Perera, Liam J., Le Houx, James ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1576-0673, Leonardi, Alberto, Day, Sarah J. and Thompson, Stephen P. (2026) Fluid inclusions establish natron as a key astrobiological target on Enceladus. Communications Earth and Environment. ISSN 2662-4435 (Online) (doi:10.1038/s43247-026-04080-z)

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Abstract

Saturn’s moon Enceladus is a priority target for both NASA Flagship and ESA Large-class (L4) missions, as it possesses the three essential ingredients for life: liquid water, a source of energy, and all essential (CHNOPS) elements. As Enceladus’s ice crust is geologically active, future missions must understand its habitability through the lens of cryogeochemistry; yet the phase behaviour of Enceladus-type solutions is poorly constrained. Here, we investigate the freezing behaviour of an Enceladus-type Na-Cl-CO3 solution using combined synchrotron X-ray computed microtomography and diffraction. We report the observation of fluid inclusions in cryogenic natron (Na2CO3.10H2O), a mineral predicted to occur both on and within Enceladus. We show that natron precipitation traps and preserves pockets of parent fluid, providing a window into the geochemistry of Enceladus’s interior and establishing natron as a mineral of high astrobiological importance. Consequently, we argue that future missions must have the capability to identify natron at the surface and that direct sampling should prioritise fresh plume deposits where natron is abundant due to its potential to trap and preserve signatures of life.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	The authors would like to acknowledge Diamond Light Source for access to the DIAD beamline under proposal MG31838 and MG38841.
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Enceladus, fluid inclusions, Natron, astrobiology, correlative X-ray tomography and diffraction, In-situ freezing
Subjects:	Q Science > Q Science (General) Q Science > QA Mathematics > QA75 Electronic computers. Computer science Q Science > QB Astronomy
Faculty / School / Research Centre / Research Group:	Faculty of Engineering & Science Faculty of Engineering & Science > School of Computing & Mathematical Sciences (CMS)
Last Modified:	07 Oct 2026 07:25
URI:	https://gala.gre.ac.uk/id/eprint/54659

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