Assessing the Preservation Potential of Biogenic Features in
Pre-Neogene Tufas and Travertines – Applications to Exobiology
by Richardson, Justin  Abstract (Summary) If evidence for life
on Mars is found, it may come from Martian paleo-groundwater
deposits (tufas and travertines). Tufas and travertines uniquely
preserve evidence of life from both surface and subsurface
environments. What is known about tufa and travertine is biased
towards Holocene examples. Most geologically older examples
remain poorly studied, possibly due to poor preservation
potential, or from being overlooked or misclassified. This study
examines preservation potential of lithologic and biogenic
features in pre-Neogene paleo-groundwater deposits, focusing on
biogenic microstructures detected using SEM, EDS, and
petrography. This study compares pre-Neogene deposits from the
Eocene Chadron Formation (Badlands of South Dakota), the
Jurassic Shuttle Meadow Formation (Hartford Basin of
Connecticut), and Triassic Mercia Mudstone Group (south