[NASA] Curiosity has been exploring a large-scale feature in Gale’s sedimentary record suspected to be an “erosional supersurface.” The “supersurface” represents a period in time when a net depositional environment […]
Astrogeology
Posted inVenus
The Lost Oceans Of Venus
[Earth and Planetary Science Letters] Whether Venus once had oceans and, if so, when it lost them are critical issues in the understanding of habitability on exoplanets, as well as […]
Posted inMars
Crustal Water Reservoir On Early Mars
[Geophysical Research Letters]. The next great leap in Martian exploration is the return of samples to Earth. Maximizing their scientific value requires non-destructive analytical techniques for early three-dimensional characterization.
Posted inNeptune
Neptune’s Inner Moons and Rings Are Exposed Icy Body Interiors
[astro-ph.EP] Neptune’s single large moon, Triton, is accompanied by a set of dusty rings and small moons whose composition and origin are uncertain.
Posted inPhobos
Infrared-to-visible Albedo Ratio Of Phobos: Comparison With Primitive Asteroids
[astro-ph.EP] Aims. The ratio between infrared and visible albedo, pIR/pV, provides a simple proxy for the spectral slope of asteroid surfaces between the visible and near-infrared wavelength ranges. The aim […]
![Ni, Cu and Zn elemental maps of three chondrules from Paris, that show microspherule regions partitioned by zones enriched in siderophile elements (i.e., Fe, Ni, Co, Cu; pink arrows). The color bars reflect μg/g concentrations of the elements. While in BSE mode and lithophile element space, these would appear as single ~300 μm diameter chondrules, they represent aggregates of ~100 μm grape-bunch chondrules (pink spheres), where these microchondrules contained metal-rich rims. -- [astro-ph.EP]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Chondrule.png?resize=1200%2C714&ssl=1)
Posted inAstrogeology
Chondrule Formation In The Outer Disk From The Primary Three-dimensional Chemical Composition Of CM Chondrules
[astro-ph.EP] Chondrules and their associated fine-grained rims record key processes in the early protoplanetary disk, yet the links between chondrule chemistry, morphology, and matrix complementarity remain poorly constrained.
Posted inNASA Astrobiology Program
Astrobiology: Fifty Years After Viking: New Special Collection Available Now
Guest edited by Dr. Scott M. Perl (LA-NHM) and Dr. Mary Beth Wilhelm (NASA Ames) To mark the 50th anniversary of NASA’s Viking landings, the journal Astrobiology has published a […]
Posted inAnalog Studies
Offworld Astrogeology Training In Iceland
Iceland’s diverse volcanic terrain is an excellent stand-in for lunar and planetary processes and provides an ideal environment in which to simulate surface science operations. Editor’s note: when it comes […]
Posted inMars
Martian Geology: Possible Evidence Of Glacial Processes
At the southern section of the floor of an impact crater is this stunning lobate (tongue-shaped) debris apron with surface banding showing high sinuosity.
Posted inMars
An Interesting Crater In Valles Marineris
[ESA] Along the equator of Mars, CaSSIS spotted a couple of interesting craters in Ganges Chasma, a mineralogically diverse canyon in the far-eastern portion of Valles Marineris.