NAI
2002 Annual Science Report
NASA Johnson Space Center
Reporting | JUL 2001 – JUN 2002
Biogenic Mineral Weathering
Project Summary
- Continued with our experimental project to compare biogenic weathering, sterile controls, and strictly abiogenic weathering
- Developed new morphologic criteria that appear to be distinctive for biogenic weathering textures
- Cataloged existing morphologic features of each type of weathering
- Determined chemical changes on the micrometer and submicrometer level associated with each type of weathering
- Cataloged weathering features in ancient Earth Archean samples and in Martian meteorites ALH84001, Nakhla, and others
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Institutions
3
Teams
0
Publications
0
Field Sites
Project Progress
- Continued with our experimental project to compare biogenic weathering, sterile controls, and strictly abiogenic weathering
- Developed new morphologic criteria that appear to be distinctive for biogenic weathering textures
- Cataloged existing morphologic features of each type of weathering
- Determined chemical changes on the micrometer and submicrometer level associated with each type of weathering
- Cataloged weathering features in ancient Earth Archean samples and in Martian meteorites ALH84001, Nakhla, and others
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PROJECT INVESTIGATORS:
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PROJECT MEMBERS:
Susan Wentworth
Project Investigator
Teresa Longazo
Co-Investigator
Simon Clemett
Collaborator
Penny Morris-Smith
Collaborator
Gordon Southam
Collaborator
Kathie Thomas-Keprta
Collaborator
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RELATED OBJECTIVES:
Objective 6.0
Define how ecophysiological processes structure microbial communities, influence their adaptation and evolution, and affect their detection on other planets.
Objective 8.0
Search for evidence of ancient climates, extinct life and potential habitats for extant life on Mars.