Title: Detection of the signatures and environments of life on Earth and other planetary bodies from their
1Detection of the signatures and environments of
life on Earth and other planetary bodies from
their organic and mineralogical records
University of Wisconsin - Madison Jet Propulsion
Laboratory University of Georgia
2Major focus on isotopic biosignatures
- Isotopic compositions of Corg delivery and
degradation - Isotopic and chemical compositions of oxides,
sulfides, sulfates, and carbonates - Emphasis on the mineralogical record left by life
- In situ isotopic compositions on other planetary
bodies
3Research Team
- PI Clark Johnson
- Co-Is
- Brian Beard (U.W. Madison)
- Max Coleman (JPL)
- Pascale Ehrenfreund (JPL)
- Eric Roden (U.W. Madison)
- Christopher Romanek (Univ. GA/SREL)
- Nita Sahai (U.W. Madison)
- Mahadeva Sinha (JPL)
- John Valley (U.W. Madison)
- Huifang Xu (U.W. Madison)
- Collaborators
- Nic Beukes (University of Johannesburg)
- Laurent Binet (Ecole Nationale Supérieure de
Chimie de Paris) - Marjorie Chan (University of Utah)
- Collaborators - Cont
- Sylvie Derenne (Ecole Nationale Supérieure de
Chimie de Paris) - Noriko Kita (U.W. Madison)
- Kase Klein (University of New Mexico)
- Craig Marshall (Sydney University)
- Stephen Moorbath (Oxford University)
- Hiroshi Ohmoto (Penn State University)
- Javier Sanchez (Spanish Geological Survey)
- Edwin Schauble (U.C.L.A.)
- Mark Sephton (Imperial College, London)
- Kosei Yamaguchi (IFREE- JAMSTEC, Japan)
4Education and Public Outreach Team
- Lead Rich Slaughter (Geology Museum, U.W.
Madison) - Co-I
- Kay Ferrari (JPL)
- Collaborators
- Geoff Holt (Madison Public Schools)
- Brooke Swanson (Geology Museum, U.W. Madison)
- Ellen Van Pay (Green Bay School District)
5Research Program
- Investigation 1 The inventory of organics in a
planetary body Acquisition and modification
during biogenic and abiogenic processes - Investigation 2 Development of biosignatures,
paleoenvironmental proxies, and pathway tracers
for aqueous-mineral systems - Investigation 3 Testing covariations of
biosignatures and paleoenvironmental indicators
in natural terrestrial systems - Investigation 4 Development of in situ
instrumentation to detect isotopic biosignatures
on planetary missions
6Investigation 1
- Task 1 Characterization of extraterrestrial
organic matter - Lead Pascale Ehrenfreund
- Task 2 Survival of organics in simulated
planetary environments - Lead Pascale Ehrenfreund
7Investigation 2, Task 1 Experimental studies of
O, S, and Fe isotope fractionation in sulfate
mineral genesis
- Pyrite oxidation (Lead Max Coleman)
- FeS2(s) 14Fe3(aq) 8H2O(l) ? 15Fe2(aq)
2SO42-(aq) 16H(aq) - Sulfate mineral synthesis (Lead Chris Romanek)
- Incl. melanterite - FeIISO47H2O, rozenite -
FeIISO44H2O, szomolnokite - FeIISO4H2O,
produced during pyrite oxidation - jarosite - KFeIII3(SO4)2(OH)6, alunite -
KAl3(SO4)2(OH)6 - schwertmannite - FeIII8O8(SO4)(OH)6
- "green rust" - FeII1-xFeIIIx(OH)2-yAZ(xy)/Z
nH2O - Sulfate evaporation (Max Coleman)
- Isotopic exchange kinetics (Max Coleman)
- H218O(l) S16O42-(aq) ? H216O(l) S16O318O2-(aq)
8Investigation 2, Task 2 Carbonate mineral
genesis
- Controls on chemical compositions
- Lead Chris Romanek
- Organic ligand-promoted carbonate nucleation
- Lead Chris Romanek
- Silica-promoted heterogeneous carbonate
nucleation - Lead Nita Sahai
- Effect of Surface Charge and Other Ions
- Lead Nita Sahai
- Biological production of mixed cation carbonates
- Lead Eric Roden
9Investigation 2, Task 2 Carbonate mineral
genesis
- Experimental determination of C, O, Mg, Ca, and
Fe isotope fractionation factors for Ca-Mg-Fe
carbonates - Lead Brian Beard
10Investigation 2, Task 3 Oxide mineral genesis
- Experimental determination of bacterial oxide
formation low-pH Fe oxidation in the absence of
pyrite - Lead Eric Roden
- Geochemical reaction modeling
- Pathway-dependent isotopic fractionations
- Experimental determination of O and Fe isotope
fractionation during hematite, goethite,
ferrihydrite, and magnetite formation - Lead Clark Johnson
- Equilibrium and kinetic fractionations
- Isotopic exchange reactivity
- Effects of Fe sorption
- Effects of complex media (Ca(aq), Si(aq), etc.)
- Comparison with biological fractionation
experiments (NSF funded)
11Investigation 3 Oxides, carbonates, and
sulfides/sulfates in natural systems
12Investigation 3
- Task 1 O, S, and Fe isotope studies of modern
acid-sulfate systems Rio Tinto, Spain - Lead Max Coleman
- Task 2 O and Fe isotope studies of terrestrial
analogs for iron oxide concretion formation - Navajo Sandstone, Utah (Lead Clark Johnson)
- Oxidation of Fe2-bearing concretions (Lead Max
Coleman)
13Investigation 3 Cont.
- Task 3 Isotopic biosignatures and
paleoenvironmental indicators in the Archean
terrestrial record - Lead Clark Johnson
- Isotopic constraints on development of sulfate-
and Fe(III)-reducing metabolisms - 3.7-3.8 Ga BIFs in the Isua Supracrustal Belt, SW
Greenland - 3.5-2.7 Ga oxide, carbonate, and pyrite
occurrences in the Pilbara (NW Australia) and
Kaapvaal (S Africa) cratons - 3.46 Ga Marble Bar Chert, Pilbara craton
- 3.4 Ga paleosols, Strelley Pool Chert and North
Shaw, Pilbara craton - 3.0 Ga BIFs, Pilbara craton
- 2.9-3.0 Ga oolitic hematite and magnetic shales
in iron formations of the Mozaan Group, Kaapvaal
craton - 2.7 Ga pyrite-bearing shales of the Fortescue
Group, Pilbara craton - 2.5 Ga BIFs in the Pilbara and Kaapvaal cratons
14Investigation 4 Development of in situ
instrumentation to detect isotopic biosignatures
on planetary missions
- Lead Mahadeva Sinha
- Task 1 Oxide, carbonate, and sulfate mineral
decomposition methods for isotope analysis - Task 2 Evaluation of precision and accuracy of
isotopic analysis using the MMS
15EPO Program Coordinated by UW Madison Geology
Museum
gt40,000 visitors annually, including gt13,000 K-12
students on tours
16Madison-based EPO
- Museum Exhibit on Biosignatures
- Lead Rich Slaughter
- Planetarium Program on Astrobiology and
Biosignatures - Lead Geoff Holt
- Web-based general course on Astrobiology
- Lead Brooke Swanson
- Astrobiology and Art
- Lead Rich Slaughter
- The Rock Concert a Musical Celebration of Deep
Time (by world-renowned saxophonist Roy
Nathanson) picked up by BBC, CNN, the Late
Show with David Letterman - Sculptural works in elemental sulfur by Kalpana
Prakash - Glass and sulfur plasma discharge sculpture by
Scott Schapiro - Sulfur-based photographic prints by Michael Ware
17JPL-based EPO
- Solar System Ambassadors Program
- Lead Kay Ferrari
- SSAP at JPL since 1997
- Currently 450 Ambassadors in 50 states, D.C.,
and Puerto Rico there were 2,071 events in FY05,
which cumulatively attracted 1,141,434 people - New materials in Astrobiology will be developed
- Solar System Educators Program
- Lead Ellen Van Pay
- Astrobiology for the Classroom Educating K-12
Teachers and Students