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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Impact Craters As Habitats For Life: Endolithic Colonization Of Shocked Gneiss From The Haughton Impact Structure, Devon Island, Canada, Alexandra Janine Pontefract
Impact Craters As Habitats For Life: Endolithic Colonization Of Shocked Gneiss From The Haughton Impact Structure, Devon Island, Canada, Alexandra Janine Pontefract
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
Meteorite impacts are ubiquitous throughout our solar system and are a fundamental geological process on rocky and icy planetary bodies. Though initially detrimental to biology, an impact event can favourably change the availability and habitability of a substrate for endolithic organisms, which are then able to (re)colonize micro-fractures and pore spaces created during the impact. The colonization of rocks by endolithic communities is an advantageous trait, especially in environments such as hot or cold deserts, where temperature shifts, low water availability and high UV indices pose a significant problem. On Mars, similar conditions – albeit, more extreme – prevail. In …
New Mineralogical And Geochemical Characterization Of Martian Meteorites: Implications For Habitability And Astrobiological Exploration Of Mars, Jared N. Shivak
New Mineralogical And Geochemical Characterization Of Martian Meteorites: Implications For Habitability And Astrobiological Exploration Of Mars, Jared N. Shivak
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
Mars is thought to have shared many similarities with the Earth during its history, leading to extensive research into the potential for life to arise on Mars. Here, a thorough mineralogical and geochemical characterization of primary and secondary phases in Martian meteorites Los Angeles, Zagami, and Nakhla was performed. This novel approach assesses their potential to host life and build on previous studies that focused on either astrobiological or geological factors. These meteorites were found to contain abundant iron-rich phases that can act as microbial substrates. Investigation of alteration phases in Nakhla allowed for the identification of a new secondary …
The Periglacial Landscape Of Utopia Planitia; Geologic Evidence For Recent Climate Change On Mars., Mary C. Kerrigan
The Periglacial Landscape Of Utopia Planitia; Geologic Evidence For Recent Climate Change On Mars., Mary C. Kerrigan
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
The northern plains of Utopia Planitia, Mars, hosts an abundance of potential periglacial landforms including scalloped depressions, gullies, and polygon networks. This research was undertaken to investigate the distribution and stratigraphy of scalloped depressions in Utopia Planitia and to reconstruct the past environment in which this periglacial landscape formed. To that end, a revised geologic map of the region has been produced. We define, for the first time, a new Periglacial Unit, the youngest geologic unit in Utopia Planitia. We have also developed a model for the formation and evolution of the periglacial landscape examined by assessing the use of …