Chemistry Department Seminar: Margaret Tolbert

Mars is a cold, dry planet where pure liquid water is not stable.  However, recent observations of “recurring slope lineae” (RSL) on Mars may be evidence of current liquid water flows.   Several different hygroscopic salts are known to exist in the Martian soil, and deliquescence of those salts could provide small amounts of liquid water temporarily. Our research group uses Raman microscopy and an environmental cell to probe the conditions under which such liquid brines can form and persist under low Martian temperatures. I will discuss the brine-forming ability of several different Mars-relevant salts and salt mixtures, as well as the potential habitability or toxicity of these aqueous solutions to bacterial spores. I will also discuss the results of experiments we have done on salty sediment samples from the Dry Valleys of Antarctica, the only terrestrial analog site for the Martian RSL.