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Halogens on and Within the Ocean Worlds of the Outer Solar System

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The Role of Halogens in Terrestrial and Extraterrestrial Geochemical Processes

Part of the book series: Springer Geochemistry ((SPRIGEO))

Abstract

Life as we know it requires liquid water, a suite of approximately fifty-four elements from the periodic table, and some form of light or chemical energy to power life. The search for liquid water in our solar system has revealed that several moons of the outer solar system harbor oceans beneath their icy shells. Halogen salts serve as a key indicator of whether or not these liquid water environments could satisfy the latter two requirements for life. The presence of salts within these oceans is, and can be, an indicator of water-rock interactions between liquid water and silicate, halogen-rich, seafloors. In some cases, seafloor cycling within these moons may be sufficient to drive low-, or possibly even high-temperature hydrothermalism. Here I review the current state of knowledge of these oceans beyond Earth and provide both empirical and modelling constraints on halogens within these environments. Past, present, and future spacecraft missions to these worlds are described, and the implications for future discoveries of astrobiological importance is discussed.

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Acknowledgements

The author acknowledges support from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under a contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and funded in part through the internal Research and Technology Development program. He would also like to thank Jeff Kargel, Christopher Glein, and Mischa Zolotov for very useful reviews.

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  1. Jet Propulsion Laboratory, M/S 183-601, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA, 91109, USA

    Kevin P. Hand

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  1. Deutsches GeoForschungsZentrum, Potsdam, Germany

    Daniel E. Harlov

  2. Institute of Ore Geology, Petrography, Mineralogy, and Geochemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia

    Leonid Aranovich

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Hand, K.P. (2018). Halogens on and Within the Ocean Worlds of the Outer Solar System. In: Harlov, D., Aranovich, L. (eds) The Role of Halogens in Terrestrial and Extraterrestrial Geochemical Processes. Springer Geochemistry. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-61667-4_17

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