Water-rock interaction and life

Water-rock interactions play a critical role in the origin, existence, and prospects of life. Minerals are sources of energy and nutrients. Life uses aqueous chemical gradients to access and use minerals. Chemical disequilibrium, therefore, represents one type of biotic signature. Life also controls other types of disequilibrium, including isotopic disequilibrium and morphology. Water is a fundamental contributor to all of these biosignatures, acting as a medium for mass transfer and a reservoir for components. Distinguishing biosignatures from abiotic signatures challenges instrumental capabilities. Finally, the ubiquity and heterogenous distribution of life on Earth challenges the ability to interpret different types of disequilibria as evidence for life, or absence thereof. © 2012 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. Selection and/or peer-review under responsibility of Organizing and Scientific Committee of WRI 14 – 2013.