Green River Archives

The painting on the left is an artist’s conception of a plume eruption on Saturn’s moon Enceladus. The image on the right is a photo of two researchers in the Utah desert collecting effluent from the Crystal cold-water geyser. The aim of their study is to understand if and how material is modified as it is transported from reservoir to the spray of a geyser. What they learn can be applied to the study of plumes from icy moons that might host life, or the components for it, in a subsurface ocean. Credit: PSI/William Hartmann/Morgan Cable

Analog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Astrogeology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Cryobiology, Desert Worlds, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Polar / Alpine Expeditions, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

What Cold-water Geysers On Earth Reveal About The Habitability Of Ocean Worlds

by Keith CowingFebruary 18, 2026February 18, 2026

In the eastern Utah desert, carbon-dioxide-saturated water bubbles, sprays and foams from the ground. These cold-water geysers, sometimes called ‘soda pop geysers,’ are a new and reliable Earth-based analog for […]

At Crystal Geyser, Utah, travertine rocks form in the presence of microbial communities. Small layered features called stromatolites can be seen growing, which likely form by the direct activity of microorganisms. These and other ‘biosignatures’, such as fossils of bacterial cells, can be seen preserved in the youngest upper layers of the travertine. Surprisingly, these signs of life are quickly erased due to crystal transformations and continued growth. These processes help explain why ancient carbonate rocks are often missing important signs of life, and helps us understand what kinds of biosignatures might be found in similar environments beyond Earth. Image courtesy of Jon Lima-Zaloumis/ASU

Away Teams & Field Reports, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Fossils & Paleontology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, People Of Astrobiology, Press Release

Research On How Rocks Preserve Signs Of Life Honors Late ASU Mentor Jack Farmer

by Keith CowingJune 28, 2024June 28, 2024

Building from his PhD work at Arizona State University, Jon Lima-Zaloumis is developing methods to look for signs of active life occurring in extreme environments, namely in the Earth’s atmosphere […]