Dr Rachael Hamp

Postdoctoral Research Associate In Planetary Geochemistry

School of Environment, Earth & Ecosystem Sciences

rachael.hamp@open.ac.uk

Biography

Professional biography

2023-Present PDRA in Planetary Geochemsitry - The spectral fingerprint of cryovolcanism: Provelance and prevalence of cryovolcanic deposits on the surface of Europa

2022-2023 PDRA in Planetary Geochemistry - Experimental Simulation of Enceladus Ocean Floor

2021-2022 Research Assistant/PDRA role in Laboratory Astrophysics

2017-2022 PhD in Geochemical cycling in the subsurface ocean of Enceladus with AstrobiologyOU

Research interests

All of my research has an overarching aim to understand the geochemical processes occurring on icy worlds, from interior water-rock reactions to surface ice processes. Understanding these processes is essential context required for upcoming missions to the moons of the outer Solar System, and to assess the potential habitability of these ocean worlds. In particular my work focuses on:

Cryogenic experimental freezing of brine solutions to assess the effect cryovolcanic process have on both composition and structure of surface ice deposits on ocean worlds. This is essential to understand how ocean material may be expressed on the surface and be able to correctly interpret data from space missions.
Thermochemical modelling of water-rock interactions to assess the chemical composition and physical parameters of the ocean and potential habitability of ocean worlds.
Experimental simulation of the subsurface environments to determine ocean composition and geochemical process occurring on icy worlds to assess potential habitability.

Projects

Surface Signatures of Prebiotic Chemistry on Icy Worlds

Icy worlds in the outer Solar System, like Enceladus and Europa, host subsurface oceans rich in salts and organic material beneath their icy shells, meaning they could harbour the conditions necessary for life to emerge and thrive there today 1-3 Surface deposits formed when ocean waters reach the surface through ‘cryovolcanic’ activity may provide an indication of ocean chemistry, however the behaviour of salt-organic mixtures at icy moon surface temperatures (<100 K), and their detectability by spacecraft, remains poorly understood. My recent discovery of the first known metastable NaCl hydrate formed by rapid freezing 4 akin to cryovolcanic freezing on icy moons, uncovered new insights into how minerals can form in the outer Solar System under these extreme cold environments. The novelty of this discovery means that how such materials interact with organic compounds, and how these interactions affect their spectral signatures, is entirely unknown. Without this understanding, we risk misinterpreting mission data and overlooking key indicators of prebiotic chemistry or biosignatures of life.