The potential of Deception Island, Antarctica, as a multifunctional Martian analogue of astrobiological interest

Abstract

The establishment of the possible presence of life on Mars (past or present) is based on the study of planetary analogues, which allow in situ analysis of the environments in which living organisms adapt to often extreme conditions. Although Mars has been a candidate for hosting life, based on observations made decades ago, it is thanks to the characteristics identified in environments, mainly volcanic, that it has been possible to calibrate instruments and detail the features of the red planet. In this paper, we present a review of the main characteristics of different planetary analogues, particularly deepening the study of Antarctica, to later expose the factors studied in Deception Island that have contributed to considering it as an analogue of Mars from different perspectives. Although geological and geomorphological studies on the analogies of the island already exist, detailed analyses that present the approach of astrobiological analogues are required, thus allowing further research.