John Mustard

About

John Mustard is a professor in the Department of Earth, Environmental & Planetary Sciences at Brown University. His research focuses on the processes that modify solid surfaces and the spatial and temporal scales that control environmental processes on the Earth. He is involved in studying a range of topics including environmental science, oceans, ice and atmospheres, and planetary geoscience. Professor Mustard has contributed to various high-profile scientific discussions and discoveries, including insights into lunar science from NASA’s Artemis mission, the detection of organic molecules on Mars by the Curiosity rover, and the assessment of water frost on Mars’ volcanoes. His work is recognized for its impact on understanding planetary surfaces and the history of water and habitability in the solar system. He has also been part of teams evaluating NASA’s Mars Sample Return architecture proposals, reflecting his active engagement in planetary exploration and research.

Research topics

• Geology
• Astrobiology
• Geochemistry
• Mineralogy
• Remote sensing

Selected publications

• Crustal Groundwater Volumes Greater Than Previously Thought

  Geophysical Research Letters · 2021-08-09 · 81 citations

  articleOpen access

  Abstract Global groundwater volumes in the upper 2 km of the Earth's continental crust—critical for water security—are well estimated. Beyond these depths, a vast body of largely saline and non‐potable groundwater exists down to at least 10 km—a volume that has not yet been quantified reliably at the global scale. Here, we estimate the amount of groundwater present in the upper 10 km of the Earth's continental crust by examining the distribution of sedimentary and crystalline rocks with depth an…

  PublisherDOI

• The CRISM investigation in Mars orbit: Overview, history, and delivered data products

  Icarus · 2023-05-04 · 61 citations

  articleOpen access

  The Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) collected hyperspectral images of the Martian surface and atmosphere from September 27, 2006, through May 7, 2022. Over that time, nearly twenty scientific investigations were completed, most of which arose as a result of the findings from previous investigations. Two review papers published in 2009 (Murchie et al., 2009a, b) described the initial two-year investigation during MRO's Primary…

  PublisherDOI

• Characteristics, Origins, and Biosignature Preservation Potential of Carbonate‐Bearing Rocks Within and Outside of Jezero Crater

  Journal of Geophysical Research Planets · 2021-10-13 · 55 citations

  articleOpen access

  Carbonate minerals have been detected in Jezero crater, an ancient lake basin that is the landing site of the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover, and within the regional olivine-bearing (ROB) unit in the Nili Fossae region surrounding this crater. It has been suggested that some carbonates in the margin fractured unit, a rock unit within Jezero crater, formed in a fluviolacustrine environment, which would be conducive to preservation of biosignatures from paleolake-inhabiting lifeforms. Here, we show…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Geological diversity and microbiological potential of lakes on Mars

  Nature Astronomy · 2022-09-15 · 39 citations

  article
  PublisherDOI

• The Circum‐Isidis Capping Unit: An Extensive Regional Ashfall Deposit Exposed in Jezero Crater

  Geophysical Research Letters · 2022-03-25 · 19 citations

  article

  Abstract Several mineralogically diverse regions across Mars are capped by dark‐toned rock formations emplaced during the Noachian‐Hesperian transition, an era encompassing a shift in volcanism from dominantly explosive to effusive. However, these caprocks' origins are uncertain, limiting insight into the nature of this shift. We explore the potential volcanic ash origin of a widespread (∼50,000 km 2 ) mafic caprock in the Circum‐Isidis region via an integrated photogeologic and remote‐compositi…

  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• F. Poulet

  Université Paris-Saclay

  341 shared

• S. L. Murchie

  273 shared

• Jean‐Pierre Bibring

  Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale

  243 shared

• N. Mangold

  Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géosciences

  214 shared

• B. L. Ehlmann

  California Institute of Technology

  210 shared

• B. Gondet

  Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale

  198 shared

• R. E. Milliken

  186 shared

• A. Gendrin

  Schlumberger (British Virgin Islands)

  176 shared

Similar researchers at Brown University

• Yongsong Huangh-95
• Tim Herberth-66