, we targeted aeolian deposits containing palaeosol layers to be able to independently compare radiocarbon and luminescence ages, and to identify climate phases which were favourable for soil formation and carbon burial. In addition to purely aeolian sediments, peat bogs were also sampled.

These highly organic deposits complement the nearly purely minerogenic loess deposits because they effectively capture and preserve fine-grained wind-blown sediments. Further analysis of these samples and the use of different climate and carbon burial proxies will reveal important details of the regional climate history, dust-carbon burial dynamics, and provide insights into ice-proximal wind dynamics.

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20-EPN-089: UPSIDES – Unravelling icy Planetary Surfaces: 
Insights on their tectonic DEformation from field Survey.

Visit by Costanza Rossi, INAF – Astronomical Observatory of Padova (Italy) to TA1.4 AU Greenland Kangerlussuaq Field Site (Greenland).
Dates of visit: 19-25 July 2021

Report Summary: The Isunguata Sermia and Russell glaciers represent optimal analogues for the study of deformation in glacial environments and their comparison with deformation that affects the icy satellites of Jupiter and Saturn. The aim of UPSIDES project concerns the relation of tectonic structures from the outcrop to the regional scale with multi-scalar investigation which can provide significant support for planetary analysis. The collection of field data has been significant to find scaling laws between tectonic structures in glaciers and in icy satellite surfaces, and the behaviour at depth of their tectonic structures.

The successful fieldwork in the Kangerlussuaq area enabled the identification of tectonic structures in representative areas of the Isunguata Sermia (southern margin) and Russell glaciers (northern margin and terminus). More than 250 data have been collected from 31 field measurement stations including high dip- and low dip-structures, originated by different stress fields caused by the westward flow of both glaciers. We recognized high dip-extensional fractures approximately E-W and NE-SW trending at the Russell glacier. On the other hand, NNW-SSE trending fractures and low-angle faults, such as compressional thrusts/shear planes, have been detected at the Isunguata Sermia. From satellite imagery and aerial photos, we detected consistent structural orientations with the structures identified in outcrop. A similar correlation will be applied to the structures recognised by remote sensing on the icy satellites. Additionally, at the outcrop scale we identified structures acting as preferential way of fluid circulation. We performed measurements also in rock outcrops near the glacier to understand the relationship between bedrock morpho-tectonics and ice drainage that in turn control the measured glacial deformation.

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20-EPN-017: LITRASV – Life in TRAvertine-Sinter Veins: a possible key to recognize extra-terrestrial life in tectonically-driven depositional systems.

Visit by Enrico Capezzuoli, University of Florence and Andrea Brogi, University of Bari (Italy) to TA1 – Iceland Field Sites, MATIS
Dates of visit: 04-10 July 2021

Report Summary: Detailed study of travertine and sinter depositional systems and related feeder conduits (veins) in cold desertic setting (Lýsuhóll and Hveravellir sites- Iceland), as possible repository of subsurface life to be observed in extra-terrestrial setting. The performed field activity allows reconstruction of the structural control in these sinter/travertine depositional systems, with stratigraphic-sedimentological characterisation of the travertine-sinter lithofacies. 16 travertine/sinter samples were collected from the two sites, together with the basic physical characterization of the thermal springs (T, pH, Cond). Due to the local conditions, all the collected samples derive from fossil/inactive systems (veins and crusts samples). Among these, one sample derives from a sinter vein recognized in the Lýsuhóll site, while all other derive from fossil vents or close surroundings.

Samples returned to Italy for future petrographic and geochemical characterization in order to detect and define possible organic presence in such an extreme environment.

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