In preparation for missions to Mars, Earth analogues can provide insight into key signatures of habitability. The extreme temperatures, limited nutrient availability, and desiccation of Arctic volcanic regions provide a unique opportunity to study environments with multiple similarities to extraterrestrial systems. In July 2016, FELDSPAR conducted a field campaign to Dyngjusandur, Iceland, an alluvial plain of nutrient-poor volcanic basaltic tephra with spectroscopic similarities to analogous geological features observed on Mars. Sampling collection was conducted as developed in prior campaigns in 2013 and 2015. Triangular grids of samples beginning at the 10 cm scale and increasing to the 1 km scale were returned to the Georgia Institute of Technology for home lab analysis. In addition, a near-IR reflectance spectrometer was brought to the field for in situ mineralogical analysis of samples at time of collection. Biological analyses included bacterial and archaeal DNA quantification by qPCR and analysis by 16S rRNA sequencing. Geophysical assays included grain size and moisture content measurements. Initial measurements indicate total DNA concentrations ranging from 0.05-0.3 ng/uL, and bacterial DNA concentrations of 5.0x10<sup>-8</sup> – 5.0x10<sup>-7 </sup>ng/uL. The multiple measurements were related by principal component analysis methods in R studio. There appear to be variations in DNA concentration at different spatial scales that may be correlated with IR reflectance parameters or geophysical parameters. Continued analysis of the Dyngjusandur samples will educate our sampling on future expeditions, and act as a starting point for temporal analysis at this location.

Field Exploration and Life Detection Sampling via Planetary Analogue Research (FELDSPAR): Microbial population and distribution at the Dyngjusandur, Iceland alluvial plain in 2016

2019 Spring National Meeting

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