Arts and science go hand in hand, each combines passion, perplexity, emotion, and cold facts. Here I present my PhD in Astrobiology by Dance. Each part of my study is represented by a dance which is synced with the environment and the energy of that part of my research. I study Earth to understand Mars.
One way of exploring potential habitability beyond Earth is done by searching for habitats on Earth to understand how the interaction between life and the environment is seen in the geology of Earth. When life first appeared on Earth, it shared a geological history with Mars, which may have had a hydrothermal habitat suitable for microbes that use sulfur as an energy source.
However, Mars’ surface water and atmosphere slowly declined, leaving the modern surface of Mars a hostile environment. My study investigates the interaction between sulfate-rich sediments and magmatic intrusions called dikes in samples taken from the San Rafael Swell, Utah, USA.
The sediments which formed during the Jurassic around 166 million years ago, were deposited under the Sundance Sea which covered most of modern Utah. As the sea receded, it left behind sulfate-rich salts that were then uplifted and folded by tectonic movements, mobilizing the salts into veins. These veins are similar to veins found on the surface of Mars. Finally, hot molten magma intruded into the sediments, releasing liquids that can be used as a habitat by microorganisms.
The factors that make the area habitable are studied by taking samples and through field investigation. The samples are examined using a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and a Raman laser. From the laboratory data, the liquid is reconstructed according to past and present Mars conditions, examining the potential habitability using live microbial growth experiments.
SHERLOC (Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman & Luminescence for Organics & Chemicals) is mounted on Perseverance’s robotic arm. This will allow the San Refael samples to be compared with future Raman data from Mars and potential Mars samples when they are returned to Earth.
The implications of my research could help find potentially habitable environments during the NASA Mars 2020 Perseverance rover mission at Jezero Crater where volcanic activity may have formed a sulfur-rich hydrothermal environment.
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