Research project: Biosignatures in a High Arctic Mars Analogue Gossan Deposit

My name is Hiba, and I recently completed my bachelor's degree in Environmental Science and Earth Sciences and started my master's degree under the supervision of Richard Leveille during Fall 2021. My specific role within the T-Mars team is to investigate returned samples from the summer 2022 field season for biosignatures. I will be specifically targeting lipid biomarkers as a significant potential reservoir of molecular fossils encased in iron oxides and iron sulfate minerals, as we hypothesize that evidence for past life on Mars is most likely to be found preserved within remnants of mineral and microorganism interactions. The analytical work I will be responsible for is targeting lipid biomarkers to determine the type and variety of life preserved in this environment using gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC-MS). I will also be conducting a mineralogical study using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) and X-ray Diffraction (XRD) to characterize the mineral profile of the area. My project’s goal is to explore what type of biomarkers are present in this analog environment to better understand where they would be found if similar biomarkers were preserved on Mars. It will also assess whether the specific mineral assemblage found in gossans is favorable for lipid preservation, and therefore, is a good target for biomarker search on Mars.

Project conducted under the direction of Prof. Richard Léveillé, September 2021 to August 2023.

Hiba is a member of the 2022 field sampling team.