Microfossils in the Antarctic cold desert: Possible implications for Mars
In the Ross Desert of Antarctica, the principal life form is the cryptoendolithic microbial community in the near-surface layers of porous sandstone rocks. Biological, geological, and climatic factors interact in a complex and precarious balance, making life possible in an otherwise hostile environm...
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ftnasantrs:oai:casi.ntrs.nasa.gov:19860017425 2023-05-15T13:49:36+02:00 Microfossils in the Antarctic cold desert: Possible implications for Mars Friedmann, E. I. Ocampo-Friedmann, R. Unclassified, Unlimited, Publicly available May 1, 1986 http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19860017425 unknown http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19860017425 Accession ID: 86N26897 No Copyright CASI 55 NASA, Washington Second Symposium on Chemical Evolution and the Origin and Evolution of Life; p 97 1986 ftnasantrs 2012-02-15T16:37:08Z In the Ross Desert of Antarctica, the principal life form is the cryptoendolithic microbial community in the near-surface layers of porous sandstone rocks. Biological, geological, and climatic factors interact in a complex and precarious balance, making life possible in an otherwise hostile environment. Once this balance is tipped, fossilization sets in. In the reverse case, new colonization of the rock surface may be initiated. As a result, fossilization is contemporary with modern life and both may be simultaneously present in a mosaic pattern. Also, different stages of fossilization are present. The process of fossilization takes place in a nonaquatic environment. If primitive life ever appeared on Mars, it is possible that with increasing aridity, life withdrew into an endolithic niche similar to that in the Antarctic desert. Fossilization in a nonaquatic environment may have set in with the result that traces of past life could be preserved. If such was the case, the study of the fossilization process in Antarctica may hold useful information for the analysis of Martian samples for microfossils. Other/Unknown Material Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS) Antarctic The Antarctic |
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NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS) |
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55 |
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55 Friedmann, E. I. Ocampo-Friedmann, R. Microfossils in the Antarctic cold desert: Possible implications for Mars |
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55 |
description |
In the Ross Desert of Antarctica, the principal life form is the cryptoendolithic microbial community in the near-surface layers of porous sandstone rocks. Biological, geological, and climatic factors interact in a complex and precarious balance, making life possible in an otherwise hostile environment. Once this balance is tipped, fossilization sets in. In the reverse case, new colonization of the rock surface may be initiated. As a result, fossilization is contemporary with modern life and both may be simultaneously present in a mosaic pattern. Also, different stages of fossilization are present. The process of fossilization takes place in a nonaquatic environment. If primitive life ever appeared on Mars, it is possible that with increasing aridity, life withdrew into an endolithic niche similar to that in the Antarctic desert. Fossilization in a nonaquatic environment may have set in with the result that traces of past life could be preserved. If such was the case, the study of the fossilization process in Antarctica may hold useful information for the analysis of Martian samples for microfossils. |
format |
Other/Unknown Material |
author |
Friedmann, E. I. Ocampo-Friedmann, R. |
author_facet |
Friedmann, E. I. Ocampo-Friedmann, R. |
author_sort |
Friedmann, E. I. |
title |
Microfossils in the Antarctic cold desert: Possible implications for Mars |
title_short |
Microfossils in the Antarctic cold desert: Possible implications for Mars |
title_full |
Microfossils in the Antarctic cold desert: Possible implications for Mars |
title_fullStr |
Microfossils in the Antarctic cold desert: Possible implications for Mars |
title_full_unstemmed |
Microfossils in the Antarctic cold desert: Possible implications for Mars |
title_sort |
microfossils in the antarctic cold desert: possible implications for mars |
publishDate |
1986 |
url |
http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19860017425 |
op_coverage |
Unclassified, Unlimited, Publicly available |
geographic |
Antarctic The Antarctic |
geographic_facet |
Antarctic The Antarctic |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica |
op_source |
CASI |
op_relation |
http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19860017425 Accession ID: 86N26897 |
op_rights |
No Copyright |
_version_ |
1766251842515238912 |