{"paper_id":"3bdc0b5f-10c5-4710-a2b5-e37c7cdbbf5e","body_text":"Fluid inclusions in natron - a window into the interior of Enceladus | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Physical Sciences - Article Fluid inclusions in natron - a window into the interior of Enceladus Liam Perera, James Le Houx, Alberto Leonardi, Sarah Day, Stephen Thompson This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8406896/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Saturn’s moon Enceladus is a priority target for both NASA Flagship and ESA L4 class 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-CO 3 solution using combined synchrotron X-ray computed microtomography and diffraction. We report the first observation of fluid inclusions in cryogenic natron (Na 2 CO 3 · 10 H 2 O), a mineral predicted to be present 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 surface natron and that direct sampling should prioritize these deposits for their potential to trap and preserve signatures of life. Physical sciences/Astronomy and planetary science/Planetary science/Astrobiology Earth and environmental sciences/Planetary science/Cryospheric science Enceladus Fluid inclusions Natron Astrobiology Correlative X-ray tomography and diffraction In-situ freezing Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {\"props\":{\"pageProps\":{\"initialData\":{\"identity\":\"rs-8406896\",\"acceptedTermsAndConditions\":true,\"allowDirectSubmit\":false,\"archivedVersions\":[],\"articleType\":\"Physical Sciences - Article\",\"associatedPublications\":[],\"authors\":[{\"id\":587020799,\"identity\":\"6db2e8b8-3a21-4e6e-a6f5-da89b5bc6f8b\",\"order_by\":0,\"name\":\"Liam Perera\",\"email\":\"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAABBElEQVRIiWNgGAWjYBACPmYEm/EBjwGYASElcGhhQ9LCbECcFmS2BA8DMVrYmZ9uYNxhk88vffhZxZsCu2h+6eYNDD9qGBJnNuByGJvZDcYzaZYz+9LMbs4xSM6dOedYAWPPMYbE2bj9AtTSdtjA4AyD2W0eA+bcDTdyDBh4GxgS5+HUwv4NqOW/gf0Z9m/FPAb1YC2Mf/Fq4QHZcsDAgIfHjJnH4DBYCzPIFtwO4ym7kXgm2UDiDE+x5ByD47kzZ6QVHJY5JmGMy/v8/Me33fi4w86Av4d944c3f6pz+yWSNz58U2MjO+MADmtAIBHdvAO4YwUKGHE4YRSMglEwCkYBGAAAT/1UAkmnVkcAAAAASUVORK5CYII=\",\"orcid\":\"https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2755-8461\",\"institution\":\"Diamond Light Source\",\"correspondingAuthor\":true,\"prefix\":\"\",\"firstName\":\"Liam\",\"middleName\":\"\",\"lastName\":\"Perera\",\"suffix\":\"\"},{\"id\":587020800,\"identity\":\"2b9b5ceb-a230-4d9d-8600-ccffb50fee49\",\"order_by\":1,\"name\":\"James Le Houx\",\"email\":\"\",\"orcid\":\"https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1576-0673\",\"institution\":\"Rutherford Appleton Laboratory\",\"correspondingAuthor\":false,\"prefix\":\"\",\"firstName\":\"James\",\"middleName\":\"Le\",\"lastName\":\"Houx\",\"suffix\":\"\"},{\"id\":587020801,\"identity\":\"bb80f988-a8a5-4399-8def-7d62919845d8\",\"order_by\":2,\"name\":\"Alberto Leonardi\",\"email\":\"\",\"orcid\":\"\",\"institution\":\"Diamond Light Source\",\"correspondingAuthor\":false,\"prefix\":\"\",\"firstName\":\"Alberto\",\"middleName\":\"\",\"lastName\":\"Leonardi\",\"suffix\":\"\"},{\"id\":587020802,\"identity\":\"a687fcd2-f7fd-4e54-9605-b6ca5106155b\",\"order_by\":3,\"name\":\"Sarah Day\",\"email\":\"\",\"orcid\":\"\",\"institution\":\"Diamond Light Source\",\"correspondingAuthor\":false,\"prefix\":\"\",\"firstName\":\"Sarah\",\"middleName\":\"\",\"lastName\":\"Day\",\"suffix\":\"\"},{\"id\":587020803,\"identity\":\"22a22f91-258a-4592-b3d7-d49bcf5b235d\",\"order_by\":4,\"name\":\"Stephen Thompson\",\"email\":\"\",\"orcid\":\"\",\"institution\":\"Diamond Light Source\",\"correspondingAuthor\":false,\"prefix\":\"\",\"firstName\":\"Stephen\",\"middleName\":\"\",\"lastName\":\"Thompson\",\"suffix\":\"\"}],\"badges\":[],\"createdAt\":\"2025-12-19 17:17:54\",\"currentVersionCode\":1,\"declarations\":\"\",\"doi\":\"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8406896/v1\",\"doiUrl\":\"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8406896/v1\",\"draftVersion\":[],\"editorialEvents\":[],\"editorialNote\":\"\",\"failedWorkflow\":false,\"files\":[{\"id\":103050615,\"identity\":\"e3d1d757-8d26-437e-90fb-f9d0833a471c\",\"added_by\":\"auto\",\"created_at\":\"2026-02-20 07:50:50\",\"extension\":\"pdf\",\"order_by\":1,\"title\":\"\",\"display\":\"\",\"copyAsset\":false,\"role\":\"manuscript-pdf\",\"size\":1964513,\"visible\":true,\"origin\":\"\",\"legend\":\"Article File\",\"description\":\"\",\"filename\":\"FluidinclusionsinnatronawindowintotheinteriorofEnceladus.pdf\",\"url\":\"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8406896/v1_covered_e8bf0415-4a9e-4403-a2a6-c447e0929a01.pdf\"}],\"financialInterests\":\"There is \\u003cb\\u003eNO\\u003c/b\\u003e Competing Interest.\",\"formattedTitle\":\"Fluid inclusions in natron - 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