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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] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [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.
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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
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Noe Dobrea EZ, Bishop JL, McKeown NK, Fu R, Rossi CM, Michalski JR, Heinlein C, Hanus V, Poulet F, Mustard RJF, Murchie S, McEwen AS, Swayze G, Bibring JP, Malaret E, Hash C. Mineralogy and stratigraphy of phyllosilicate-bearing and dark mantling units in the greater Mawrth Vallis/west Arabia Terra area: Constraints on geological origin. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2010. [DOI: 10.1029/2009je003351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 83] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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Clark BC, Arvidson RE, Gellert R, Morris RV, Ming DW, Richter L, Ruff SW, Michalski JR, Farrand WH, Yen A, Herkenhoff KE, Li R, Squyres SW, Schröder C, Klingelhöfer G, Bell JF. Evidence for montmorillonite or its compositional equivalent in Columbia Hills, Mars. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2007. [DOI: 10.1029/2006je002756] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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Ruff SW, Christensen PR, Blaney DL, Farrand WH, Johnson JR, Michalski JR, Moersch JE, Wright SP, Squyres SW. The rocks of Gusev Crater as viewed by the Mini-TES instrument. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2006. [DOI: 10.1029/2006je002747] [Citation(s) in RCA: 98] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- S. W. Ruff
- School of Earth and Space Exploration; Arizona State University; Tempe Arizona USA
| | - P. R. Christensen
- School of Earth and Space Exploration; Arizona State University; Tempe Arizona USA
| | - D. L. Blaney
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory; Pasadena California USA
| | | | | | - J. R. Michalski
- School of Earth and Space Exploration; Arizona State University; Tempe Arizona USA
| | - J. E. Moersch
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences; University of Tennessee; Knoxville Tennessee USA
| | - S. P. Wright
- School of Earth and Space Exploration; Arizona State University; Tempe Arizona USA
| | - S. W. Squyres
- Department of Astronomy; Cornell University; Ithaca New York USA
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Hurowitz JA, McLennan SM, Tosca NJ, Arvidson RE, Michalski JR, Ming DW, Schröder C, Squyres SW. In situ and experimental evidence for acidic weathering of rocks and soils on Mars. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2006. [DOI: 10.1029/2005je002515] [Citation(s) in RCA: 135] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- J. A. Hurowitz
- Department of Geosciences; State University of New York at Stony Brook; Stony Brook New York USA
| | - S. M. McLennan
- Department of Geosciences; State University of New York at Stony Brook; Stony Brook New York USA
| | - N. J. Tosca
- Department of Geosciences; State University of New York at Stony Brook; Stony Brook New York USA
| | - R. E. Arvidson
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences; Washington University; St. Louis Missouri USA
| | - J. R. Michalski
- Department of Geological Sciences; Arizona State University; Tempe Arizona USA
| | - D. W. Ming
- NASA Johnson Space Center; Houston Texas USA
| | - C. Schröder
- Institut für Anorganische und Analytische Chemie; Johannes Gutenberg-Universität; Mainz Germany
| | - S. W. Squyres
- Department of Astronomy; Cornell University; Ithaca New York USA
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