The astrobiological potential of the Makgadikgadi Basin, Botswana: Field analogue for planetary exploration.

Terrestrial analogue sites have been crucial for studying Martian geology and mineralogy, integrating the direct evidence available from Mars through remote sensing and in situ measurements carried out by the instruments on board robotic missions. Studying readily available and accessible terrestrial analogues of Martian fossil or extant environments is considered the most efficient way to answer crucial scientific questions. These analogues offer opportunities to collect a range of geological and microbiological data. The Makgadikgadi Basin (MKB) in Botswana is one of such environments hosting a system of salt pans presenting striking similarities with Mars playa deposits. The MKB presents layered mounds, relict fan deltas with inverted channels, polygonal structures and evaporitic crusts harboring communities of extremophiles. The present-day MKB is predominantly fed by groundwater and local precipitations in an overall arid to semi-arid climate, characterized by high UV radiation and salinity, deposition of evaporitic minerals and authigenic clays. The shallow subsurface of the MKB pans is covered by diagenetic features (duricrusts) including silcretes and calcretes. These pans can serve as test beds for the physical and chemical characteristics of playa deposits on Mars and help improve our understanding of the conditions that might support life outside our planet. • The Makgadikgadi pans physical and chemical conditions resemble early Mars. • Morphologies in the pans formed by the interplay of water upwelling and evaporation. • Polygonal fractures, inverted channels and paleo-shorelines were identified. • Evaporitic crust and duricrusts harbor communities of extremophiles. • The pans are natural laboratory for the study of Mars habitability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]