Biosignature PReservation through geologic time
Finding unambiguous signs of past life is challenging because living organisms catalyze chemical reactions that could occur abiotically. Moreover, rock burial and diagenesis can alter biosignatures once they form. For this study we are examining carbonate springs that have been active for over 400 thousand years and determining what changes we see between the modern system and the most ancient samples. This will help us understand the types of processes that alter biosignatures through geologic time and help us better detect biosignatures in the rock record.