Expeditions

Upcoming Expeditions 

Expedition to Iceland (July 2022)

I am the Principal Investigator of an expedition with the Iceland Space Agency to study Mars Habitable environments and life detection strategies in several extreme locations around Iceland. NASA, The Explorers Club Hong Kong and State Key Laboratory of Lunar and Planetary Sciences of Macau are involved in this expedition.

Expedition to Uzbekistan (postponed until further notice)

In this expedition, organized by The Explorers Club, we will uncover the remnants of Chorasmia, an ancient civilisation buried in Uzbekistan, using radar imaging technologies.

Past Expeditions 

The Pyrenees, to study the fluid-rick interactions in the Solar System (GeoPlaNet Analogue Field School), September 2019

In this field school we went to selected geological sites of planetary interest in the Pyrenees mountain range and at its borders. We used planetary exploration instruments, satellite imagery and digital topography to study the fluid-rock interactions in the Solar System. Fluids play a central role in the internal and external evolution of many solid bodies of the Solar System. They interact with planetary rocks and ices in terms of composition and shape. We observed some particularly spectacular examples of fluid-rock interactions and discussed their relevance as terrestrial analogues for planetary studies.

The hot springs in Rotorua as Mars analogues, New Zealand, June 2018

It is known that Mars, well over 3.5 billion years ago, may have harbored primitive microbial-life forms, when flowing water and volcanoes promoted the formation of hot springs. On Earth, hydrothermal habitats always contain extremophiles, or organisms capable to adapt to the extreme conditions. The hot springs in Rotorua are great Mars analogues, as they could solve the mystery of life on Mars, allowing us to study a similar environment than on early Mars. We visited the extreme environments: hydrothermal vents, hydrocarbon seeps and gas hydrates, and it was amazing. 

Qaidam Basin as a Mars analogue, Tibetan Plateau, July 2016

The Qaidam Basin is one of the most similar places to Mars on Earth. Our last field expedition to the Tibetan Plateau allowed us to unfold more clues to study the Martian environment. If we are ever to travel to Mars, the knowledge of climatic conditions and the availability of water will play a critical role in the planning of such manned missions to the Red Planet and the Qaidam Basin can give us important clues to prepare for such missions. 

Pilbara, site of the oldest evidence of life on Earth, Western Australia, June 2016 

The Dresser Formation, in the Pilbara Craton, is site of the oldest evidence of life on Earth. We visited the remote sites of fossilized stromatolites, which allows us to better understand whether life ever was (or still is) on Mars, the composition of the Archaean atmosphere and the setting for the origin of life. The best part, apart from the science, was the campfire dinners, the camp at a lovely site that allowed us to sleep under the southern stars and to see kangaroos in the mornings!

Northwestern Qaidam Basin, Tibetan Plateau, August 2015

The main purpose of the expedition was to analyze the geomorphologies of the field site as analogues of modern geomorphic features on Mars, complemented with further laboratory results of mineralogical investigations. We conducted field investigations of nine sites during a 10 days expedition in August 2016, when the temperatures were at their highest. We collected almost 100 samples from nine different locations. Due to the enormous size of the area, we planned different routes to visit the most significant geomorphic features. We used the city of Huatugou as a base line for the expedition. At the end of the expedition, we sealed the samples in sterilized bags and stored them at low temperature to avoid dehydration/rehydration changes. At the end of the expedition they were transported to the Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry (China) were we analyzed them for analysis. One of the best parts of the trip was to see the locals and learn their culture, amazing!

Dalangtan Playa, Tibetan Plateau, July 2014

The study of ancient carbonate sediments in terrestrial analogues is essential for understanding the putative life-involved carbon cycle on Mars. Because of their recognizable structures, calcium carbonate raise interests in Martian life exploration for their potential biogenesis. In this expedition we identified calcium carbonate sediments in the northwest of the Qaidam Basin. Their formation is very interesting, and still not fully understood, but they could be considered as signatures of past life, being directly relevant to the search for ancient Martian life!

Lake Cisó, a modern analogue of the Archean landscape, Spain, June 2014

Lake Cisó is a sulphide-rich lake in Girona, north-eastern part of Spain. Although the surface of the lake becomes oxic for certain time, purple sulphur bacteria and green sulphur bacteria populations predominate, where they perform a non-oxygenic photosynthesis, releasing sulphur rather than oxygen waste. The primitive nature of these green and purple sulphur bacteria that inhabit in Lake Cisó is of great importance, as it allows a better understanding of the non-oxygenic photosynthesis in the early times of the Earth. This lake community contains contemporary relatives of the earth’s earliest photosynthesizers, and therefore, the environment of the Archaean landscape about 3.7 million years ago, where sulphur bacteria dominated wet terrains, can be recreated.

Expedition to the crater of an asteroid in search of fossils, Black Forest, Germany, May 2011

In May 2011, as part of the MSc I was studying at University College London, we went for an expedition to the old crater of an asteroid that struck the area of Bavaria some 15 million years ago. The resulting impact left behind a massive crater that is more than nine miles accross. Our week expedition consisted on the search for minerals and fossils found at impact sites as this one. When the asteroid hit the Earth, the force caused graphite-bearing gneiss that formed diamonds due to the huge pressure! These diamonds are therefore the results of the asteroid, and although we did not find any, we found fossils embedded in the rocks at the time of the impact.

Exploration of the Arctic Polar Circle, September 2002

In September 2002 I was living in Sweden, and the opportunity came up to do a trip to the Swedish Lapland to see the Northern Lights. The experience was amazing since we stayed with indigenous people (the Sami), who cooked for us and took us to every interesting place we had to see. While I was used to the Midnight Sun for my previous months living in Gävle, to experience 24 hours sun days is fascinating. The Aurora Ski Station provided the greatest light show I have ever seen. And to finish the trip, we ended up skiing in the remote Riksgränsen, northernmost ski resort located 200 km north of the Arctic Circle.