Geochemical habitability potential of magmatic vs impact induced heat hydrothermal environment on early Earth and Mars

Throughout Earth’s geological history, hydrothermal systems have provided habitats for primordial forms of life by creating a warm fluid environment that reacts with the local rocks to release nutrients that can support microbial life. The predominant heat supply for these environments on Earth comes from magmatic sources, however, on extraterrestrial bodies such as Mars, impacts are the main source of heat. Here, the different chemical potential of free energy released from the water-rock interaction from the Haughton impact crater in the high Arctic, Canada, will be compared to magmatic intrusions from the San Raphael Swell, Utah, USA. This will be done by fieldwork sample collection and thermodynamics chemical modelling. The calculated estimation of free energy released from each set of reactions will be used to evaluate the potential of each environment to support microbial life
through time and space.

Faculty Supervisor:

Gordon Osinski

Student:

Partner:

The Open University

Discipline:

Earth science

Sector:

Other

University:

The University of Western Ontario

Program: