Abiotic versus biotic iron mineral transformation studied by a miniaturized backscattering Mössbauer spectrometer (MIMOS II), X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy

Abstract Searching for biomarkers or signatures of microbial transformations of minerals is a critical aspect for determining how life evolved on Earth, and whether or not life may have existed in other planets, including Mars. In order to solve such questions, several missions to Mars have sought to determine the geochemistry and mineralogy on the Martian surface. This research includes the two miniaturized Mossbauer spectrometers (MIMOS II) on board the Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity, which have detected a variety of iron minerals on Mars, including magnetite (Fe2+Fe3+2O4) and goethite (α-FeO(OH)). On Earth, both minerals can derive from microbiological activity (e.g. thro…