Detection and Preservation of Biosignatures in Mars Analogs Hot Spring Deposits from the Taupo Volcanic Zone

MILLAN, M.; CAMPBELL, K.; RUFF, S.; VAN KRANENDONK, M.; SRIAPORN, C.; HANDLEY, K.; DOBSON, M.; CAMP, S.; TEECE, B.; GUIDO, D.; DJOKIC, T.; FARMER, J.; STEWART JOHNSON, S.

Encuentro; EPSC-DPS Joint Meeting 2019; 2019

Characterizing thepreservation potential of biosignatures in martian analogs is essential in thequest for biosignatures with martian rovers. Hot spring silica deposits arepart of the minerals with a high preservation potential. As part of an ongoingstudy, we are characterizing the nature and distribution of organic moleculesincluding lipid biomarkers in a range of analog hot spring deposits, evaluatingtheir preservation potential, and determining the potential signals fromflight-like experiments. We are focusing on various geothermal fields in theNew Zealand Taupo Volcanic Zone with physical and chemical variabilities.Samples are being extracted for lipid biomarker characterization as wellas analysis  using flight-like experiments from the current and futurepyrolyzer-gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer instruments SAM and MOMA on theCuriosity and Exomars2020 rovers.  Theaim of work is to improve our knowledge of the detection and preservation ofbiosignatures in different hot spring lithologies while simultaneously evaluatingthe potential limits and biases of flight experiments.