1
|
Delgado T, García-Gómez L, Fortes FJ, Cabalín LM, Liñán C, Vadillo I, Jiménez-Gavilán P, Ojeda L, Laserna JJ. Discriminating organic carbon from endokarstic moonmilk-type deposits by LIBS. The case of a natural carbonated Martian analogue. Talanta 2024; 271:125639. [PMID: 38219327 DOI: 10.1016/j.talanta.2024.125639] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2023] [Revised: 12/13/2023] [Accepted: 01/05/2024] [Indexed: 01/16/2024]
Abstract
Moonmilk-type deposits exemplify carbonated Martian analogues existing in the subsurface of Earth, an endokarstic speleothem with a possible biochemical origin composed principally by carbonates, mainly huntite and dolomite. In this work, samples of moonmilk located in Nerja Cave (southern Spain) have been studied by LIBS with the aim of identifying carbon of biogenic origin by establishing a relationship between a molecular emission indicator, CN signal, and the organic carbon content. The characterization of this kind of carbonate deposit with a multiple mineralogical composition has been completed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) and X-ray diffraction techniques for qualitative and semi-quantitative analysis. The information attained from LIBS regarding energy thresholds and time-resolved kinetics of CN emissions provides useful insight into the identification of different molecular emitters, namely organic and inorganic CN, depending on the laser irradiance and time settings conditions. These promising results are of application in the search and identification of biosignatures in upcoming planetary missions with astrobiological purposes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- T Delgado
- UMALASERLAB, Departamento de Química Analítica, Universidad de Málaga, C/ Jiménez Fraud 4, 29010 Málaga, Spain
| | - L García-Gómez
- UMALASERLAB, Departamento de Química Analítica, Universidad de Málaga, C/ Jiménez Fraud 4, 29010 Málaga, Spain
| | - F J Fortes
- UMALASERLAB, Departamento de Química Analítica, Universidad de Málaga, C/ Jiménez Fraud 4, 29010 Málaga, Spain
| | - L M Cabalín
- UMALASERLAB, Departamento de Química Analítica, Universidad de Málaga, C/ Jiménez Fraud 4, 29010 Málaga, Spain
| | - C Liñán
- Fundación Cueva de Nerja, Instituto de Investigación, Carretera de Maro s/n, 29787 Nerja, Málaga, Spain; Grupo de Hidrogeología, Departamento de Ecología y Geología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Málaga, 29071 Málaga, Spain
| | - I Vadillo
- Grupo de Hidrogeología, Departamento de Ecología y Geología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Málaga, 29071 Málaga, Spain
| | - P Jiménez-Gavilán
- Grupo de Hidrogeología, Departamento de Ecología y Geología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Málaga, 29071 Málaga, Spain
| | - L Ojeda
- Grupo de Hidrogeología, Departamento de Ecología y Geología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Málaga, 29071 Málaga, Spain
| | - J J Laserna
- UMALASERLAB, Departamento de Química Analítica, Universidad de Málaga, C/ Jiménez Fraud 4, 29010 Málaga, Spain.
| |
Collapse
|