This study is primarily focused on proving the potential of miniaturized Raman systems to detect any biomolecular and mineral signal in natural geobiological samples that are relevant for future application of the technique within astrobiologically aimed missions on Mars. A series of evaporites of varying composition and origin from two extremely dry deserts were studied, namely Atacama and Moj...

Soda lakes are extreme habitats characterized by high pH, high salt content, and occasionally associated with elevated concentrations of trace elements from volcanic origins, including arsenic (As). We characterized the bacterial community associated with a soda lake in Khovsgol, Mongolia by using both cultivation-independent and -dependent methods. Geochemical analysis of the salt evaporites p...

Introduction: The search for life on Mars involves many potential strategies for the analysis in situ of surface samples or the analysis of returned samples in a controlled environment, in particular analyses seek evidence of tangible life and/or biomolecules. It is important to develop mineralogical standards suitable for testing the techniques that will be used for these analyses. Evaporites ...

The Bay St. George sub-basin of SW Newfoundland, part the larger late Paleozoic Maritimes basin, formed under influence strike-slip faulting and movement evaporites. New stratigraphic correlations between Newfoundland other sub-basins illustrate effects both basement salt movement. Coastal outcrops show complex combinations synsedimentary, salt-related, tectonic structures. Map relationships dr...

Reconstructing variations in the major element chemistry of seawater provides constraints on how the global carbon and sulfur cycles have changed over geological time, but archives for this information are rare. This work generates a new independent record of ancient seawater composition, in particular the relative abundance of Ca and SO4, through Ca isotope measurements in marine evaporites. E...

The sulfur cycle is driven by redox processes, among which sulfate reduction of primary importance. Sulfate reduced to sulfide either abiotically Thermochemical Reduction (TSR) or biotically Microbial (MSR). Although these two processes occur at different temperature regimes (>100 °C and <80 °C, respectively), they generate similar by-products (e.g., sulfides, elemental sulfur). 34S/32S ratio o...