We develop methods for Life Detection in extreme ecosystems. Our current focus in on interrogating the organic and inorganic chemistry of subsurface fluids that have been erupted into freezing conditions in the High Arctic, trapping organisms and biominerals into sulfur-rich ices and mineral deposits. Such systems serve as test-beds for future exploration of inhabited Ocean Worlds in our Solar System.
Our field site is Borup Fiord Pass, in the Canadian High Arctic.
The field team shown here includes Prof. Alexis Templeton & Dr. Graham Lau (University of Colorado), Dr. Stephen Grasby (Canadian Geological Survey), and Prof. John Spear & Chris Trivedi (Colorado School of Mines)