Here's the problem:
Every hydrothermal deposit on earth, for pretty much the last 3 billion years, has life as part of the environment. Therefore, every earth analog is contaminated by life. We do not have a example that we can assume is life-free.
Mars is the other way 'round. Since there is, to date, no evidence for life there, it makes sense to start with the model of non-biologic processes to develop the features we see on mars.
Maybe this will help us separate organic forms from inorganic ones.
This morphology of sinter as evidence of life? Unconvincing.