1
|
Tarnas JD, Mustard JF, Sherwood Lollar B, Stamenković V, Cannon KM, Lorand JP, Onstott TC, Michalski JR, Warr O, Palumbo AM, Plesa AC. Earth-like Habitable Environments in the Subsurface of Mars. ASTROBIOLOGY 2021; 21:741-756. [PMID: 33885329 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2020.2386] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
In Earth's deep continental subsurface, where groundwaters are often isolated for >106 to 109 years, energy released by radionuclides within rock produces oxidants and reductants that drive metabolisms of non-photosynthetic microorganisms. Similar processes could support past and present life in the martian subsurface. Sulfate-reducing microorganisms are common in Earth's deep subsurface, often using hydrogen derived directly from radiolysis of pore water and sulfate derived from oxidation of rock-matrix-hosted sulfides by radiolytically derived oxidants. Radiolysis thus produces redox energy to support a deep biosphere in groundwaters isolated from surface substrate input for millions to billions of years on Earth. Here, we demonstrate that radiolysis by itself could produce sufficient redox energy to sustain a habitable environment in the subsurface of present-day Mars, one in which Earth-like microorganisms could survive wherever groundwater exists. We show that the source localities for many martian meteorites are capable of producing sufficient redox nutrients to sustain up to millions of sulfate-reducing microbial cells per kilogram rock via radiolysis alone, comparable to cell densities observed in many regions of Earth's deep subsurface. Additionally, we calculate variability in supportable sulfate-reducing cell densities between the martian meteorite source regions. Our results demonstrate that martian subsurface groundwaters, where present, would largely be habitable for sulfate-reducing bacteria from a redox energy perspective via radiolysis alone. We present evidence for crustal regions that could support especially high cell densities, including zones with high sulfide concentrations, which could be targeted by future subsurface exploration missions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- J D Tarnas
- Brown University Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences, Providence, Rhode Island, USA
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | - J F Mustard
- Brown University Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences, Providence, Rhode Island, USA
| | | | - V Stamenković
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | - K M Cannon
- Department of Geology and Geological Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Colorado, USA
- Space Resources Program, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Colorado, USA
| | - J-P Lorand
- Université de Nantes Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géodynamique de Nantes, Nantes, France
| | - T C Onstott
- Princeton University Department of Geosciences, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
| | - J R Michalski
- University of Hong Kong Division of Earth & Planetary Science, Hong Kong
| | - O Warr
- University of Toronto Department of Earth Sciences, Toronto, Canada
| | - A M Palumbo
- Brown University Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences, Providence, Rhode Island, USA
| | - A-C Plesa
- German Aerospace Center (DLR) Institute of Planetary Research, Berlin, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
MacDonald JG, Rodriguez K, Quirk S. An Oxygen Delivery Polymer Enhances Seed Germination in a Martian-like Environment. ASTROBIOLOGY 2020; 20:846-863. [PMID: 32196355 PMCID: PMC7368388 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2019.2056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2019] [Accepted: 02/13/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Critical to the success of establishing a sustainable human presence on Mars is the ability to economically grow crop plants. Several environmental factors make it difficult to fully rely on local resources for agriculture. These include nutrient sparse regolith, low and fluctuating temperatures, a high amount of ultraviolet radiation, and water trapped locally in the form of ice or metal oxides. While the 96% CO2 martian atmosphere is ideal to support photosynthesis, high CO2 concentrations inhibit germination. An added difficulty is the fact that a vast majority of crop plants require oxygen for germination. Here, we report the production of a polymer-based oxygen delivery system that supports the germination and growth of cress seeds (Lepidium sativum) in a martian regolith simulant under a martian atmosphere at 101 kPa. The oxygen-donating system is based on a low-density lightly cross-linked polyacrylate that is foamed and converted into a dry powder. It is lightweight, added in low amounts to regolith simulant, and efficiently donates enough oxygen throughout the volume of hydrated regolith simulant to fully support seed germination and plant growth. Germination rates, plant development, and plant mass are nearly identical for L. sativum grown in 100% CO2 in the presence of the oxygen-donating lightly cross-linked polyacrylate compared with plants grown in air. The polymer system also serves to protect root structures and better anchors plants in the regolith simulant.
Collapse
|
3
|
Moros J, ElFaham MM, Laserna JJ. Dual-Spectroscopy Platform for the Surveillance of Mars Mineralogy Using a Decisions Fusion Architecture on Simultaneous LIBS-Raman Data. Anal Chem 2018; 90:2079-2087. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.7b04124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Javier Moros
- Universidad de Málaga, Departamento de
Química Analítica, UMALASERLAB, 29010 Málaga, Spain
| | | | - J. Javier Laserna
- Universidad de Málaga, Departamento de
Química Analítica, UMALASERLAB, 29010 Málaga, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Lasne J, Noblet A, Szopa C, Navarro-González R, Cabane M, Poch O, Stalport F, François P, Atreya SK, Coll P. Oxidants at the Surface of Mars: A Review in Light of Recent Exploration Results. ASTROBIOLOGY 2016; 16:977-996. [PMID: 27925795 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2016.1502] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
In 1976, the Viking landers carried out the most comprehensive search for organics and microbial life in the martian regolith. Their results indicate that Mars' surface is lifeless and, surprisingly, depleted in organics at part-per-billion levels. Several biology experiments on the Viking landers gave controversial results that have since been explained by the presence of oxidizing agents on the surface of Mars. These oxidants may degrade abiotic or biological organics, resulting in their nondetection in the regolith. As several exploration missions currently focus on the detection of organics on Mars (or will do so in the near future), knowledge of the oxidative state of the surface is fundamental. It will allow for determination of the capability of organics to survive on a geological timescale, the most favorable places to seek them, and the best methods to process the samples collected at the surface. With this aim, we review the main oxidants assumed to be present on Mars, their possible formation pathways, and those laboratory studies in which their reactivity with organics under Mars-like conditions has been evaluated. Among the oxidants assumed to be present on Mars, only four have been detected so far: perchlorate ions (ClO4-) in salts, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in the atmosphere, and clays and metal oxides composing surface minerals. Clays have been suggested as catalysts for the oxidation of organics but are treated as oxidants in the following to keep the structure of this article straightforward. This work provides an insight into the oxidizing potential of the surface of Mars and an estimate of the stability of organic matter in an oxidizing environment. Key Words: Mars surface-Astrobiology-Oxidant-Chemical reactions. Astrobiology 16, 977-996.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- J Lasne
- 1 LISA, Universités Paris-Est Créteil and Paris Diderot, Institut Pierre Simon Laplace , CNRS UMR 7583, Créteil, France
| | - A Noblet
- 1 LISA, Universités Paris-Est Créteil and Paris Diderot, Institut Pierre Simon Laplace , CNRS UMR 7583, Créteil, France
| | - C Szopa
- 2 LATMOS, UPMC Université Paris 06, Université Versailles St Quentin , CNRS, Guyancourt, France
| | - R Navarro-González
- 3 Laboratorio de Química de Plasmas y Estudios Planetarios, Instituto de Ciencias Nucleares, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México , Ciudad de México, México
| | - M Cabane
- 2 LATMOS, UPMC Université Paris 06, Université Versailles St Quentin , CNRS, Guyancourt, France
| | - O Poch
- 1 LISA, Universités Paris-Est Créteil and Paris Diderot, Institut Pierre Simon Laplace , CNRS UMR 7583, Créteil, France
- 4 NCCR PlanetS, Physikalisches Institut, Universität Bern , Bern, Switzerland
| | - F Stalport
- 1 LISA, Universités Paris-Est Créteil and Paris Diderot, Institut Pierre Simon Laplace , CNRS UMR 7583, Créteil, France
| | - P François
- 1 LISA, Universités Paris-Est Créteil and Paris Diderot, Institut Pierre Simon Laplace , CNRS UMR 7583, Créteil, France
- 5 IC2MP, Equipe Eau Géochimie Santé, Université de Poitiers , CNRS UMR 7285, Poitiers, France
| | - S K Atreya
- 6 Department of Climate and Space Sciences, University of Michigan , Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - P Coll
- 1 LISA, Universités Paris-Est Créteil and Paris Diderot, Institut Pierre Simon Laplace , CNRS UMR 7583, Créteil, France
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Wu L, Brucker RP, Beard BL, Roden EE, Johnson CM. Iron isotope characteristics of Hot Springs at Chocolate Pots, Yellowstone National Park. ASTROBIOLOGY 2013; 13:1091-1101. [PMID: 24219169 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2013.0996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Chocolate Pots Hot Springs in Yellowstone National Park is a hydrothermal system that contains high aqueous ferrous iron [∼0.1 mM Fe(II)] at circumneutral pH conditions. This site provides an ideal field environment in which to test our understanding of Fe isotope fractionations derived from laboratory experiments. The Fe(III) oxides, mainly produced through Fe(II) oxidation by oxygen in the atmosphere, have high ⁵⁶Fe/⁵⁴Fe ratios compared with the aqueous Fe(II). However, the degree of fractionation is less than that expected in a closed system at isotopic equilibrium. We suggest two explanations for the observed Fe isotope compositions. One is that light Fe isotopes partition into a sorbed component and precipitate out on the Fe(III) oxide surfaces in the presence of silica. The other explanation is internal regeneration of isotopically heavy Fe(II) via dissimilatory Fe(III) reduction farther down the flow path as well as deeper within the mat materials. These findings provide evidence that silica plays an important role in governing Fe isotope fractionation factors between reduced and oxidized Fe. Under conditions of low ambient oxygen, such as may be found on early Earth or Mars, significantly larger Fe isotope variations are predicted, reflecting the more likely attainment of Fe isotope equilibrium associated with slower oxidation rates under low-O₂ conditions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lingling Wu
- 1 Department of Geoscience, University of Wisconsin-Madison , Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
6
|
Affiliation(s)
- Harry Y. McSween
- Planetary Geosciences Institute and Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996–1410, USA
| | - G. Jeffrey Taylor
- Hawai’i Institute for Geophysics and Planetology, University of Hawai’i at Manoa, Honolulu, HI, 96822, USA
| | - Michael B. Wyatt
- Department of Geological Sciences, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912–1846, USA
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Jouglet D, Poulet F, Milliken RE, Mustard JF, Bibring JP, Langevin Y, Gondet B, Gomez C. Hydration state of the Martian surface as seen by Mars Express OMEGA: 1. Analysis of the 3 μ
m hydration feature. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2007. [DOI: 10.1029/2006je002846] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- D. Jouglet
- Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale (IAS); Université Paris 11; Orsay France
| | - F. Poulet
- Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale (IAS); Université Paris 11; Orsay France
| | - R. E. Milliken
- Department of Geological Sciences; Brown University; Providence Rhode Island USA
| | - J. F. Mustard
- Department of Geological Sciences; Brown University; Providence Rhode Island USA
| | - J.-P. Bibring
- Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale (IAS); Université Paris 11; Orsay France
| | - Y. Langevin
- Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale (IAS); Université Paris 11; Orsay France
| | - B. Gondet
- Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale (IAS); Université Paris 11; Orsay France
| | - C. Gomez
- Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale (IAS); Université Paris 11; Orsay France
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Karunatillake S, Keller JM, Squyres SW, Boynton WV, Brückner J, Janes DM, Gasnault O, Newsom HE. Chemical compositions at Mars landing sites subject to Mars Odyssey Gamma Ray Spectrometer constraints. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2007. [DOI: 10.1029/2006je002859] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - John M. Keller
- Physics Department; California Polytechnic State University; San Luis Obispo California USA
| | | | - William V. Boynton
- Lunar and Planetary Laboratory; University of Arizona; Tucson Arizona USA
| | | | - Daniel M. Janes
- Lunar and Planetary Laboratory; University of Arizona; Tucson Arizona USA
| | - Olivier Gasnault
- Centre d'Etude Spatiale des Rayonnements/Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique/Université Paul Sabatier Toulouse; Toulouse France
| | - Horton E. Newsom
- Institute of Meteoritics and Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences; University of New Mexico; Albuquerque New Mexico USA
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Vaniman DT, Bish DL, Chipera SJ, Fialips CI, Carey JW, Feldman WC. Magnesium sulphate salts and the history of water on Mars. Nature 2004; 431:663-5. [PMID: 15470421 DOI: 10.1038/nature02973] [Citation(s) in RCA: 224] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2004] [Accepted: 08/25/2004] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Recent reports of approximately 30 wt% of sulphate within saline sediments on Mars--probably occurring in hydrated form--suggest a role for sulphates in accounting for equatorial H2O observed in a global survey by the Odyssey spacecraft. Among salt hydrates likely to be present, those of the MgSO4*nH2O series have many hydration states. Here we report the exposure of several of these phases to varied temperature, pressure and humidity to constrain their possible H2O contents under martian surface conditions. We found that crystalline structure and H2O content are dependent on temperature-pressure history, that an amorphous hydrated phase with slow dehydration kinetics forms at <1% relative humidity, and that equilibrium calculations may not reflect the true H2O-bearing potential of martian soils. Mg sulphate salts can retain sufficient H2O to explain a portion of the Odyssey observations. Because phases in the MgSO4*nH2O system are sensitive to temperature and humidity, they can reveal much about the history of water on Mars. However, their ease of transformation implies that salt hydrates collected on Mars will not be returned to Earth unmodified, and that accurate in situ analysis is imperative.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- David T Vaniman
- Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), MS D462, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545, USA.
| | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
10
|
Foley CN, Economou TE, Clayton RN, Dietrich W. Calibration of the Mars Pathfinder alpha proton X-ray spectrometer. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2003. [DOI: 10.1029/2002je002018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- C. Nicole Foley
- Laboratory for Astrophysics and Space Research; University of Chicago; Chicago Illinois USA
- Enrico Fermi Institute; University of Chicago; Chicago Illinois USA
- Department of the Geophysical Sciences; University of Chicago; Chicago Illinois USA
| | - Thanasis E. Economou
- Laboratory for Astrophysics and Space Research; University of Chicago; Chicago Illinois USA
- Enrico Fermi Institute; University of Chicago; Chicago Illinois USA
| | - Robert N. Clayton
- Enrico Fermi Institute; University of Chicago; Chicago Illinois USA
- Department of the Geophysical Sciences; University of Chicago; Chicago Illinois USA
- Department of Chemistry; University of Chicago; Chicago Illinois USA
| | - William Dietrich
- Laboratory for Astrophysics and Space Research; University of Chicago; Chicago Illinois USA
| |
Collapse
|