Various sulfate minerals exist on Mars; except for gypsum, they are understudied Earth. Extremophiles have been documented in modern gypsum and halite ancient halite, but other chemical sediments not evaluated biosignatures. Here, we present the first observations analysis of microorganisms organic compounds primary fluid inclusions Mars-analog mineral mirabilite, Na2SO4∙10H2O, from Great Salt ...

A synthetic Topopah Spring Tuff water representative of one type of pore water at Yucca Mountain, NV was evaporated at 95 °C in a series of experiments to determine the geochemical controls for brines that may form on, and possibly impact upon the long-term integrity of waste containers and drip shields at the designated high-level, nuclear-waste repository. Solution chemistry, condensed vapor ...

Rapid identification and large-scale mapping of salt-affected lands will help improve salinity management in watersheds and ecosystems. This study was conducted to examine spectral reflectance of soils treated with saline solutions containing NaCl, NaHCO3, Na2SO4, and CaSO4.2H2O. Spectral reflectance was measured upon salt crusts formed on two soils (Torrifluvents) subirrigated with saline solu...

The goal of this project is to describe and understand the organismal composition, structure, and physiology of microbial ecosystems from hypersaline environments. One collection of such ecosystems occurs at North America's largest saltworks, the Exportadora de Sal, in Guerrero Negro, Baja California Sur. There, seawater flows through a series of evaporative basins with an increase in salinity ...

Other than halite diagenesis and organic matter degradation, Cl and Br are considered to be conservative in marine pore fluids. Consequently, Br/Cl ratios should remain constant during most diagenetic reactions. Nonetheless, Br/Cl molar ratios decrease to 1.27 3 10 ('18% less than seawater value) in pore fluids from Site 833 in the Aoba Basin of the New Hebrides convergent margin despite the la...

Abstract Bright spots on the surface of Ceres exhibit a mineralogy resulting from aqueous processes that hint at past elements an world. Reports hydrated sodium chloride (hydrohalite) Occator crater suggested salts may result deep brines reached recently or currently, but spectral characteristics alkali halides make their identification difficult. However, anhydrous (halite) develops readily id...

A suite of Permian sylvite samples from Boulby potash mine, Yorkshire, UK, consistently yield traces of hydrogen upon analysis by a cold crush technique for liberating volatiles from entrapped fluid inclusions. In contrast, accompanying halite samples do not yield hydrogen. These data suggest the formation of hydrogen by radiolysis of water due to irradiation from potassium in the sylvite. The ...