minerology Archives

Mars vast clay region - View showing the transition between clay units in the Oxia Planum and Mawrth Vallis regions on Mars, taken by the HiRISE camera on NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. -- ESA Larger image

Analog Studies, Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Cryobiology, Desert Worlds, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Terraforming & Geoengineering, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

ExoMars Rosalind Franklin Astrobiology Rover Targets A Vast Bed Of Clay In Its Search For Life

by Keith CowingJune 4, 2026June 26, 2026

In the region where the ExoMars Rosalind Franklin rover will search for signs of life, clay deposits extend beyond previous estimates, a new study finds. One hypothesis even suggests a […]

ID: ESP_044892_1695 date: 23 February 2016 altitude: 261 km larger image NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona

Astrogeology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Desert Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Status Report

Mars Orbital Recon: Possible Sulfate Deposits In West Melas Chasma

by Keith CowingDecember 28, 2025December 28, 2025

Melas Chasma is the widest segment of Valles Marineris, the largest canyon in the Solar System. In this region, hydrated sulfate salts have been detected, and are found extensively throughout […]

Representative SEM images of jarosite synthesized at 25 °C (Fe2+ oxidation) and under hydrothermal conditions (Fe3+ hydrolysis).

Astrogeology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Desert Worlds, Habitable Zones, Mars, Press Release

Mars’ Salty Secrets: How Ancient Brines Imprinted Their Chemical Fingerprints In Martian Minerals

by Keith CowingDecember 15, 2025December 15, 2025

Jarosite, a sulfate mineral widely detected across the Martian surface, has long been regarded as a key indicator of past aqueous activity.

Mineralogical map of Jezero crater explored by the Perseverance rover. This mineral map was created from near-infrared (1-2.6 µm) CRISM imagery (Parente et al., 2021) using recently developed technologies (Itoh et al., 2021; Saranathan et al., 2021) and overlain on High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE ) imagery. The basaltic rocks at the landing site are dominated by the minerals olivine (red) and pyroxene (tan). Further west, in regions called the Western Fan and Margin Unit, sedimentary rocks predominate. Smectite clay minerals rich in iron and magnesium (light to dark blue tones) and carbonate rich in magnesium and iron (green-yellow tones) were formed through aqueous processes. Unusual iron phosphate and iron sulfide minerals were found at the Bright Angel and Masonic Temple sites near Neretva Vallis (Hurowitz et al., 2025). Other iron phosphate minerals were observed at the Onahu site in the Western Fan region. Credit M. Parente

Analog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Habitable Zones, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Origin & Evolution of Life, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs

Perseverance Rover Uncovers Clues To Ancient Martian Chemistry

by Keith CowingSeptember 11, 2025

NASA’s Perseverance Rover spent three years exploring the floor of Jezero Crater, located just north of the Martian equator.

Schematic view of the interior of terrestrial planets showing major chemical layers (i.e., the crust, the mantle, and the core subdivided into an outer liquid and an inner solid core). For each terrestrial planet the surface elevation is shown with the same color scale for comparison using orthographic projection. -- astro-ph.EP

Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Mars, Mercury, Moon, Status Report, Venus

Terrestrial Planet Surfaces And Interiors

by Keith CowingNovember 19, 2024November 19, 2024

Rocky planets in our Solar System, namely Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, and the Moon, which is generally added to this group due to its geological complexity, possess a solid surface […]

Schematic deposit model showing formation of hydrothermal Fe- and Mn-oxide deposits at depth along faults during the Neogene (∼8.5–4.8 Ma) from ascending hydrothermal fluids driven by frictional heating and other fault-related processes; the deposits may have experienced minor uplift along faults during the Neogene and Quaternary, and variably exposed as seafloor outcrops predominantly by sediment slumping, rock falls, and other gravity-driven processes. Hydrogenetic Fe-Mn crusts formed at the seabed on all rock outcrops predominantly from dissolved and colloidal phases in ambient bottom seawater characterized by elements such as Fe, Mn, Co, Ni, REY, Sc, and others; the Fe-Mn crusts and sediments also acquired minor contributions from distal hydrothermal fluids characterized by Hg, As, and others, mostly volatile elements, which were incorporated into the crusts by sorption process on the framework Fe and Mn oxides and in the sediments by organic matter and Fe and Mn oxides—these low-temperature fluids have continued through the Quaternary. It is unknown whether the deep-seated hydrothermal deposits continued to form post-Neogene, which could be determined by additional dating. The base map cross-section is from Nikishin et al. (2021). larger image. -- USGS

Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Fossils & Paleontology, Habitable Zones, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Sample Return

Marine Mineral Formations in the Arctic Ocean Challenge Existing Geologic Theories

by Keith CowingNovember 13, 2024November 13, 2024

A new study from USGS describes a previously unknown process of marine mineral formation in the Arctic Ocean, driven by frictional heating along tectonic faults rather than by hydrothermal activity.

Sampling site PE01 from Cueva Paso Esqueleto (PE) -- Nature

Analog Studies, Astrogeology, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Exploration Gear & Tech, Fossils & Paleontology, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Mars, Microbiology & Virology, Status Report

Decoding Organic Compounds In Lava Tube Sulfates To Understand Potential Biomarkers In The Martian Subsurface

by Keith CowingSeptember 30, 2024September 29, 2024

Exploring molecular biomarkers in lava tube speleothems offers insights into environmental dynamics, biogeochemical processes, and subsurface life, with implications for astrobiology, particularly in Martian analog environments.

Illustration of phosphorus cleavage from different biomolecules on the surface of natural iron oxide particles. CREDIT Aristilde Research Group/Northwestern University

Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Press Release

Minerals Play A Newly Discovered Role In Earth’s Phosphorus CycleNorthwestern UniversityMinerals Play A Newly Discovered Role In Earth’s Phosphorus Cycle

by Keith CowingJuly 24, 2024July 24, 2024

Northwestern University-led researchers have discovered a new way that nature cycles phosphorus, a finding that uncovers a missing piece of Earth’s puzzling phosphorus cycle.

Polymetallic nodule. CREDIT Franz Geiger/Northwestern University

Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Habitable Zones, Magnetic Fields, Electromagnetism, bioelectricity,, Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

The Deep-ocean Floor Produces Its Own Oxygen

by Keith CowingJuly 22, 2024July 22, 2024

An international team of researchers, including a Northwestern University chemist, has discovered that metallic minerals on the deep-ocean floor produce oxygen — 13,000 feet below the surface.

Different visualizations of MP Mus disk at the H band; Top and Middle: Normalized Qϕ images of MP Mus at the H band; (a) Image observed by SPHERE; (b) Image of best fit model; (c) Image with an outer ring; (d) Image with shadowed disk; (e) Qϕ × r 2 radial profiles of simulated images and observed SPHERE image at the H band normalized at peak intensity, plotted to emphasize the outer ring; (f) Comparison between MCFOST-simulated spectrum of original best fit, the best fit with a small-grain ring, optimal fits involving a shadowed disk, and the observed Spitzer IRS spectrum of MP Mus. -- astro-ph.SR

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report

The Empirical and Radiative Transfer Hybrid (EaRTH) Disk Model: Merging Analyses of Protoplanetary Dust Disk Mineralogy and Structure

by Keith CowingMay 21, 2024

Our understanding of how exoplanets form and evolve relies on analyses of both the mineralogy of protoplanetary disks and their detailed structures; however, these key complementary aspects of disks are […]

minerology

ExoMars Rosalind Franklin Astrobiology Rover Targets A Vast Bed Of Clay In Its Search For Life

Mars Orbital Recon: Possible Sulfate Deposits In West Melas Chasma

Mars’ Salty Secrets: How Ancient Brines Imprinted Their Chemical Fingerprints In Martian Minerals

Perseverance Rover Uncovers Clues To Ancient Martian Chemistry

Terrestrial Planet Surfaces And Interiors

Marine Mineral Formations in the Arctic Ocean Challenge Existing Geologic Theories

Decoding Organic Compounds In Lava Tube Sulfates To Understand Potential Biomarkers In The Martian Subsurface

Minerals Play A Newly Discovered Role In Earth’s Phosphorus CycleNorthwestern UniversityMinerals Play A Newly Discovered Role In Earth’s Phosphorus Cycle

The Deep-ocean Floor Produces Its Own Oxygen

The Empirical and Radiative Transfer Hybrid (EaRTH) Disk Model: Merging Analyses of Protoplanetary Dust Disk Mineralogy and Structure

NASA Spaceline Current Awareness List #1,206 2 July 2026 (Space Life Science Research Results)

Mars Exploration Program Analysis Group (MEPAG) Concerns

Bridging Astrobiology Research and Education Through Interactive Learning Frameworks

Viking In The History And Future Of Astrobiology Programs

Collaborating With Artists In The Search For Life