Mineralogy, Spectroscopy and Biogenicity of Travertine Deposits from Tapovan Hot Spring, Uttarakhand, India: A possible Mars’ Analogue

Le résumé fourni par la source

Hot springs deposit mineral-rich rocks called travertine, which can preserve chemical traces of microbial life. We studied travertine from the Tapovan hot spring in the Indian Himalayas, where near-boiling water emerges under extreme environmental conditions comparable to those on early Mars. Our results reveal two forms of calcium carbonate whose distribution reflects variations in water temperature and chemistry. Organic compounds, including fatty molecules, were also preserved within the travertine, showing signatures consistent with microbial activity. Isotope and water-chemistry data indicate that the spring is fed by rainwater that penetrates deep fractures, heats up, and returns to the surface. These findings provide a terrestrial analogue for recognizing potential biosignatures in ancient Martian hot-spring deposits, including those at Jezero Crater.

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