Kathleen C Benison | West Virginia University (original) (raw)

Papers by Kathleen C Benison

IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing, 2023

Acid-saline sediments in shallow-lake environments in southwestern Australia host complex mineral... more Acid-saline sediments in shallow-lake environments in southwestern Australia host complex mineralogical suites representing long-term weathering and modern extreme acidsaline chemistry. It is not known whether large-scale reflectance spectroscopy datasets from watersheds across the Yilgarn Craton show regional mineralogical variability. This study assesses over 2500 spectra from datasets of shallow subsurface sediments by using automatic minima detections for spectral features of interest. Integrating microscopic and spectral observations show that proportionally similar mineral assemblages exist in a variety of recognizable textures. Spectral results indicate that iron oxide and phyllosilicates are the most detected mineral types, alongside less common alunite, jarosite, and gypsum. The difference in detection abundance by percentage for mineral groups, particularly iron oxides, accounts for the largest regional variation observed in spectra. Spectral feature characteristics show significant regional variation for iron oxide, alunite, and hydrated mineral absorptions. The spectral observations align with previous mineralogical observations of these landscapes and the expected weathering evolution for granitoids, where Al-phyllosilicates and iron oxides are most prevalent. Observations of these mineral suites enhance understanding of regional differences and similarities in chemical precipitates and products of water-rock interaction in extreme acid-saline environments and have implications for studying sediments and rocks on Mars.

Abstracts with programs, 2021

Geology, May 6, 2022

Primary fluid inclusions in bedded halite from the 830-m.y.-old Browne Formation of central Austr... more Primary fluid inclusions in bedded halite from the 830-m.y.-old Browne Formation of central Australia contain organic solids and liquids, as documented with transmitted light and ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) petrography. These objects are consistent in size, shape, and fluorescent response with cells of prokaryotes and eukaryotes and with organic compounds. This discovery shows that microorganisms from saline depositional environments can remain well preserved in halite for hundreds of millions of years and can be detected in situ with optical methods alone. This study has implications for the search for life in both terrestrial and extraterrestrial chemical sedimentary rocks.

Geology, Dec 1, 2010

Dickinson et al. (2010) call attention to an interesting problem in Michigan's geologic history, ... more Dickinson et al. (2010) call attention to an interesting problem in Michigan's geologic history, as well as that of North America during the Mesozoic. Their new detrital zircon age data represent a signifi cant stepping stone toward the unraveling of provenance for the sedimentary rocks found as building stones in Ionia, Michigan. These "Jurassic" red beds of the Michigan basin have remained elusive enough for the Stratigraphic Lexicon of Michigan to call them "problematic" (Catacosinos et al., 2001). The Dickinson et al. paper is the fi rst peer-reviewed publication about these rocks. Despite the valuable zircon age dates, we fundamentally disagree with the fl uvial and Jurassic interpretations, calling into question any interpretations for the "transcontinental Jurassic paleoriver hypothesis" as the title claims. The Ionia formation is not recognized as a formal stratigraphic unit by the North American Commission on Stratigraphic Nomenclature (NACSN, 2005). To be recognized as a formation, there must fi rst be a peer-reviewed publication that describes the basic sedimentology and stratigraphy of the rocks. No such publication exists for these rocks. Further, an application has to be made to the NACSN for the formal naming of a formation or any other stratigraphic unit (Jordan, 2009). It is inappropriate for this paper to have capitalized "formation," suggesting falsely that the NACSN has approved the name "Ionia Formation" (Owen, 2009). In the title of this paper, the assumption is made that these rocks are fl uvial. However, no description of the sedimentary textures (such as grain sizes, grain shapes, and grain surface features), sedimentary compositions, sedimentary structures (such as cross-bedding), fossils, or deposit geometry is given. Without such a description or citation of a peer-reviewed publication (or even abstract) that provides such data, the interpretation of depositional environment is not supported. The study by Dickinson et al. employs a single sample of questionable origin. Traditionally, analytical agreement of at least three samples is considered necessary for viable interpretation of a rock's age. The one rock analyzed is not in situ. It is from a building stone from the town of Ionia, but the location of the quarry from which it was taken is not specifi ed. In order to make concrete interpretations, as has been done here, one must make certain the rock was not imported from elsewhere. This study claims Jurassic age for the Ionia formation based upon pollen identifi cation from Cross (1998b, 2001).

Abstracts with programs, 2022

Abstracts with programs, 2021

Abstracts with programs, 2022

Goldschmidt2022 abstracts, 2022

Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, Mar 1, 2021

The Sedimentary record, Dec 1, 2019

Geology, Jun 22, 2023

Various sulfate minerals exist on Mars; except for gypsum, they are understudied on Earth. Extrem... more Various sulfate minerals exist on Mars; except for gypsum, they are understudied on Earth. Extremophiles have been documented in modern gypsum and halite and ancient halite, but other chemical sediments have not been evaluated for biosignatures. Here, we present the first observations and analysis of microorganisms and organic compounds in primary fluid inclusions in the Mars-analog mineral mirabilite, Na 2 SO 4 •10H 2 O, from Great Salt Lake, Utah, USA. Microscopy by transmitted light and ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) light, and Raman spectroscopy, show abundant bacteria and/or Archaea, algae, fungi, diatoms, protozoa, and organic compounds such as beta-carotene. This discovery expands our current knowledge of biological materials trapped in salt and aids the search for life on Mars, both for sample selection by rover and for analyses of return samples on Earth.

Microbial biotechnology, Feb 14, 2023

Practical experiments drive important scientific discoveries in biology, but theory-based researc... more Practical experiments drive important scientific discoveries in biology, but theory-based research studies also contribute novel-sometimes paradigmchanging-findings. Here, we appraise the roles of theory-based approaches focusing on the experiment-dominated wet-biology research areas of microbial growth and survival, cell physiology, host-pathogen interactions, and competitive or symbiotic interactions. Additional examples relate to analyses of genome-sequence data, climate change and planetary health, habitability, and astrobiology. We assess the importance of thought at each step of the research process; the roles of natural philosophy, and inconsistencies in logic and language, as drivers of scientific progress; the value of thought experiments; the use and limitations of artificial intelligence technologies, including their potential for interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research; and other instances when theory is the most-direct and most-scientifically robust route to scientific novelty including the development of techniques for practical experimentation or fieldwork. We highlight the intrinsic need for human engagement in scientific innovation, an issue pertinent to the ongoing controversy over papers authored using/authored by artificial intelligence (such as the large language model/chatbot ChatGPT). Other issues discussed are the way in which aspects of language can bias thinking towards the spatial rather than the temporal (and how this biased thinking can lead to skewed scientific terminology); receptivity to research that is non-mainstream; and the importance of theory-based science in education and epistemology. Whereas we briefly highlight classic works (those by Oakes Ames, Francis

Astrobiology, Apr 1, 2019

The Mars Curiosity rover carries a diverse instrument payload to characterize habitable environme... more The Mars Curiosity rover carries a diverse instrument payload to characterize habitable environments in the sedimentary layers of Aeolis Mons. One of these instruments is Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM), which contains a mass spectrometer that is capable of detecting organic compounds via pyrolysis gas chromatography mass spectrometry (py-GC-MS). To identify polar organic molecules, the SAM instrument carries the thermochemolysis reagent tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH) in methanol (hereafter referred to as TMAH). TMAH can liberate fatty acids bound in macromolecules or chemically bound monomers associated with mineral phases and make these organics detectable via gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) by methylation. Fatty acids, a type of carboxylic acid that contains a carboxyl functional group, are of particular interest given their presence in both biotic and abiotic materials. This work represents the first analyses of a suite of Mars-analog samples using the TMAH experiment under select SAM-like conditions. Samples analyzed include iron oxyhydroxides and iron oxyhydroxysulfates, a mixture of iron oxides/oxyhydroxides and clays, iron sulfide, siliceous sinter, carbonates, and shale. The TMAH experiments produced detectable signals under SAM-like pyrolysis conditions when organics were present either at high concentrations or in geologically modern systems. Although only a few analog samples exhibited a high abundance and variety of fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs), FAMEs were detected in the majority of analog samples tested. When utilized, the

Abstracts with programs, 2022

52nd Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, Mar 1, 2021

Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, Mar 1, 2019

Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets

Martian soils are critically important for understanding the history of Mars, past potentially ha... more Martian soils are critically important for understanding the history of Mars, past potentially habitable environments, returned samples, and future human exploration. This study examines soil crusts on the floor of Jezero crater encountered during initial phases of the Mars 2020 mission. Soil surface crusts have been observed on Mars at other locations, starting with the two Viking Lander missions. Rover observations show that soil crusts are also common across the floor of Jezero crater, revealed in 45 of 101 locations where rover wheels disturbed the soil surface, two out of seven helicopter flights that crossed the wheel tracks, and four of eight abrasion/drilling sites. Most soils measured by the SuperCam laser‐induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) instrument show high hydrogen content at the surface, and fine‐grained soils also show a visible/near infrared (VISIR) 1.9 μm H2O absorption feature. The Planetary Instrument for X‐ray Lithochemistry (PIXL) and SuperCam observations s...

IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing, 2023

Acid-saline sediments in shallow-lake environments in southwestern Australia host complex mineral... more Acid-saline sediments in shallow-lake environments in southwestern Australia host complex mineralogical suites representing long-term weathering and modern extreme acidsaline chemistry. It is not known whether large-scale reflectance spectroscopy datasets from watersheds across the Yilgarn Craton show regional mineralogical variability. This study assesses over 2500 spectra from datasets of shallow subsurface sediments by using automatic minima detections for spectral features of interest. Integrating microscopic and spectral observations show that proportionally similar mineral assemblages exist in a variety of recognizable textures. Spectral results indicate that iron oxide and phyllosilicates are the most detected mineral types, alongside less common alunite, jarosite, and gypsum. The difference in detection abundance by percentage for mineral groups, particularly iron oxides, accounts for the largest regional variation observed in spectra. Spectral feature characteristics show significant regional variation for iron oxide, alunite, and hydrated mineral absorptions. The spectral observations align with previous mineralogical observations of these landscapes and the expected weathering evolution for granitoids, where Al-phyllosilicates and iron oxides are most prevalent. Observations of these mineral suites enhance understanding of regional differences and similarities in chemical precipitates and products of water-rock interaction in extreme acid-saline environments and have implications for studying sediments and rocks on Mars.

Abstracts with programs, 2021

Geology, May 6, 2022

Primary fluid inclusions in bedded halite from the 830-m.y.-old Browne Formation of central Austr... more Primary fluid inclusions in bedded halite from the 830-m.y.-old Browne Formation of central Australia contain organic solids and liquids, as documented with transmitted light and ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) petrography. These objects are consistent in size, shape, and fluorescent response with cells of prokaryotes and eukaryotes and with organic compounds. This discovery shows that microorganisms from saline depositional environments can remain well preserved in halite for hundreds of millions of years and can be detected in situ with optical methods alone. This study has implications for the search for life in both terrestrial and extraterrestrial chemical sedimentary rocks.

Geology, Dec 1, 2010

Dickinson et al. (2010) call attention to an interesting problem in Michigan's geologic history, ... more Dickinson et al. (2010) call attention to an interesting problem in Michigan's geologic history, as well as that of North America during the Mesozoic. Their new detrital zircon age data represent a signifi cant stepping stone toward the unraveling of provenance for the sedimentary rocks found as building stones in Ionia, Michigan. These "Jurassic" red beds of the Michigan basin have remained elusive enough for the Stratigraphic Lexicon of Michigan to call them "problematic" (Catacosinos et al., 2001). The Dickinson et al. paper is the fi rst peer-reviewed publication about these rocks. Despite the valuable zircon age dates, we fundamentally disagree with the fl uvial and Jurassic interpretations, calling into question any interpretations for the "transcontinental Jurassic paleoriver hypothesis" as the title claims. The Ionia formation is not recognized as a formal stratigraphic unit by the North American Commission on Stratigraphic Nomenclature (NACSN, 2005). To be recognized as a formation, there must fi rst be a peer-reviewed publication that describes the basic sedimentology and stratigraphy of the rocks. No such publication exists for these rocks. Further, an application has to be made to the NACSN for the formal naming of a formation or any other stratigraphic unit (Jordan, 2009). It is inappropriate for this paper to have capitalized "formation," suggesting falsely that the NACSN has approved the name "Ionia Formation" (Owen, 2009). In the title of this paper, the assumption is made that these rocks are fl uvial. However, no description of the sedimentary textures (such as grain sizes, grain shapes, and grain surface features), sedimentary compositions, sedimentary structures (such as cross-bedding), fossils, or deposit geometry is given. Without such a description or citation of a peer-reviewed publication (or even abstract) that provides such data, the interpretation of depositional environment is not supported. The study by Dickinson et al. employs a single sample of questionable origin. Traditionally, analytical agreement of at least three samples is considered necessary for viable interpretation of a rock's age. The one rock analyzed is not in situ. It is from a building stone from the town of Ionia, but the location of the quarry from which it was taken is not specifi ed. In order to make concrete interpretations, as has been done here, one must make certain the rock was not imported from elsewhere. This study claims Jurassic age for the Ionia formation based upon pollen identifi cation from Cross (1998b, 2001).

Abstracts with programs, 2022

Abstracts with programs, 2021

Abstracts with programs, 2022

Goldschmidt2022 abstracts, 2022

Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, Mar 1, 2021

The Sedimentary record, Dec 1, 2019

Geology, Jun 22, 2023

Various sulfate minerals exist on Mars; except for gypsum, they are understudied on Earth. Extrem... more Various sulfate minerals exist on Mars; except for gypsum, they are understudied on Earth. Extremophiles have been documented in modern gypsum and halite and ancient halite, but other chemical sediments have not been evaluated for biosignatures. Here, we present the first observations and analysis of microorganisms and organic compounds in primary fluid inclusions in the Mars-analog mineral mirabilite, Na 2 SO 4 •10H 2 O, from Great Salt Lake, Utah, USA. Microscopy by transmitted light and ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) light, and Raman spectroscopy, show abundant bacteria and/or Archaea, algae, fungi, diatoms, protozoa, and organic compounds such as beta-carotene. This discovery expands our current knowledge of biological materials trapped in salt and aids the search for life on Mars, both for sample selection by rover and for analyses of return samples on Earth.

Microbial biotechnology, Feb 14, 2023

Practical experiments drive important scientific discoveries in biology, but theory-based researc... more Practical experiments drive important scientific discoveries in biology, but theory-based research studies also contribute novel-sometimes paradigmchanging-findings. Here, we appraise the roles of theory-based approaches focusing on the experiment-dominated wet-biology research areas of microbial growth and survival, cell physiology, host-pathogen interactions, and competitive or symbiotic interactions. Additional examples relate to analyses of genome-sequence data, climate change and planetary health, habitability, and astrobiology. We assess the importance of thought at each step of the research process; the roles of natural philosophy, and inconsistencies in logic and language, as drivers of scientific progress; the value of thought experiments; the use and limitations of artificial intelligence technologies, including their potential for interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research; and other instances when theory is the most-direct and most-scientifically robust route to scientific novelty including the development of techniques for practical experimentation or fieldwork. We highlight the intrinsic need for human engagement in scientific innovation, an issue pertinent to the ongoing controversy over papers authored using/authored by artificial intelligence (such as the large language model/chatbot ChatGPT). Other issues discussed are the way in which aspects of language can bias thinking towards the spatial rather than the temporal (and how this biased thinking can lead to skewed scientific terminology); receptivity to research that is non-mainstream; and the importance of theory-based science in education and epistemology. Whereas we briefly highlight classic works (those by Oakes Ames, Francis

Astrobiology, Apr 1, 2019

The Mars Curiosity rover carries a diverse instrument payload to characterize habitable environme... more The Mars Curiosity rover carries a diverse instrument payload to characterize habitable environments in the sedimentary layers of Aeolis Mons. One of these instruments is Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM), which contains a mass spectrometer that is capable of detecting organic compounds via pyrolysis gas chromatography mass spectrometry (py-GC-MS). To identify polar organic molecules, the SAM instrument carries the thermochemolysis reagent tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH) in methanol (hereafter referred to as TMAH). TMAH can liberate fatty acids bound in macromolecules or chemically bound monomers associated with mineral phases and make these organics detectable via gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) by methylation. Fatty acids, a type of carboxylic acid that contains a carboxyl functional group, are of particular interest given their presence in both biotic and abiotic materials. This work represents the first analyses of a suite of Mars-analog samples using the TMAH experiment under select SAM-like conditions. Samples analyzed include iron oxyhydroxides and iron oxyhydroxysulfates, a mixture of iron oxides/oxyhydroxides and clays, iron sulfide, siliceous sinter, carbonates, and shale. The TMAH experiments produced detectable signals under SAM-like pyrolysis conditions when organics were present either at high concentrations or in geologically modern systems. Although only a few analog samples exhibited a high abundance and variety of fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs), FAMEs were detected in the majority of analog samples tested. When utilized, the

Abstracts with programs, 2022

52nd Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, Mar 1, 2021

Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, Mar 1, 2019

Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets

Martian soils are critically important for understanding the history of Mars, past potentially ha... more Martian soils are critically important for understanding the history of Mars, past potentially habitable environments, returned samples, and future human exploration. This study examines soil crusts on the floor of Jezero crater encountered during initial phases of the Mars 2020 mission. Soil surface crusts have been observed on Mars at other locations, starting with the two Viking Lander missions. Rover observations show that soil crusts are also common across the floor of Jezero crater, revealed in 45 of 101 locations where rover wheels disturbed the soil surface, two out of seven helicopter flights that crossed the wheel tracks, and four of eight abrasion/drilling sites. Most soils measured by the SuperCam laser‐induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) instrument show high hydrogen content at the surface, and fine‐grained soils also show a visible/near infrared (VISIR) 1.9 μm H2O absorption feature. The Planetary Instrument for X‐ray Lithochemistry (PIXL) and SuperCam observations s...