Synchrotron Data - Thorne 6576 (July 2013) - The formation of iron pisoliths and clues to life on Mars

This research aims to examine the mineralogical and textural characteristics associated with life in pisoliths (iron spherules) which are found in near surface environments across the world. These pisoliths are analogous in mineralogy and morphology to those found on the Martian surface. The results of this study could aid future expeditions to\r\nsearch for life on Mars while the outcomes are also key to our understanding of the link between microorganisms and mineralisation in surface environments.\nLineage: Data was produced using the Maia 384 element detector array on the XFM X-ray microprobe beamline of the Australian Synchrotron and processed using the GeoPIXE software package.