Basaltic Terrains in Idaho and Hawai‘i as Planetary Analogs for Mars Geology and Astrobiology

Abstract

Field research target regions within two basaltic geologic provinces are described as Earth analogs to Mars. Regions within the eastern Snake River Plain of Idaho and the Big Island of Hawai'i, the United States, provinces that represent analogs of present-day and early Mars, respectively, were evaluated on the basis of geologic settings, rock lithology and geochemistry, rock alteration, and climate. Each of these factors provides rationale for the selection of specific targets for field research in five analog target regions: (1) Big Craters and (2) Highway lava flows at Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve, Idaho, and (3) Mauna Ulu low shield, (4) K ılauea Iki lava lake, and (5) K ılauea caldera in the K ılauea Volcano summit region and the East Rift Zone of Hawai'i. Our evaluation of compositional and textural attributes, as well as the effects of syn-and posteruptive rock alteration, shows that basaltic terrains in Idaho and Hawai'i provide a way to characterize the geology and major geologic substrates that host biological activity of relevance to Mars exploration. This work provides the foundation to better understand the scientific questions related to the habitability of basaltic terrains, the rationale behind selecting analog field targets, and their applicability as analogs to Mars.

Requirements for Portable Instrument Suites during Human Scientific Exploration of Mars

“…vis-NIR field spectra of alteration states and their major absorption bands (gray bands: Fe 3+ , OH, H 2 O, Clay-OH), as well as photographs of representative outcrops (bottom): (A) Unaltered basalt with black and glassy groundmass, (B) active and (C) inactive Fumarole with zeolites, clays, and hydroxides, (D) Syn-Emplacement alteration with bright red color due to oxidation. For detailed descriptions and classifications of encountered alteration states, see Section 4.6 and Hughes et al (2019). …”

“…The analog field sites for BASALT are representative of the environmental history of Mars. These sites, located in Idaho and Hawai'i (Hughes et al , 2019), were selected to understand the habitability of terrestrial volcanic terrains as analog environments for early and present-day Mars. The analogue for early Mars is active volcanism at Mauna Ulu and the summit region of Kilauea volcano, Big Island (Hawai'i).…”

Boric Acid (H3(BO3): Recognize The Molecular Interactions in Solutions

“…(35) Keberadaannya di alam sangat berlimpah, beberapa dari senyawa ini ditemukan dalam keadaan bebas pada beberapa distrik vulkanik. (36)(37)(38) Senyawa yang sering dikenal dengan boraks ini, merupakan monobasa dari asam lewis lemah yang memiliki bentuk segitiga datar. Senyawa ini mampu larut di dalam alkohol, cukup larut di dalam piridina dan sangat sedikit larut jika dilarutkan di dalam aseton.…”

Using Science-Driven Analog Research to Investigate Extravehicular Activity Science Operations Concepts and Capabilities for Human Planetary Exploration

“…The BASALT (Biologic Analog Science Associated with Lava Terrains) program includes Science , Science Operations , and Technology objectives that are being addressed through real (nonsimulated) biogeochemical fieldwork under simulated Mars mission constraints that are based on current architectural assumptions for future exploration missions (see Lim et al , 2019, for an overview of the BASALT project). The BASALT Science program is investigating how microbial communities and habitability correlate with physical and geochemical characteristics of chemically altered basalt environments in Mars-analog terrestrial sites (Brady et al , 2019; Hughes et al , 2019; Lim et al , 2019). The BASALT Science Operations and Technology programs are examining concepts of operations (ConOps) and capabilities that enable and enhance scientific return during human–robotic exploration under Mars mission constraints (Beaton et al , 2019; Marquez et al , 2019; Miller et al , 2019; Seibert et al , 2019; Norheim et al , 2018).…”