Microbial mats and stromatolites in high-altitude Andean lakes of Catamarca (Argentina): microbe-mineral interactions in an environmental analogue for Early Earth and Mars

GOMEZ, F.J.; KAH, L.C.; BARTLEY, J.; ASTINI R.A.

Santiago

Congreso; XII Congreso Geológico Chileno; 2009

Universidad de Chile

High-altitude Andean lakes (>4000 m above sea-level) are considered to represent some of the Earth’s best analogues for early Earth and Mars because: (1) they rest upon basic volcanic rocks and thus are similar in composition to the dominant planetary crustal materials; (2) their altitude results in extremes in temperature and UV radiation that are similar to planetary systems with limited atmospheric protection; and (3) they experience extremes in salinity and dryness that represent significant challenges to the establishment of active biological systems. In this study we present some preliminary results of ongoing geobiological research on living microbial mats, mineralized stromatolites, and lake waters of high-altitude lakes of the Salar de la Laguna Verde Complex, Catamarca Province, Argentina. In this lake system, hypersaline lake waters and microbial communities interact to form a variety of mineralized microfabrics (mat-dominated fabrics and mineral precipitates). Information on the chemistry of lake waters, evaporite deposits, and mineralized microbial structures, will ultimately help decipher the microbial-mineral interactions in this complex ecosystem.