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The presence of sulfates containing Mg, Fe, and Ca (in several hydration states) has been confirmed on Mars from data acquired by both orbital and in‐situ measurements. It has been suggested that the sulfates on Mars originated deep the past from the evaporation of water at accumulation points on the Martian surface. Consequently, they can be seen as highly relevant to any search for the presence of extraterrestrial life. Miniaturized Raman spectrometers (which permit analysis of the mineralogical and molecular composition of a specimen) will be included in rovers on future planetary exploration missions. Portable miniature Raman spectrometers operating in the near‐infrared (785 nm) and in the green (532 nm, currently selected for the ExoMars mission) were used on‐site to estimate the mineralogical compositions of sulfate weathering crusts at Valachov (Bohemian Massif, Czech Republic). Spectra of sufficient quality were quickly obtained, and the characteristic shifts of the sulfate ν1 band of the minerals allowed for the discrimination of several sulfates. Superficial crusts contained gypsum, jarosite, rozenite, fibroferrite, magnesiocopiapite, and melanterite as major components. The current testing has confirmed the favorable performance of handheld instruments for the discrimination of structurally similar sulfates of relevance for studies on Mars. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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Galdieria sulphuraria (Cyanidiales) is a worldwide acclaimed thermoacidophilic red microalga with a limited distribution due to special conditions required for growth and metabolism. Until now, the alga was almost exclusively restricted to acid geothermal environments around the world. However, we have found this species on the surface of a burning coal spoil heap in central Europe. It is the first record of G. sulphuraria in this type of habitat. A rbcL phylogeny confirmed that the population of this extremophile belongs to the continental European lineage and we consider Italian geothermal sites as a potential source of Czech G. sulphuraria. The dispersal of unicellular red microalgae is far from fully understood and the discovery of Galdieria in another region of Europe on a relatively newly established anthropogenic site allows us to understand better the distribution patterns and dispersal abilities of this ecologically important algal group. In addition, we have also analyzed the phylogenetic position of Galdieria strain CCALA 965 isolated from a highly acidic site without geothermal activity in the Czech Republic and confirmed it to belong to the species G. phlegrea, until now known only from Italy.

We present examples of application of a recently developed portable sequentially shifted excitation Raman spectrometer for identifying three series minerals and carbonaceous matter. Those include compounds of relevance for the fields of geobiology and exobiology: sulfates and carbonates, organic minerals, and carbonaceous matter. It is demonstrated that unambiguous obtaining of Raman spectra can be achieved fast and with the gain in eliminating potential fluorescence features. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.