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Tarasashvili MV, Elbakidze K, Doborjginidze ND, Gharibashvili ND. Carbonate precipitation and nitrogen fixation in AMG (Artificial Martian Ground) by cyanobacteria. LIFE SCIENCES IN SPACE RESEARCH 2023; 37:65-77. [PMID: 37087180 DOI: 10.1016/j.lssr.2023.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2022] [Revised: 02/22/2023] [Accepted: 03/06/2023] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
This article describes experiments performed to study the survival, growth, specific adaptations and bioremediation potential of certain extreme cyanobacteria strains within a simulation of the atmospheric composition, temperature and pressure expected in a future Martian greenhouse. Initial species have been obtained from Mars-analogue sites in Georgia. The results clearly demonstrate that specific biochemical adaptations allow these autotrophs to metabolize within AMG (Artificial Martian Ground) and accumulate biogenic carbon and nitrogen. These findings may thus contribute to the development of future Martian agriculture, as well as other aspects of the life-support systems at habitable Mars stations. The study shows that carbonate precipitation and nitrogen fixation, performed by cyanobacterial communities thriving within the simulated Martian greenhouse conditions, are cross-linked biological processes. At the same time, the presence of the perchlorates (at low concentrations) in the Martian ground may serve as the initial source of oxygen and, indirectly, hydrogen via photo-Fenton reactions. Various carbonates, ammonium and nitrate salts were obtained as the result of these experiments. These affect the pH, salinity and solubility of the AMG and its components, and so the AMG's scanty biogenic properties improved, which is essential for the sustainable growth of the agricultural crops. Therefore, the use of microorganisms for the biological remediation and continuous in situ fertilization of Artificial Martian Ground is possible.
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Affiliation(s)
- M V Tarasashvili
- BTU - Business and Technology University, 82 Ilia Chavchavadze Avenue, 0179, Tbilisi, Georgia.
| | - Kh Elbakidze
- BTU - Business and Technology University, 82 Ilia Chavchavadze Avenue, 0179, Tbilisi, Georgia
| | - N D Doborjginidze
- GSRA - Georgian Space Research Agency, 4 Vasil Petriashvili Street, 0179, Tbilisi, Georgia
| | - N D Gharibashvili
- GSRA - Georgian Space Research Agency, 4 Vasil Petriashvili Street, 0179, Tbilisi, Georgia; SpaceFarms Ltd, 14 Kostava Street, 0108, Tbilisi, Georgia
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2
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Clark BC, Kolb VM, Steele A, House CH, Lanza NL, Gasda PJ, VanBommel SJ, Newsom HE, Martínez-Frías J. Origin of Life on Mars: Suitability and Opportunities. Life (Basel) 2021; 11:539. [PMID: 34207658 PMCID: PMC8227854 DOI: 10.3390/life11060539] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2021] [Revised: 05/28/2021] [Accepted: 06/01/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Although the habitability of early Mars is now well established, its suitability for conditions favorable to an independent origin of life (OoL) has been less certain. With continued exploration, evidence has mounted for a widespread diversity of physical and chemical conditions on Mars that mimic those variously hypothesized as settings in which life first arose on Earth. Mars has also provided water, energy sources, CHNOPS elements, critical catalytic transition metal elements, as well as B, Mg, Ca, Na and K, all of which are elements associated with life as we know it. With its highly favorable sulfur abundance and land/ocean ratio, early wet Mars remains a prime candidate for its own OoL, in many respects superior to Earth. The relatively well-preserved ancient surface of planet Mars helps inform the range of possible analogous conditions during the now-obliterated history of early Earth. Continued exploration of Mars also contributes to the understanding of the opportunities for settings enabling an OoL on exoplanets. Favoring geochemical sediment samples for eventual return to Earth will enhance assessments of the likelihood of a Martian OoL.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Vera M. Kolb
- Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin—Parkside, Kenosha, WI 53141, USA;
| | - Andrew Steele
- Earth and Planetary Laboratory, Carnegie Institution for Science, Washington, DC 20015, USA;
| | - Christopher H. House
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA 16807, USA;
| | - Nina L. Lanza
- Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA; (N.L.L.); (P.J.G.)
| | - Patrick J. Gasda
- Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA; (N.L.L.); (P.J.G.)
| | - Scott J. VanBommel
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA;
| | - Horton E. Newsom
- Institute of Meteoritics, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 88033, USA;
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Adcock CT, Hausrath EM. Weathering Profiles in Phosphorus-Rich Rocks at Gusev Crater, Mars, Suggest Dissolution of Phosphate Minerals into Potentially Habitable Near-Neutral Waters. ASTROBIOLOGY 2015; 15:1060-1075. [PMID: 26684505 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2015.1291] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
UNLABELLED Abundant evidence indicates that significant surface and near-surface liquid water has existed on Mars in the past. Evaluating the potential for habitable environments on Mars requires an understanding of the chemical and physical conditions that prevailed in such aqueous environments. Among the geological features that may hold evidence of past environmental conditions on Mars are weathering profiles, such as those in the phosphorus-rich Wishstone-class rocks in Gusev Crater. The weathering profiles in these rocks indicate that a Ca-phosphate mineral has been lost during past aqueous interactions. The high phosphorus content of these rocks and potential release of phosphorus during aqueous interactions also make them of astrobiological interest, as phosphorus is among the elements required for all known life. In this work, we used Mars mission data, laboratory-derived kinetic and thermodynamic data, and data from terrestrial analogues, including phosphorus-rich basalts from Idaho, to model a conceptualized Wishstone-class rock using the reactive transport code CrunchFlow. Modeling results most consistent with the weathering profiles in Wishstone-class rocks suggest a combination of chemical and physical erosion and past aqueous interactions with near-neutral waters. The modeling results also indicate that multiple Ca-phosphate minerals are likely in Wishstone-class rocks, consistent with observations of martian meteorites. These findings suggest that Gusev Crater experienced a near-neutral phosphate-bearing aqueous environment that may have been conducive to life on Mars in the past. KEY WORDS Mars-Gusev Crater-Wishstone-Reactive transport modeling-CrunchFlow-Aqueous interactions-Neutral pH-Habitability.
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Marcucci EC, Hynek BM. Laboratory simulations of acid-sulfate weathering under volcanic hydrothermal conditions: Implications for early Mars. JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH. PLANETS 2014; 119:679-703. [PMID: 26213665 PMCID: PMC4508920 DOI: 10.1002/2013je004439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2013] [Accepted: 02/27/2014] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
We have completed laboratory experiments and thermochemical equilibrium models to investigate secondary mineral formation under conditions akin to volcanic, hydrothermal acid-sulfate weathering systems. Our research used the basaltic mineralogy at Cerro Negro Volcano, Nicaragua, characterized by plagioclase, pyroxene, olivine, and volcanic glass. These individual minerals and whole-rock field samples were reacted in the laboratory with 1 molal sulfuric acid at varying temperatures (65, 150, and 200°C), fluid:rock weight ratios (1:1, 4:1, and 10:1), and durations (1-60 days). Thermochemical equilibrium models were developed using Geochemist's Workbench. To understand the reaction products and fluids, we employed scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersive spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy. The results of our experiments and models yielded major alteration minerals that include anhydrite, natroalunite, minor iron oxide, and amorphous Al-Si gel. We found that variations in experimental parameters did not drastically change the suite of minerals produced; instead, abundance, size, and crystallographic shape changed. Our results also suggest that it is essential to separate phases formed during experiments from those formed during fluid evaporation to fully understand the reaction processes. Our laboratory reacted and model predicted products are consistent with the mineralogy observed at places on Mars. However, our results indicate that determination of the formation conditions requires microscopic imagery and regional context, as well as a thorough understanding of contributions from both experiment precipitation and fluid evaporation minerals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma C Marcucci
- Department of Geological Sciences, University of Colorado BoulderBoulder, Colorado, USA
- Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado BoulderBoulder, Colorado, USA
- Now at Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska FairbanksFairbanks, Alaska, USA
- Correspondence to: E. C. Marcucci,
| | - Brian M Hynek
- Department of Geological Sciences, University of Colorado BoulderBoulder, Colorado, USA
- Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado BoulderBoulder, Colorado, USA
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Hausrath EM, Tschauner O. Natural fumarolic alteration of fluorapatite, olivine, and basaltic glass, and implications for habitable environments on Mars. ASTROBIOLOGY 2013; 13:1049-64. [PMID: 24283927 PMCID: PMC3865726 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2013.0985] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2013] [Accepted: 09/14/2013] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Fumaroles represent a very important potential habitat on Mars because they contain water and nutrients. Global deposition of volcanic sulfate aerosols may also have been an important soil-forming process affecting large areas of Mars. Here we identify alteration from the Senator fumarole, northwest Nevada, USA, and in low-temperature environments near the fumarole to help interpret fumarolic and acid vapor alteration of rocks and soils on Mars. We analyzed soil samples and fluorapatite, olivine, and basaltic glass placed at and near the fumarole in in situ mineral alteration experiments designed to measure weathering under natural field conditions. Using synchrotron X-ray diffraction, we clearly observe hydroxyl-carbonate-bearing fluorapatite as a fumarolic alteration product of the original material, fluorapatite. The composition of apatites as well as secondary phosphates has been previously used to infer magmatic conditions as well as fumarolic conditions on Mars. To our knowledge, the observations reported here represent the first documented instance of formation of hydroxyl-carbonate-bearing apatite from fluorapatite in a field experiment. Retreat of olivine surfaces, as well as abundant NH4-containing minerals, was also characteristic of fumarolic alteration. In contrast, alteration in the nearby low-temperature environment resulted in formation of large pits on olivine surfaces, which were clearly distinguishable from the fumarolic alteration. Raman signatures of some fumarolically impacted surfaces are consistent with detection of the biological molecules chlorophyll and scytenomin, potentially useful biosignatures. Observations of altered minerals on Mars may therefore help identify the environment of formation and understand the aqueous history and potential habitability of that planet.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Oliver Tschauner
- Department of Geoscience, University of Nevada Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada
- HiPSEC, University of Nevada Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada
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Kereszturi A. Review of wet environment types on Mars with focus on duration and volumetric issues. ASTROBIOLOGY 2012; 12:586-600. [PMID: 22794300 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2011.0686] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
The astrobiological significance of certain environment types on Mars strongly depends on the temperature, duration, and chemistry of liquid water that was present there in the past. Recent works have focused on the identification of signs of ancient water on Mars, as it is more difficult to estimate the above-mentioned parameters. In this paper, two important factors are reviewed, the duration and the volume of water at different environment types on past and present Mars. Using currently available information, we can only roughly estimate these values, but as environment types show characteristic differences in this respect, it is worth comparing them and the result may have importance for research in astrobiology. Impact-induced and geothermal hydrothermal systems, lakes, and valley networks were in existence on Mars over the course of from 10(2) to 10(6) years, although they would have experienced substantially different temperature regimes. Ancient oceans, as well as water in outflow channels and gullies, and at the microscopic scale as interfacial water layers, would have had inherently different times of duration and overall volume: oceans may have endured from 10(4) to 10(6) years, while interfacial water would have had the smallest volume and residence time of liquid phase on Mars. Martian wet environments with longer residence times of liquid water are believed to have existed for that amount of time necessary for life to develop on Earth between the Late Heavy Bombardment and the age of the earliest fossil record. The results of this review show the necessity for more detailed analysis of conditions within geothermal heat-induced systems to reconstruct the conditions during weathering and mineral alteration, as well as to search for signs of reoccurring wet periods in ancient crater lakes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akos Kereszturi
- Konkoly Thege Miklos Astronomical Institute, Research Centre for Astronomy and Earth Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary.
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Ruff SW, Farmer JD, Calvin WM, Herkenhoff KE, Johnson JR, Morris RV, Rice MS, Arvidson RE, Bell JF, Christensen PR, Squyres SW. Characteristics, distribution, origin, and significance of opaline silica observed by the Spirit rover in Gusev crater, Mars. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2011. [DOI: 10.1029/2010je003767] [Citation(s) in RCA: 125] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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Fairén AG, Davila AF, Lim D, Bramall N, Bonaccorsi R, Zavaleta J, Uceda ER, Stoker C, Wierzchos J, Dohm JM, Amils R, Andersen D, McKay CP. Astrobiology through the ages of Mars: the study of terrestrial analogues to understand the habitability of Mars. ASTROBIOLOGY 2010; 10:821-843. [PMID: 21087162 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2009.0440] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
Mars has undergone three main climatic stages throughout its geological history, beginning with a water-rich epoch, followed by a cold and semi-arid era, and transitioning into present-day arid and very cold desert conditions. These global climatic eras also represent three different stages of planetary habitability: an early, potentially habitable stage when the basic requisites for life as we know it were present (liquid water and energy); an intermediate extreme stage, when liquid solutions became scarce or very challenging for life; and the most recent stage during which conditions on the surface have been largely uninhabitable, except perhaps in some isolated niches. Our understanding of the evolution of Mars is now sufficient to assign specific terrestrial environments to each of these periods. Through the study of Mars terrestrial analogues, we have assessed and constrained the habitability conditions for each of these stages, the geochemistry of the surface, and the likelihood for the preservation of organic and inorganic biosignatures. The study of these analog environments provides important information to better understand past and current mission results as well as to support the design and selection of instruments and the planning for future exploratory missions to Mars.
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9
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Moore JM, Bullock MA, Newsom H, Nelson M. Laboratory simulations of Mars evaporite geochemistry. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2010. [DOI: 10.1029/2008je003208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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10
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Poulet F, Beaty DW, Bibring JP, Bish D, Bishop JL, Noe Dobrea E, Mustard JF, Petit S, Roach LH. Key scientific questions and key investigations from the first international conference on Martian phyllosilicates. ASTROBIOLOGY 2009; 9:257-267. [PMID: 19400732 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2009.0335] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Minerals and their occurrences can tell us about the chemistry, pressure, and temperatures of past environments on Mars and thus allow inferences about the potential for habitability. Thanks to recent space exploration, a new vision is emerging wherein Mars hosted environmental conditions of potential astrobiological relevance. This epoch is identified by the presence of phyllosilicate-bearing deposits, which are generally contained in very ancient basement rocks. In October 2008, over 100 planetary scientists representing 11 countries met in Paris to assess and discuss the relevance of martian phyllosilicates. The conference was structured to promote the discussion and debate of key scientific questions and key essential investigations. The purpose of this report is to document the current state of knowledge related to martian phyllosilicates and to ascertain which questions remain to be addressed: What are the basic characteristics of the phyllosilicate minerals on Mars? What are the genetic mechanisms by which phyllosilicate minerals have formed on Mars? What is the relationship between the phyllosilicate minerals observed in martian meteorites and those detected from orbit? What are the implications of phyllosilicate-bearing rocks for the development of prebiotic chemistry and the preservation of biosignatures? The most promising investigations to address these questions are presented.
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Affiliation(s)
- François Poulet
- Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale, CNRS/Université Paris-Sud, Orsay, France.
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Schmidt ME, Ruff SW, McCoy TJ, Farrand WH, Johnson JR, Gellert R, Ming DW, Morris RV, Cabrol N, Lewis KW, Schroeder C. Hydrothermal origin of halogens at Home Plate, Gusev Crater. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2008. [DOI: 10.1029/2007je003027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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12
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Knoll AH, Jolliff BL, Farrand WH, Bell III JF, Clark BC, Gellert R, Golombek MP, Grotzinger JP, Herkenhoff KE, Johnson JR, McLennan SM, Morris R, Squyres SW, Sullivan R, Tosca NJ, Yen A, Learner Z. Veneers, rinds, and fracture fills: Relatively late alteration of sedimentary rocks at Meridiani Planum, Mars. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2008. [DOI: 10.1029/2007je002949] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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13
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Affiliation(s)
- Itay Halevy
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
- Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Maria T. Zuber
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
- Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Daniel P. Schrag
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
- Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
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Zolotov MY, Mironenko MV. Timing of acid weathering on Mars: A kinetic-thermodynamic assessment. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2007. [DOI: 10.1029/2006je002882] [Citation(s) in RCA: 86] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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15
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Minitti ME, Weitz CM, Lane MD, Bishop JL. Morphology, chemistry, and spectral properties of Hawaiian rock coatings and implications for Mars. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2007. [DOI: 10.1029/2006je002839] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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Farrand WH, Bell JF, Johnson JR, Jolliff BL, Knoll AH, McLennan SM, Squyres SW, Calvin WM, Grotzinger JP, Morris RV, Soderblom J, Thompson SD, Watters WA, Yen AS. Visible and near-infrared multispectral analysis of rocks at Meridiani Planum, Mars, by the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2007. [DOI: 10.1029/2006je002773] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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17
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Newsom HE, Crumpler LS, Reedy RC, Petersen MT, Newsom GC, Evans LG, Taylor GJ, Keller JM, Janes DM, Boynton WV, Kerry KE, Karunatillake S. Geochemistry of Martian soil and bedrock in mantled and less mantled terrains with gamma ray data from Mars Odyssey. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2007. [DOI: 10.1029/2006je002680] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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Morris RV, Klingelhöfer G, Schröder C, Rodionov DS, Yen A, Ming DW, de Souza PA, Wdowiak T, Fleischer I, Gellert R, Bernhardt B, Bonnes U, Cohen BA, Evlanov EN, Foh J, Gütlich P, Kankeleit E, McCoy T, Mittlefehldt DW, Renz F, Schmidt ME, Zubkov B, Squyres SW, Arvidson RE. Mössbauer mineralogy of rock, soil, and dust at Meridiani Planum, Mars: Opportunity's journey across sulfate-rich outcrop, basaltic sand and dust, and hematite lag deposits. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2006. [DOI: 10.1029/2006je002791] [Citation(s) in RCA: 183] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - G. Klingelhöfer
- Institut für Anorganische und Analytische Chemie; Johannes Gutenberg-Universität; Mainz Germany
| | - C. Schröder
- Institut für Anorganische und Analytische Chemie; Johannes Gutenberg-Universität; Mainz Germany
| | - D. S. Rodionov
- Institut für Anorganische und Analytische Chemie; Johannes Gutenberg-Universität; Mainz Germany
- Space Research Institute IKI; Moscow Russia
| | - A. Yen
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory; California Institute of Technology; Pasadena California USA
| | - D. W. Ming
- NASA Johnson Space Center; Houston Texas USA
| | - P. A. de Souza
- Institut für Anorganische und Analytische Chemie; Johannes Gutenberg-Universität; Mainz Germany
- CVRD Group; Rio de Janeiro Brazil
| | - T. Wdowiak
- Department of Physics; University of Alabama at Birmingham; Birmingham Alabama USA
| | - I. Fleischer
- Institut für Anorganische und Analytische Chemie; Johannes Gutenberg-Universität; Mainz Germany
| | - R. Gellert
- Department of Physics; University of Guelph; Guelph, Ontario Canada
| | - B. Bernhardt
- Institut für Anorganische und Analytische Chemie; Johannes Gutenberg-Universität; Mainz Germany
| | - U. Bonnes
- Darmstadt University of Technology; Darmstadt Germany
| | - B. A. Cohen
- Institute of Meteoritics; University of New Mexico; Albuquerque, NM USA
| | | | - J. Foh
- Institut für Anorganische und Analytische Chemie; Johannes Gutenberg-Universität; Mainz Germany
- Darmstadt University of Technology; Darmstadt Germany
| | - P. Gütlich
- Institut für Anorganische und Analytische Chemie; Johannes Gutenberg-Universität; Mainz Germany
| | - E. Kankeleit
- Darmstadt University of Technology; Darmstadt Germany
| | - T. McCoy
- Department of Mineral Sciences, National Museum of Natural History; Smithsonian Institution; Washington, DC USA
| | | | - F. Renz
- Institut für Anorganische und Analytische Chemie; Johannes Gutenberg-Universität; Mainz Germany
| | - M. E. Schmidt
- Department of Mineral Sciences, National Museum of Natural History; Smithsonian Institution; Washington, DC USA
| | - B. Zubkov
- Space Research Institute IKI; Moscow Russia
| | - S. W. Squyres
- Department of Astronomy; Cornell University; Ithaca New York USA
| | - R. E. Arvidson
- Department Earth and Planetary Sciences; Washington University; St. Louis Missouri USA
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Keller JM, Boynton WV, Karunatillake S, Baker VR, Dohm JM, Evans LG, Finch MJ, Hahn BC, Hamara DK, Janes DM, Kerry KE, Newsom HE, Reedy RC, Sprague AL, Squyres SW, Starr RD, Taylor GJ, Williams RMS. Equatorial and midlatitude distribution of chlorine measured by Mars Odyssey GRS. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2006. [DOI: 10.1029/2006je002679] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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20
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Squyres SW, Arvidson RE, Blaney DL, Clark BC, Crumpler L, Farrand WH, Gorevan S, Herkenhoff KE, Hurowitz J, Kusack A, McSween HY, Ming DW, Morris RV, Ruff SW, Wang A, Yen A. Rocks of the Columbia Hills. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2006. [DOI: 10.1029/2005je002562] [Citation(s) in RCA: 129] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Raymond E. Arvidson
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences; Washington University; St. Louis Missouri USA
| | - Diana L. Blaney
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory; California Institute of Technology; Pasadena California USA
| | | | - Larry Crumpler
- New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science; Albuquerque New Mexico USA
| | | | | | | | - Joel Hurowitz
- Department of Geosciences; State University of New York; Stony Brook New York USA
| | | | - Harry Y. McSween
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences; University of Tennessee; Knoxville Tennessee USA
| | | | | | - Steven W. Ruff
- Department of Geological Sciences; Arizona State University; Tempe Arizona USA
| | - Alian Wang
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences; Washington University; St. Louis Missouri USA
| | - Albert Yen
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory; California Institute of Technology; Pasadena California USA
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21
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Ming DW, Mittlefehldt DW, Morris RV, Golden DC, Gellert R, Yen A, Clark BC, Squyres SW, Farrand WH, Ruff SW, Arvidson RE, Klingelhöfer G, McSween HY, Rodionov DS, Schröder C, de Souza PA, Wang A. Geochemical and mineralogical indicators for aqueous processes in the Columbia Hills of Gusev crater, Mars. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2006. [DOI: 10.1029/2005je002560] [Citation(s) in RCA: 191] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- D. W. Ming
- NASA Johnson Space Center; Houston Texas USA
| | | | | | | | - R. Gellert
- Institut für Inorganische und Analytische Chemie; Johannes Gutenberg-Universität; Mainz Germany
- Max-Planck-Institut für Chemie; Mainz Germany
- University of Guelph; Guelph Canada
| | - A. Yen
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory; California Institute of Technology; Pasadena California USA
| | - B. C. Clark
- Lockheed Martin Corporation; Littleton Colorado USA
| | - S. W. Squyres
- Department of Astronomy; Cornell University; Ithaca New York USA
| | | | - S. W. Ruff
- Department of Geological Sciences; Arizona State University; Tempe Arizona USA
| | - R. E. Arvidson
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences; Washington University; St. Louis Missouri USA
| | - G. Klingelhöfer
- Institut für Inorganische und Analytische Chemie; Johannes Gutenberg-Universität; Mainz Germany
| | - H. Y. McSween
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences; University of Tennessee; Knoxville Tennessee USA
| | - D. S. Rodionov
- Institut für Inorganische und Analytische Chemie; Johannes Gutenberg-Universität; Mainz Germany
- Space Research Institute IKI; Moscow Russia
| | - C. Schröder
- Institut für Inorganische und Analytische Chemie; Johannes Gutenberg-Universität; Mainz Germany
| | | | - A. Wang
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences; Washington University; St. Louis Missouri USA
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22
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Hurowitz JA, McLennan SM, Tosca NJ, Arvidson RE, Michalski JR, Ming DW, Schröder C, Squyres SW. In situ and experimental evidence for acidic weathering of rocks and soils on Mars. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2006. [DOI: 10.1029/2005je002515] [Citation(s) in RCA: 135] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- J. A. Hurowitz
- Department of Geosciences; State University of New York at Stony Brook; Stony Brook New York USA
| | - S. M. McLennan
- Department of Geosciences; State University of New York at Stony Brook; Stony Brook New York USA
| | - N. J. Tosca
- Department of Geosciences; State University of New York at Stony Brook; Stony Brook New York USA
| | - R. E. Arvidson
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences; Washington University; St. Louis Missouri USA
| | - J. R. Michalski
- Department of Geological Sciences; Arizona State University; Tempe Arizona USA
| | - D. W. Ming
- NASA Johnson Space Center; Houston Texas USA
| | - C. Schröder
- Institut für Anorganische und Analytische Chemie; Johannes Gutenberg-Universität; Mainz Germany
| | - S. W. Squyres
- Department of Astronomy; Cornell University; Ithaca New York USA
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23
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Beaty DW, Clifford SM, Borg LE, Catling DC, Craddock RA, Des Marais DJ, Farmer JD, Frey HV, Haberle RM, McKay CP, Newsom HE, Parker TJ, Segura T, Tanaka KL. Key science questions from the second conference on early Mars: geologic, hydrologic, and climatic evolution and the implications for life. ASTROBIOLOGY 2005; 5:663-89. [PMID: 16379524 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2005.5.663] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
In October 2004, more than 130 terrestrial and planetary scientists met in Jackson Hole, WY, to discuss early Mars. The first billion years of martian geologic history is of particular interest because it is a period during which the planet was most active, after which a less dynamic period ensued that extends to the present day. The early activity left a fascinating geological record, which we are only beginning to unravel through direct observation and modeling. In considering this time period, questions outnumber answers, and one of the purposes of the meeting was to gather some of the best experts in the field to consider the current state of knowledge, ascertain which questions remain to be addressed, and identify the most promising approaches to addressing those questions. The purpose of this report is to document that discussion. Throughout the planet's first billion years, planetary-scale processes-including differentiation, hydrodynamic escape, volcanism, large impacts, erosion, and sedimentation-rapidly modified the atmosphere and crust. How did these processes operate, and what were their rates and interdependencies? The early environment was also characterized by both abundant liquid water and plentiful sources of energy, two of the most important conditions considered necessary for the origin of life. Where and when did the most habitable environments occur? Did life actually occupy them, and if so, has life persisted on Mars to the present? Our understanding of early Mars is critical to understanding how the planet we see today came to be.
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Affiliation(s)
- David W Beaty
- Mars Program Office, Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109-8099, USA.
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24
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Affiliation(s)
- Amos Banin
- Department of Soil and Water Sciences, Hebrew University, Rehovot 76100, Israel, and SETI Institute, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA.
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25
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Gendrin A, Mangold N, Bibring JP, Langevin Y, Gondet B, Poulet F, Bonello G, Quantin C, Mustard J, Arvidson R, LeMouélic S. Sulfates in Martian Layered Terrains: The OMEGA/Mars Express View. Science 2005; 307:1587-91. [PMID: 15718429 DOI: 10.1126/science.1109087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 232] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
The OMEGA/Mars Express hyperspectral imager identified hydrated sulfates on light-toned layered terrains on Mars. Outcrops in Valles Marineris, Margaritifer Sinus, and Terra Meridiani show evidence for kieserite, gypsum, and polyhydrated sulfates. This identification has its basis in vibrational absorptions between 1.3 and 2.5 micrometers. These minerals constitute direct records of the past aqueous activity on Mars.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aline Gendrin
- Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale (IAS), Bâtiment 121, 91405 Orsay Campus, France.
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26
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Bibring JP, Langevin Y, Gendrin A, Gondet B, Poulet F, Berthé M, Soufflot A, Arvidson R, Mangold N, Mustard J, Drossart P. Mars Surface Diversity as Revealed by the OMEGA/Mars Express Observations. Science 2005; 307:1576-81. [PMID: 15718430 DOI: 10.1126/science.1108806] [Citation(s) in RCA: 198] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
The Observatoire pour la Minéralogie, l'Eau, les Glaces, et l'Activité (OMEGA) investigation, on board the European Space Agency Mars Express mission, is mapping the surface composition of Mars at a 0.3- to 5-kilometer resolution by means of visible-near-infrared hyperspectral reflectance imagery. The data acquired during the first 9 months of the mission already reveal a diverse and complex surface mineralogy, offering key insights into the evolution of Mars. OMEGA has identified and mapped mafic iron-bearing silicates of both the northern and southern crust, localized concentrations of hydrated phyllosilicates and sulfates but no carbonates, and ices and frosts with a water-ice composition of the north polar perennial cap, as for the south cap, covered by a thin carbon dioxide-ice veneer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean-Pierre Bibring
- Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale (IAS), Bâtiment 121, 91405 Orsay Campus, France.
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27
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Rao MN, Sutton SR, McKay DS, Dreibus G. Clues to Martian brines based on halogens in salts from nakhlites and MER samples. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2005. [DOI: 10.1029/2005je002470] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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28
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Golden DC, Ming DW, Morris RV, Mertzman SA. Laboratory-simulated acid-sulfate weathering of basaltic materials: Implications for formation of sulfates at Meridiani Planum and Gusev crater, Mars. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2005. [DOI: 10.1029/2005je002451] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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29
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Hurowitz JA. Experimental epithermal alteration of synthetic Los Angeles meteorite: Implications for the origin of Martian soils and identification of hydrothermal sites on Mars. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2005. [DOI: 10.1029/2004je002391] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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30
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King PL, McSween HY. Effects of H2O, pH, and oxidation state on the stability of Fe minerals on Mars. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2005. [DOI: 10.1029/2005je002482] [Citation(s) in RCA: 124] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
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31
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Madden MEE, Bodnar RJ, Rimstidt JD. Jarosite as an indicator of water-limited chemical weathering on Mars. Nature 2004; 431:821-3. [PMID: 15483605 DOI: 10.1038/nature02971] [Citation(s) in RCA: 207] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2004] [Accepted: 08/26/2004] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
The Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity identified the ferric sulphate mineral jarosite and possible relicts of gypsum at the Meridiani Planum landing site. On Earth, jarosite has been found to form in acid mine drainage environments, during the oxidation of sulphide minerals, and during alteration of volcanic rocks by acidic, sulphur-rich fluids near volcanic vents. Jarosite formation is thus thought to require a wet, oxidizing and acidic environment. But jarosite on Earth only persists over geologically relevant time periods in arid environments because it rapidly decomposes to produce ferric oxyhydroxides in more humid climates. Here we present equilibrium thermodynamic reaction-path simulations that constrain the range of possible conditions under which such aqueous alteration phases are likely to have formed on Mars. These calculations simulate the chemical weathering of basalt at relevant martian conditions. We conclude that the presence of jarosite combined with residual basalt at Meridiani Planum indicates that the alteration process did not proceed to completion, and that following jarosite formation, arid conditions must have prevailed.
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Affiliation(s)
- M E Elwood Madden
- Department of Geosciences, Virginia Tech, 4044 Derring Hall, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, USA.
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32
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Vaniman DT, Bish DL, Chipera SJ, Fialips CI, Carey JW, Feldman WC. Magnesium sulphate salts and the history of water on Mars. Nature 2004; 431:663-5. [PMID: 15470421 DOI: 10.1038/nature02973] [Citation(s) in RCA: 224] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2004] [Accepted: 08/25/2004] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Recent reports of approximately 30 wt% of sulphate within saline sediments on Mars--probably occurring in hydrated form--suggest a role for sulphates in accounting for equatorial H2O observed in a global survey by the Odyssey spacecraft. Among salt hydrates likely to be present, those of the MgSO4*nH2O series have many hydration states. Here we report the exposure of several of these phases to varied temperature, pressure and humidity to constrain their possible H2O contents under martian surface conditions. We found that crystalline structure and H2O content are dependent on temperature-pressure history, that an amorphous hydrated phase with slow dehydration kinetics forms at <1% relative humidity, and that equilibrium calculations may not reflect the true H2O-bearing potential of martian soils. Mg sulphate salts can retain sufficient H2O to explain a portion of the Odyssey observations. Because phases in the MgSO4*nH2O system are sensitive to temperature and humidity, they can reveal much about the history of water on Mars. However, their ease of transformation implies that salt hydrates collected on Mars will not be returned to Earth unmodified, and that accurate in situ analysis is imperative.
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Affiliation(s)
- David T Vaniman
- Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), MS D462, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545, USA.
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33
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Tosca NJ. Acid-sulfate weathering of synthetic Martian basalt: The acid fog model revisited. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2004. [DOI: 10.1029/2003je002218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 167] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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34
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Madsen MB, Bertelsen P, Goetz W, Binau CS, Olsen M, Folkmann F, Gunnlaugsson HP, Kinch KM, Knudsen JM, Merrison J, Nørnberg P, Squyres SW, Yen AS, Rademacher JD, Gorevan S, Myrick T, Bartlett P. Magnetic Properties Experiments on the Mars Exploration Rover mission. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2003. [DOI: 10.1029/2002je002029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- M. B. Madsen
- Center for Planetary Science, Niels Bohr Institute for Astronomy, Physics and Geophysics; University of Copenhagen; Copenhagen Denmark
| | - P. Bertelsen
- Center for Planetary Science, Niels Bohr Institute for Astronomy, Physics and Geophysics; University of Copenhagen; Copenhagen Denmark
| | - W. Goetz
- Center for Planetary Science, Niels Bohr Institute for Astronomy, Physics and Geophysics; University of Copenhagen; Copenhagen Denmark
| | - C. S. Binau
- Center for Planetary Science, Niels Bohr Institute for Astronomy, Physics and Geophysics; University of Copenhagen; Copenhagen Denmark
| | - M. Olsen
- Center for Planetary Science, Niels Bohr Institute for Astronomy, Physics and Geophysics; University of Copenhagen; Copenhagen Denmark
| | - F. Folkmann
- Department of Physics and Astronomy; University of Århus; Århus Denmark
| | | | - K. M. Kinch
- Department of Physics and Astronomy; University of Århus; Århus Denmark
| | - J. M. Knudsen
- Department of Physics and Astronomy; University of Århus; Århus Denmark
| | - J. Merrison
- Department of Physics and Astronomy; University of Århus; Århus Denmark
| | - P. Nørnberg
- Department of Earth Sciences; University of Århus; Århus Denmark
| | - S. W. Squyres
- Center for Radiophysics and Space Research, Astronomy Department; Cornell University; Ithaca USA
| | - A. S. Yen
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory; California Institute of Technology; Pasadena California USA
| | - J. D. Rademacher
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory; California Institute of Technology; Pasadena California USA
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35
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Wdowiak TJ, Klingelhöfer G, Wade ML, Nuñez JI. Extracting science from Mössbauer spectroscopy on Mars. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2003. [DOI: 10.1029/2003je002071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Thomas J. Wdowiak
- Astro and Solar System Physics Program, Department of Physics; University of Alabama at Birmingham; Birmingham Alabama USA
| | - Göstar Klingelhöfer
- Institute for Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry; Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz; Mainz Germany
| | - Manson L. Wade
- Astro and Solar System Physics Program, Department of Physics; University of Alabama at Birmingham; Birmingham Alabama USA
- Russell Mathematics and Science Center; Alabama School of Fine Arts; Birmingham Alabama USA
| | - Jorge I. Nuñez
- Astro and Solar System Physics Program, Department of Physics; University of Alabama at Birmingham; Birmingham Alabama USA
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36
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37
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Bishop JL, Murchie SL, Pieters CM, Zent AP. A model for formation of dust, soil, and rock coatings on Mars: Physical and chemical processes on the Martian surface. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2002. [DOI: 10.1029/2001je001581] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Janice L. Bishop
- SETI Institute/NASA Ames Research Center; Moffett Field California USA
| | - Scott L. Murchie
- Applied Physics Laboratory; Johns Hopkins University; Laurel Maryland USA
| | - Carlé M. Pieters
- Department of Geological Sciences; Brown University; Providence Rhode Island USA
| | - Aaron P. Zent
- NASA Ames Research Center; Moffett Field California USA
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38
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McKay CP, Marinova MM. The physics, biology, and environmental ethics of making mars habitable. ASTROBIOLOGY 2001; 1:89-109. [PMID: 12448997 DOI: 10.1089/153110701750137477] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
The considerable evidence that Mars once had a wetter, more clement, environment motivates the search for past or present life on that planet. This evidence also suggests the possibility of restoring habitable conditions on Mars. While the total amounts of the key molecules--carbon dioxide, water, and nitrogen--needed for creating a biosphere on Mars are unknown, estimates suggest that there may be enough in the subsurface. Super greenhouse gases, in particular, perfluorocarbons, are currently the most effective and practical way to warm Mars and thicken its atmosphere so that liquid water is stable on the surface. This process could take approximately 100 years. If enough carbon dioxide is frozen in the South Polar Cap and absorbed in the regolith, the resulting thick and warm carbon dioxide atmosphere could support many types of microorganisms, plants, and invertebrates. If a planet-wide martian biosphere converted carbon dioxide into oxygen with an average efficiency equal to that for Earth's biosphere, it would take > 100,000 years to create Earth-like oxygen levels. Ethical issues associated with bringing life to Mars center on the possibility of indigenous martian life and the relative value of a planet with or without a global biosphere.
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Affiliation(s)
- C P McKay
- Space Science Division, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA.
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39
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Newsom HE, Hagerty JJ, Thorsos IE. Location and sampling of aqueous and hydrothermal deposits in martian impact craters. ASTROBIOLOGY 2001; 1:71-88. [PMID: 12448996 DOI: 10.1089/153110701750137459] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Do large craters on Mars represent sites that contain aqueous and hydrothermal deposits that provide clues to astrobiological processes? Are these materials available for sampling in large craters? Several lines of evidence strongly support the exploration of large impact craters to study deposits important for astrobiology. The great depth of impact craters, up to several kilometers relative to the surrounding terrain, can allow the breaching of local aquifers, providing a source of water for lakes and hydrothermal systems. Craters can also be filled with water from outflow channels and valley networks to form large lakes with accompanying sedimentation. Impact melt and uplifted basement heat sources in craters > 50 km in diameter should be sufficient to drive substantial hydrothermal activity and keep crater lakes from freezing for thousands of years, even under cold climatic conditions. Fluid flow in hydrothermal systems is focused at the edges of large planar impact melt sheets, suggesting that the edge of the melt sheets will have experienced substantial hydrothermal alteration and mineral deposition. Hydrothermal deposits, fine-grained lacustrine sediments, and playa evaporite deposits may preserve evidence for biogeochemical processes that occurred in the aquifers and craters. Therefore, large craters may represent giant Petri dishes for culturing preexisting life on Mars and promoting biogeochemical processes. Landing sites must be identified in craters where access to the buried lacustrine sediments and impact melt deposits is provided by processes such as erosion from outflow channels, faulting, aeolian erosion, or excavation by later superimposed cratering events. Very recent gully formation and small impacts within craters may allow surface sampling of organic materials exposed only recently to the harsh oxidizing surface environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- H E Newsom
- Institute of Meteoritics and Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA.
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40
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Farquhar J, Savarino J, Jackson TL, Thiemens MH. Evidence of atmospheric sulphur in the martian regolith from sulphur isotopes in meteorites. Nature 2000; 404:50-2. [PMID: 10716436 DOI: 10.1038/35003517] [Citation(s) in RCA: 227] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Sulphur is abundant at the martian surface, yet its origin and evolution over time remain poorly constrained. This sulphur is likely to have originated in atmospheric chemical reactions, and so should provide records of the evolution of the martian atmosphere, the cycling of sulphur between the atmosphere and crust, and the mobility of sulphur in the martian regolith. Moreover, the atmospheric deposition of oxidized sulphur species could establish chemical potential gradients in the martian near-surface environment, and so provide a potential energy source for chemolithoautotrophic organisms. Here we present measurements of sulphur isotopes in oxidized and reduced phases from the SNC meteorites--the group of related achondrite meteorites believed to have originated on Mars--together with the results of laboratory photolysis studies of two important martian atmospheric sulphur species (SO2 and H2S). The photolysis experiments can account for the observed sulphur-isotope compositions in the SNC meteorites, and so identify a mechanism for producing large abiogenic 34S fractionations in the surface sulphur reservoirs. We conclude that the sulphur data from the SNC meteorites reflects deposition of oxidized sulphur species produced by atmospheric chemical reactions, followed by incorporation, reaction and mobilization of the sulphur within the regolith.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Farquhar
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla 92093, USA.
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41
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Bell JF, McSween HY, Crisp JA, Morris RV, Murchie SL, Bridges NT, Johnson JR, Britt DT, Golombek MP, Moore HJ, Ghosh A, Bishop JL, Anderson RC, Brückner J, Economou T, Greenwood JP, Gunnlaugsson HP, Hargraves RM, Hviid S, Knudsen JM, Madsen MB, Reid R, Rieder R, Soderblom L. Mineralogic and compositional properties of Martian soil and dust: Results from Mars Pathfinder. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2000. [DOI: 10.1029/1999je001060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 230] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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42
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Morris RV, Golden DC, Bell JF, Shelfer TD, Scheinost AC, Hinman NW, Furniss G, Mertzman SA, Bishop JL, Ming DW, Allen CC, Britt DT. Mineralogy, composition, and alteration of Mars Pathfinder rocks and soils: Evidence from multispectral, elemental, and magnetic data on terrestrial analogue, SNC meteorite, and Pathfinder samples. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2000. [DOI: 10.1029/1999je001059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 257] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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43
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Hargraves RB, Knudsen JM, Bertelsen P, Goetz W, Gunnlaugsson HP, Hviid SF, Madsen MB, Olsen M. Magnetic enhancement on the surface of Mars? ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2000. [DOI: 10.1029/1999je001032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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44
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Yen AS, Murray B, Rossman GR, Grunthaner FJ. Stability of hydroxylated minerals on Mars: A study on the effects of exposure to ultraviolet radiation. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 1999. [DOI: 10.1029/1999je001065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
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45
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Catling DC. A chemical model for evaporites on early Mars: Possible sedimentary tracers of the early climate and implications for exploration. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 1999. [DOI: 10.1029/1998je001020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 105] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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46
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Wade ML, Agresti DG, Wdowiak TJ, Armendarez LP, Farmer JD. A Mossbauer investigation of iron-rich terrestrial hydrothermal vent systems: lessons for Mars exploration. JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH 1999; 104:8489-507. [PMID: 11542933 DOI: 10.1029/1998je900049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Hydrothermal spring systems may well have been present on early Mars and could have served as a habitat for primitive life. The integrated instrument suite of the Athena Rover has, as a component on the robotic arm, a Mossbauer spectrometer. In the context of future Mars exploration we present results of Mossbauer analysis of a suite of samples from an iron-rich thermal spring in the Chocolate Pots area of Yellowstone National Park (YNP) and from Obsidian Pool (YNP) and Manitou Springs, Colorado. We have found that Mossbauer spectroscopy can discriminate among the iron-bearing minerals in our samples. Those near the vent and on the surface are identified as ferrihydrite, an amorphous ferric mineraloid. Subsurface samples, collected from cores, which are likely to have undergone inorganic and/or biologically mediated alteration (diagenesis), exhibit spectral signatures that include nontronite (a smectite clay), hematite (alpha-Fe2O3), small-particle/nanophase goethite (alpha-FeOOH), and siderite (FeCO3). We find for iron minerals that Mossbauer spectroscopy is at least as efficient in identification as X-ray diffraction. This observation is important from an exploration standpoint. As a planetary surface instrument, Mossbauer spectroscopy can yield high-quality spectral data without sample preparation (backscatter mode). We have also used field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), in conjunction with energy-dispersive X ray (EDX) fluorescence spectroscopy, to characterize the microbiological component of surface sinters and the relation between the microbiological and the mineralogical framework. Evidence is presented that the minerals found in these deposits can have multi-billion-year residence times and thus may have survived their possible production in a putative early Martian hot spring up to the present day. Examples include the nanophase property and the Mossbauer signature for siderite, which has been identified in a 2.09-billion-year old hematite-rich chert stromatolite. Our research demonstrates that in situ Mossbauer spectroscopy can help determine whether hydrothermal mineral deposits exist on Mars, which is significant for exobiology because of the issue of whether that world ever had conditions conductive to the origin of life. As a useful tool for selection of samples suitable for transport to Earth, Mossbauer spectroscopy will not only serve geological interests but will also have potential for exopaleontology.
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Affiliation(s)
- M L Wade
- Astro and Solar System Physics Program, Department of Physics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, USA
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47
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Madsen MB, Hviid SF, Gunnlaugsson HP, Knudsen JM, Goetz W, Pedersen CT, Dinesen AR, Mogensen CT, Olsen M, Hargraves RB. The magnetic properties experiments on Mars Pathfinder. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 1999. [DOI: 10.1029/1998je900006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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48
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Newsom HE, Hagerty JJ, Goff F. Mixed hydrothermal fluids and the origin of the Martian soil. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 1999. [DOI: 10.1029/1998je900043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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49
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Bishop JL, Froschl H, Mancinelli RL. Alteration processes in volcanic soils and identification of exobiologically important weathering products on Mars using remote sensing. JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH 1998; 103:31457-76. [PMID: 11542259 DOI: 10.1029/1998je900008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Determining the mineralogy of the Martian surface material provides information about the past and present environments on Mars which are an integral aspect of whether or not Mars was suitable for the origin of life. Mineral identification on Mars will most likely be achieved through visible-infrared remote sensing in combination with other analyses on landed missions. Therefore, understanding the visible and infrared spectral properties of terrestrial samples formed via processes similar to those thought to have occurred on Mars is essential to this effort and will facilitate site selection for future exobiology missions to Mars. Visible to infrared reflectance spectra are presented here for the fine-grained fractions of altered tephra/lava from the Haleakala summit basin on Maui, the Tarawera volcanic complex on the northern island of New Zealand, and the Greek Santorini island group. These samples exhibit a range of chemical and mineralogical compositions, where the primary minerals typically include plagioclase, pyroxene, hematite, and magnetite. The kind and abundance of weathering products varied substantially for these three sites due, in part, to the climate and weathering environment. The moist environments at Santorini and Tarawera are more consistent with postulated past environments on Mars, while the dry climate at the top of Haleakala is more consistent with the current Martian environment. Weathering of these tephra is evaluated by assessing changes in the leachable and immobile elements, and through detection of phyllosilicates and iron oxide/oxyhydroxide minerals. Identifying regions on Mars where phyllosilicates and many kinds of iron oxides/oxyhydroxides are present would imply the presence of water during alteration of the surface material. Tephra samples altered in the vicinity of cinder cones and steam vents contain higher abundances of phyllosilicates, iron oxides, and sulfates and may be interesting sites for exobiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- J L Bishop
- NRC/NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California, USA
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