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Demaret L, Hutchinson IB, Ingley R, Edwards HGM, Fagel N, Compere P, Javaux EJ, Eppe G, Malherbe C. Fe-Rich Fossil Vents as Mars Analog Samples: Identification of Extinct Chimneys in Miocene Marine Sediments Using Raman Spectroscopy, X-Ray Diffraction, and Scanning Electron Microscopy-Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy. ASTROBIOLOGY 2022; 22:1081-1098. [PMID: 35704291 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2021.0128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
On Earth, the circulation of Fe-rich fluids in hydrothermal environments leads to characteristic iron mineral deposits, reflecting the pH and redox chemical conditions of the hydrothermal system, and is often associated with chemotroph microorganisms capable of deriving energy from chemical gradients. On Mars, iron-rich hydrothermal sites are considered to be potentially important astrobiological targets for searching evidence of life during exploration missions, such as the Mars 2020 and the ExoMars 2022 missions. In this study, an extinct hydrothermal chimney from the Jaroso hydrothermal system (SE Spain), considered an interesting geodynamic and mineralogical terrestrial analog for Mars, was analyzed using Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The sample consists of a fossil vent in a Miocene shallow-marine sedimentary deposit composed of a marl substrate, an iron-rich chimney pipe, and a central space filled with backfilling deposits and vent condensates. The iron crust is particularly striking due to the combined presence of molecular and morphological indications of a microbial colonization, including mineral microstructures (e.g., stalks, filaments), iron oxyhydroxide phases (altered goethite, ferrihydrite), and organic signatures (carotenoids, organopolymers). The clear identification of pigments by resonance Raman spectroscopy and the preservation of organics in association with iron oxyhydroxides by Raman microimaging demonstrate that the iron crust was indeed colonized by microbial communities. These analyses confirm that Raman spectroscopy is a powerful tool for documenting the habitability of such historical hydrothermal environments. Finally, based on the results obtained, we propose that the ancient iron-rich hydrothermal pipes should be recognized as singular terrestrial Mars analog specimens to support the preparatory work for robotic in situ exploration missions to Mars, as well as during the subsequent interpretation of data returned by those missions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucas Demaret
- Mass Spectrometry Laboratory, MolSys Research Unit, University of Liege, Liege, Belgium
- Early Life Traces & Evolution-Astrobiology, UR Astrobiology, University of Liege, Liege, Belgium
| | - Ian B Hutchinson
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom
| | - Richard Ingley
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom
| | - Howell G M Edwards
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom
| | - Nathalie Fagel
- Laboratory Argiles, Géochimie et Environnements Sédimentaires, University of Liege, Liege, Belgium
| | - Philippe Compere
- Laboratory of Functional and Evolutionary Morphology, UR FOCUS, and Centre for Applied Research and Education in Microscopy (CAREM), University of Liege, Liege, Belgium
| | - Emmanuelle J Javaux
- Early Life Traces & Evolution-Astrobiology, UR Astrobiology, University of Liege, Liege, Belgium
| | - Gauthier Eppe
- Mass Spectrometry Laboratory, MolSys Research Unit, University of Liege, Liege, Belgium
| | - Cédric Malherbe
- Mass Spectrometry Laboratory, MolSys Research Unit, University of Liege, Liege, Belgium
- Early Life Traces & Evolution-Astrobiology, UR Astrobiology, University of Liege, Liege, Belgium
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom
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Naranjo D. A scenario for the origin of life: Volume regulation by bacteriorhodopsin required extremely voltage sensitive Na‐channels and very selective K‐channels. Bioessays 2022; 44:e2100210. [DOI: 10.1002/bies.202100210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2021] [Revised: 07/20/2022] [Accepted: 07/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- David Naranjo
- Instituto de Neurociencia, Facultad de Ciencias Universidad de Valparaíso Playa Ancha Valparaíso Chile
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Kloprogge JT(T, Hartman H. Clays and the Origin of Life: The Experiments. Life (Basel) 2022; 12:259. [PMID: 35207546 PMCID: PMC8880559 DOI: 10.3390/life12020259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2021] [Revised: 01/08/2022] [Accepted: 02/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
There are three groups of scientists dominating the search for the origin of life: the organic chemists (the Soup), the molecular biologists (RNA world), and the inorganic chemists (metabolism and transient-state metal ions), all of which have experimental adjuncts. It is time for Clays and the Origin of Life to have its experimental adjunct. The clay data coming from Mars and carbonaceous chondrites have necessitated a review of the role that clays played in the origin of life on Earth. The data from Mars have suggested that Fe-clays such as nontronite, ferrous saponites, and several other clays were formed on early Mars when it had sufficient water. This raised the question of the possible role that these clays may have played in the origin of life on Mars. This has put clays front and center in the studies on the origin of life not only on Mars but also here on Earth. One of the major questions is: What was the catalytic role of Fe-clays in the origin and development of metabolism here on Earth? First, there is the recent finding of a chiral amino acid (isovaline) that formed on the surface of a clay mineral on several carbonaceous chondrites. This points to the formation of amino acids on the surface of clay minerals on carbonaceous chondrites from simpler molecules, e.g., CO2, NH3, and HCN. Additionally, there is the catalytic role of small organic molecules, such as dicarboxylic acids and amino acids found on carbonaceous chondrites, in the formation of Fe-clays themselves. Amino acids and nucleotides adsorb on clay surfaces on Earth and subsequently polymerize. All of these observations and more must be subjected to strict experimental analysis. This review provides an overview of what has happened and is now happening in the experimental clay world related to the origin of life. The emphasis is on smectite-group clay minerals, such as montmorillonite and nontronite.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob Teunis (Theo) Kloprogge
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
- Department of Chemistry, College of Arts and Sciences, University of the Philippines Visayas, Miagao 5023, Philippines
| | - Hyman Hartman
- Department of Earth Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
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McLoughlin N, Grosch EG, Vullum PE, Guagliardo P, Saunders M, Wacey D. Critically testing olivine-hosted putative martian biosignatures in the Yamato 000593 meteorite-Geobiological implications. GEOBIOLOGY 2019; 17:691-707. [PMID: 31478592 DOI: 10.1111/gbi.12361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2019] [Revised: 07/12/2019] [Accepted: 07/31/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
On rocky planets such as Earth and Mars the serpentinization of olivine in ultramafic crust produces hydrogen that can act as a potential energy source for life. Direct evidence of fluid-rock interaction on Mars comes from iddingsite alteration veins found in martian meteorites. In the Yamato 000593 meteorite, putative biosignatures have been reported from altered olivines in the form of microtextures and associated organic material that have been compared to tubular bioalteration textures found in terrestrial sub-seafloor volcanic rocks. Here, we use a suite of correlative, high-sensitivity, in situ chemical, and morphological analyses to characterize and re-evaluate these microalteration textures in Yamato 000593, a clinopyroxenite from the shallow subsurface of Mars. We show that the altered olivine crystals have angular and micro-brecciated margins and are also highly strained due to impact-induced fracturing. The shape of the olivine microalteration textures is in no way comparable to microtunnels of inferred biological origin found in terrestrial volcanic glasses and dunites, and rather we argue that the Yamato 000593 microtextures are abiotic in origin. Vein filling iddingsite extends into the olivine microalteration textures and contains amorphous organic carbon occurring as bands and sub-spherical concentrations <300 nm across. We propose that a martian impact event produced the micro-brecciated olivine crystal margins that reacted with subsurface hydrothermal fluids to form iddingsite containing organic carbon derived from abiotic sources. These new data have implications for how we might seek potential biosignatures in ultramafic rocks and impact craters on both Mars and Earth.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Eugene G Grosch
- Department of Geology, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa
| | - Per Erik Vullum
- SINTEF Materials and Chemistry, Trondheim, Norway
- Department of Physics, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway
| | - Paul Guagliardo
- Centre for Microscopy Characterisation and Analysis, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Martin Saunders
- Centre for Microscopy Characterisation and Analysis, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
- School of Molecular Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
| | - David Wacey
- Centre for Microscopy Characterisation and Analysis, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
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Oxygen Isotope Thermometry of DaG 476 and SaU 008 Martian Meteorites: Implications for Their Origin. GEOSCIENCES 2018. [DOI: 10.3390/geosciences8010015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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Barge LM, Branscomb E, Brucato JR, Cardoso SSS, Cartwright JHE, Danielache SO, Galante D, Kee TP, Miguel Y, Mojzsis S, Robinson KJ, Russell MJ, Simoncini E, Sobron P. Thermodynamics, Disequilibrium, Evolution: Far-From-Equilibrium Geological and Chemical Considerations for Origin-Of-Life Research. ORIGINS LIFE EVOL B 2017; 47:39-56. [PMID: 27271006 DOI: 10.1007/s11084-016-9508-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2016] [Accepted: 04/19/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- L M Barge
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, 91125, USA.
- Icy Worlds Team, NASA Astrobiology Institute, Mountain View, CA, 94043, USA.
| | - E Branscomb
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, USA
| | - J R Brucato
- Astrophysical Observatory of Arcetri, Florence, Italy
| | - S S S Cardoso
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, University of Cambridge, Pembroke Street, Cambridge, CB2 3RA, UK
| | - J H E Cartwright
- Instituto Andaluz de Ciencias de la Tierra, CSIC-Universidad de Granada, E-18100 Armilla, Granada, Spain
- Instituto Carlos I de Física Teórica y Computacional, Universidad de Granada, E-18071, Granada, Spain
| | - S O Danielache
- Sophia University, Tokyo, Japan
- Earth and Life Science Institute, Tokyo Technical University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - D Galante
- Brazilian Synchrotron Light Laboratory, LNLS / CNPEM, Campinas, Brazil
| | - T P Kee
- School of Chemistry, University of Leeds, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK
| | - Y Miguel
- Observatoire de Côte d'Azur, Nice, France
| | - S Mojzsis
- Department of Geological Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, 80309-0399, USA
| | - K J Robinson
- School of Molecular Sciences and School of Earth & Space Exploration, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA
| | - M J Russell
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, 91125, USA
- Icy Worlds Team, NASA Astrobiology Institute, Mountain View, CA, 94043, USA
| | - E Simoncini
- Astrophysical Observatory of Arcetri, Florence, Italy
| | - P Sobron
- Carl Sagan Center, SETI Institute, Mountain View, CA, USA
- Impossible Sensing, St. Louis, MO, USA
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Gomoiu I, Chatzitheodoridis E, Vadrucci S, Walther I, Cojoc R. Fungal Spores Viability on the International Space Station. ORIGINS LIFE EVOL B 2016; 46:403-418. [PMID: 27106019 DOI: 10.1007/s11084-016-9502-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2015] [Accepted: 02/08/2016] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
In this study we investigated the security of a spaceflight experiment from two points of view: spreading of dried fungal spores placed on the different wafers and their viability during short and long term missions on the International Space Station (ISS). Microscopic characteristics of spores from dried spores samples were investigated, as well as the morphology of the colonies obtained from spores that survived during mission. The selected fungal species were: Aspergillus niger, Cladosporium herbarum, Ulocladium chartarum, and Basipetospora halophila. They have been chosen mainly based on their involvement in the biodeterioration of different substrate in the ISS as well as their presence as possible contaminants of the ISS. From biological point of view, three of the selected species are black fungi, with high melanin content and therefore highly resistant to space radiation. The visual inspection and analysis of the images taken before and after the short and the long term experiments have shown that all biocontainers were returned to Earth without damages. Microscope images of the lids of the culture plates revealed that the spores of all species were actually not detached from the surface of the wafers and did not contaminate the lids. From the adhesion point of view all types of wafers can be used in space experiments, with a special comment on the viability in the particular case of iron wafers when used for spores that belong to B. halophila (halophilic strain). This is encouraging in performing experiments with fungi without risking contamination. The spore viability was lower in the experiment for long time to ISS conditions than that of the short experiment. From the observations, it is suggested that the environment of the enclosed biocontainer, as well as the species'specific behaviour have an important effect, reducing the viability in time. Even the spores were not detached from the surface of the wafers, it was observed that spores used in the long term experiment lost the outer layer of their coat without affecting the viability since they were still protected by the middle and the inner layer of the coating. This research highlights a new protocol to perform spaceflight experiments inside the ISS with fungal spores in microgravity conditions, under the additional effect of possible cosmic radiation. According to this protocol the results are expressed in terms of viability, microscopic and morphological changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- I Gomoiu
- Institute of Biology, 296 Splaiul Independentei, 060031, Bucharest, Romania.
| | - E Chatzitheodoridis
- School of Mining and Metallurgical Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, 9 Heroon Polytechneiou str., Gr-15780 Zografou, Athens, Greece
| | - S Vadrucci
- Space Biology Group, ETH Zurich, Technoparkstrasse 1, 8005, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - I Walther
- Space Biology Group, ETH Zurich, Technoparkstrasse 1, 8005, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - R Cojoc
- Institute of Biology, 296 Splaiul Independentei, 060031, Bucharest, Romania
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Kereszturi A, Bradak B, Chatzitheodoridis E, Ujvari G. Indicators and Methods to Understand Past Environments from ExoMars Rover Drills. ORIGINS LIFE EVOL B 2016; 46:435-454. [PMID: 27029794 DOI: 10.1007/s11084-016-9492-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2015] [Accepted: 01/15/2016] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Great advances are expected during the analysis of drilled material acquired from 2 m depth by ExoMars rover, supported by the comparison to local context, and the joint use of different instruments. Textural information might be less detailed relatively to what is usually obtained at outcrops during classical geological field work on the Earth, partly because of the lack of optical imaging of the borehole wall and also because the collected samples are crushed. However sub-mm scale layering and some other sedimentary features might be identified in the borehole wall observations, or in the collected sample prior to crushing, and also at nearby outcrops. The candidate landing sites provide different targets and focus for research: Oxia Planum requires analysis of phyllosilicates and OH content, at Mawrth Vallis the layering of various phyllosilicates and the role of shallow-subsurface leaching should be emphasized. At Aram Dorsum the particle size and fluvial sedimentary features will be interesting. Hydrated perchlorates and sulphates are ideal targets possibly at every landing sites because of OH retention, especially if they are mixed with smectites, thus could point to even ancient wet periods. Extensive use of information from the infrared wall scanning will be complemented for geological context by orbital and rover imaging of nearby outcrops. Information from the context is especially useful to infer the possible action of past H2O. Separation of the ice and liquid water effects will be supported by cation abundance and sedimentary context. Shape of grains also helps here, and composition of transported grains points to the weathering potential of the environment in general. The work on Mars during the drilling and sample analysis will provide brand new experience and knowledge for future missions.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Kereszturi
- Research Centre for Astronomy and Earth Sciences, Budapest, Hungary.
| | - B Bradak
- Research Centre for Astronomy and Earth Sciences, Budapest, Hungary
- Department of Planetology, Kobe University, Kobe, Japan
| | | | - G Ujvari
- Research Centre for Astronomy and Earth Sciences, Budapest, Hungary
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Kereszturi A, Chatzitheodoridis E. Searching for the Source Crater of Nakhlite Meteorites. ORIGINS LIFE EVOL B 2016; 46:455-471. [PMID: 27021613 DOI: 10.1007/s11084-016-9498-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2015] [Accepted: 03/16/2016] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
We surveyed the Martian surface in order to identify possible source craters of the nakhlite Martian meteorites. We investigated rayed craters that are assumed to be younger than 11 Ma, on lava surfaces with a solidification age around 1.2 Ga. An area of 17.3 million km2 Amazonian lava plains was surveyed and 53 rayed craters were identified. Although most of them are smaller than the threshold limit that is estimated as minimum of launching fragments to possible Earth crossing trajectories, their observed size frequency distribution agrees with the expected areal density from cratering models characteristic for craters that are less than few tens of Ma old. We identified 6 craters larger than 3 km diameter constituting the potentially best source craters for nakhlites. These larger candidates are located mostly on a smooth lava surface, and in some cases, on the earlier fluvial-like channels. In three cases they are associated with fluidized ejecta lobes and rays - although the rays are faint in these craters, thus might be older than the other craters with more obvious rays. More work is therefore required to accurately estimate ages based on ray system for this purpose. A more detailed search should further link remote sensing Martian data with the in-situ laboratory analyses of Martian meteorites, especially in case of high altitude, steep terrains, where the crater rays seems to rarely survive several Ma.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Kereszturi
- Research Centre for Astronomy and Earth Sciences, Budapest, Hungary.
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Composition and Function of the Interstitial Fluid. Protein Sci 2016. [DOI: 10.1201/9781315374307-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
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McLoughlin N, Grosch EG. A Hierarchical System for Evaluating the Biogenicity of Metavolcanic- and Ultramafic-Hosted Microalteration Textures in the Search for Extraterrestrial Life. ASTROBIOLOGY 2015; 15:901-921. [PMID: 26496528 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2014.1259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
The low-temperature alteration of submarine volcanic glasses has been argued to involve the activity of microorganisms, and analogous fluid-rock-microbial-mediated alteration has also been postulated on Mars. However, establishing the extent to which microbes are involved in volcanic glass alteration has proven to be difficult, and the reliability of resulting textural biosignatures is debated, particularly in the early rock record. We therefore propose a hierarchical scheme to evaluate the biogenicity of candidate textural biosignatures found in altered terrestrial and extraterrestrial basaltic glasses and serpentinized ultramafic rocks. The hierarchical scheme is formulated to give increasing confidence of a biogenic origin and involves (i) investigation of the textural context and syngenicity of the candidate biosignature; (ii) characterization of the morphology and size range of the microtextures; (iii) mapping of the geological and physicochemical variables controlling the occurrence and preservation of the microtextures; (iv) in situ investigation of chemical signatures that are syngenetic to the microtexture; and (v) identification of growth patterns suggestive of biological behavior and redox variations in the host minerals. The scheme results in five categories of candidate biosignature as follows: Category 1 indicates preservation of very weak evidence for biogenicity, Categories 2 through 4 indicate evidence for increasing confidence of a biogenic origin, and Category 5 indicates that biogenic origin is most likely. We apply this hierarchical approach to examine the evidence for a biogenic origin of several examples, including candidate bacterial encrustations in altered pillow lavas, granular and tubular microtextures in volcanic glass from the subseafloor and a Phanerozoic ophiolite, mineralized microtextures in Archean metavolcanic glass, and alteration textures in olivines of the martian meteorite Yamato 000593. The aim of this hierarchical approach is to provide a framework for identifying robust biosignatures of microbial life in the altered oceanic crust on Earth, and in extraterrestrial altered mafic-ultramafic rocks, particularly on Mars.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Eugene G Grosch
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Bergen , Bergen, Norway
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