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Nikitczuk MP, Bebout GE, Geiger CA, Ota T, Kunihiro T, Mustard JF, Halldórsson SA, Nakamura E. Nitrogen Incorporation in Potassic and Micro- and Meso-Porous Minerals: Potential Biogeochemical Records and Targets for Mars Sampling. ASTROBIOLOGY 2022; 22:1293-1309. [PMID: 36074082 PMCID: PMC9618379 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2021.0158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2021] [Accepted: 06/27/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
We measured the N concentrations and isotopic compositions of 44 samples of terrestrial potassic and micro- and meso-porous minerals and a small number of whole-rocks to determine the extent to which N is incorporated and stored during weathering and low-temperature hydrothermal alteration in Mars surface/near-surface environments. The selection of these minerals and other materials was partly guided by the study of altered volcanic glass from Antarctica and Iceland, in which the incorporation of N as NH4+ in phyllosilicates is indicated by correlated concentrations of N and the LILEs (i.e., K, Ba, Rb, Cs), with scatter likely related to the presence of exchanged, occluded/trapped, or encapsulated organic/inorganic N occurring within structural cavities (e.g., in zeolites). The phyllosilicates, zeolites, and sulfates analyzed in this study contain between 0 and 99,120 ppm N and have δ15Nair values of -34‰ to +65‰. Most of these minerals, and the few siliceous hydrothermal deposits that were analyzed, have δ15N consistent with the incorporation of biologically processed N during low-temperature hydrothermal or weathering processes. Secondary ion mass spectrometry on altered hyaloclastites demonstrates the residency of N in smectites and zeolites, and silica. We suggest that geological materials known on Earth to incorporate and store N and known to be abundant at, or near, the surface of Mars should be considered targets for upcoming Mars sample return with the intent to identify any signs of ancient or modern life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew P. Nikitczuk
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Gray E. Bebout
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, USA
- Pheasant Memorial Laboratory for Geochemistry and Cosmochemistry, Institute for Planetary Materials, Okayama University, Misasa, Japan
| | - Charles A. Geiger
- Universität Salzburg, Fachbereich Chemie und Physik der Materialien, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Tsutomu Ota
- Pheasant Memorial Laboratory for Geochemistry and Cosmochemistry, Institute for Planetary Materials, Okayama University, Misasa, Japan
| | - Takuya Kunihiro
- Pheasant Memorial Laboratory for Geochemistry and Cosmochemistry, Institute for Planetary Materials, Okayama University, Misasa, Japan
| | - John F. Mustard
- Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA
| | - Sæmundur A. Halldórsson
- Nordic Volcanological Center, Institute of Earth Sciences, University of Iceland, Reykjavík, Iceland
| | - Eizo Nakamura
- Pheasant Memorial Laboratory for Geochemistry and Cosmochemistry, Institute for Planetary Materials, Okayama University, Misasa, Japan
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Adams D, Luo Y, Wong ML, Dunn P, Christensen M, Dong C, Hu R, Yung Y. Nitrogen Fixation at Early Mars. ASTROBIOLOGY 2021; 21:968-980. [PMID: 34339294 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2020.2273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) recently discovered nitrates in Gale Crater (e.g., Stern et al., 2015; Sutter et al., 2017). One possible mechanism for ancient nitrate deposition on Mars is through HNOx formation and rain out in the atmosphere, for which lightning-induced NO is likely the fundamental source. This study investigates nitrogen (N2) fixation in early Mars' atmosphere, with implications for early Mars' habitability. We consider a 1 bar atmosphere of background CO2, with abundance of N2, hydrogen, and methane varied from 1% to 10% to explore a swath of potential early Mars climates. We derive lightning-induced thermochemical equilibrium fluxes of NO and HCN by coupling the lightning-rate parametrization from the study of Romps et al. (2014) with chemical equilibrium with applications, and we use a Geant4 simulation platform to estimate the effect of solar energetic particle events. These fluxes are used as input into KINETICS, the Caltech/JPL coupled photochemistry and transport code, which models the chemistry of 50 species linked by 495 reactions to derive rain-out fluxes of HNOx and HCN. We compute equilibrium concentrations of cyanide and nitrate in a putative northern ocean at early Mars, assuming hydrothermal vent circulation and photoreduction act as the dominant loss mechanisms. We find average oceanic concentrations of ∼0.1-2 nM nitrate and ∼0.01-2 mM cyanide. HCN is critical for protein synthesis at concentrations >0.01 M (e.g., Holm and Neubeck, 2009), and our result is astrobiologically significant if secondary local concentration mechanisms occurred. Nitrates may act as high-potential electron acceptors for early metabolisms, although the minimum concentration required is unknown. Our study derives concentrations that will be useful for future laboratory studies to investigate the habitability at early Mars. The aqueous nitrate concentrations correspond to surface nitrate precipitates of ∼1-8 × 10-4 wt % that may have formed after the evaporation of surface waters, and these values roughly agree with recent MSL measurements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danica Adams
- Department of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | - Yangcheng Luo
- Department of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | - Michael L Wong
- Department of Astronomy and Astrobiology Program, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
- Virtual Planet Laboratory, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Patrick Dunn
- Space Sciences Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA
| | - Madeline Christensen
- Department of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
- Bellarmine Preparatory, Tacoma, Washington, USA
| | - Chuanfei Dong
- Department of Astrophysical Sciences, Princeton University, Princeton, California, USA
| | - Renyu Hu
- Department of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | - Yuk Yung
- Department of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
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3
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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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4
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Wong MH, Atreya SK, Mahaffy PN, Franz HB, Malespin C, Trainer MG, Stern JC, Conrad PG, Manning HLK, Pepin RO, Becker RH, McKay CP, Owen TC, Navarro-González R, Jones JH, Jakosky BM, Steele A. Isotopes of nitrogen on Mars: Atmospheric measurements by Curiosity's mass spectrometer. GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS 2013; 40:6033-6037. [PMID: 26074632 PMCID: PMC4459194 DOI: 10.1002/2013gl057840] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2013] [Revised: 11/18/2013] [Accepted: 11/09/2013] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
[1] The Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument suite on the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) measured a Mars atmospheric14N/15N ratio of 173 ± 11 on sol 341 of the mission, agreeing with Viking's measurement of 168 ± 17. The MSL/SAM value was based on Quadrupole Mass Spectrometer measurements of an enriched atmospheric sample, with CO2 and H2O removed. Doubly ionized nitrogen data at m/z 14 and 14.5 had the highest signal/background ratio, with results confirmed by m/z 28 and 29 data. Gases in SNC meteorite glasses have been interpreted as mixtures containing a Martian atmospheric component, based partly on distinctive14N/15N and40Ar/14N ratios. Recent MSL/SAM measurements of the40Ar/14N ratio (0.51 ± 0.01) are incompatible with the Viking ratio (0.35 ± 0.08). The meteorite mixing line is more consistent with the atmospheric composition measured by Viking than by MSL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael H Wong
- Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic, and Space Sciences, University of MichiganAnn Arbor, Michigan, USA
- Astronomy Department, University of CaliforniaBerkeley, California, USA
| | - Sushil K Atreya
- Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic, and Space Sciences, University of MichiganAnn Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Paul N Mahaffy
- Code 699, NASA Goddard Space Flight CenterGreenbelt, Maryland, USA
| | - Heather B Franz
- Code 699, NASA Goddard Space Flight CenterGreenbelt, Maryland, USA
| | - Charles Malespin
- Code 699, NASA Goddard Space Flight CenterGreenbelt, Maryland, USA
| | | | - Jennifer C Stern
- Code 699, NASA Goddard Space Flight CenterGreenbelt, Maryland, USA
| | - Pamela G Conrad
- Code 699, NASA Goddard Space Flight CenterGreenbelt, Maryland, USA
| | | | - Robert O Pepin
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of MinnesotaMinneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Richard H Becker
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of MinnesotaMinneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | | | - Tobias C Owen
- Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawai‘i at MānoaHonolulu, Hawaii, USA
| | | | | | | | - Andrew Steele
- Geophysical Laboratory, Carnegie Institution of WashingtonWashington, District of Columbia, USA
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5
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Webster CR, Mahaffy PR, Flesch GJ, Niles PB, Jones JH, Leshin LA, Atreya SK, Stern JC, Christensen LE, Owen T, Franz H, Pepin RO, Steele A. Isotope Ratios of H, C, and O in CO
2
and H
2
O of the Martian Atmosphere. Science 2013; 341:260-3. [PMID: 23869013 DOI: 10.1126/science.1237961] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Chris R. Webster
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA
| | | | - Gregory J. Flesch
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Lance E. Christensen
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA
| | - Tobias Owen
- University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA
| | - Heather Franz
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
| | | | - Andrew Steele
- Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington, DC 20015, USA
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Briggs G, Klaasen K, Thorpe T, Wellman J, Baum W. Martian dynamical phenomena during June-November 1976: Viking Orbiter imaging results. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2012. [DOI: 10.1029/js082i028p04121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
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Nier AO, McElroy MB. Composition and structure of Mars' Upper atmosphere: Results from the neutral mass spectrometers on Viking 1 and 2. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2012. [DOI: 10.1029/js082i028p04341] [Citation(s) in RCA: 412] [Impact Index Per Article: 34.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
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9
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Masursky H, Boyce JM, Dial AL, Schaber GG, Strobell ME. Classification and time of formation of Martian channels based on Viking data. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2012. [DOI: 10.1029/js082i028p04016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 234] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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10
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Binder AB, Arvidson RE, Guinness EA, Jones KL, Morris EC, Mutch TA, Pieri DC, Sagan C. The geology of the Viking Lander 1 site. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2012. [DOI: 10.1029/js082i028p04439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 140] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
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11
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Owen T, Biemann K, Rushneck DR, Biller JE, Howarth DW, Lafleur AL. The composition of the atmosphere at the surface of Mars. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2012. [DOI: 10.1029/js082i028p04635] [Citation(s) in RCA: 464] [Impact Index Per Article: 38.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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12
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13
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14
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Ward WR. Present obliquity oscillations of Mars: Fourth-order accuracy in orbitaleandI. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2012. [DOI: 10.1029/jb084ib01p00237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 99] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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15
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16
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17
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Hoffman JH, Hodges RR, McElroy MB, Donahue TM, Kolpin M. Venus lower atmospheric composition: preliminary results from pioneer venus. Science 2010; 203:800-2. [PMID: 17833003 DOI: 10.1126/science.203.4382.800] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Initial examination of data from the neutral mass spectrometer on the Pioneer Venus sounder probe indicates that the abundances of argon-36, argon-38, and neon-20 in the Venus atmosphere are much higher than those of the corresponding gases in Earth's atmosphere, although the abundance of radiogenic argon-40 is apparently similar for both planets. The lower atmosphere of Venus includes significant concentrations of various gaseous sulfur compounds. The inlet leak to the mass spectrometer was temporarily blocked by an apparently liquid component of the Venus clouds during passage through the dense cloud layer. Analysis of gases released during the evaporation of the droplets shows the presence of water vapor to some compound or compounds of sulfur.
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18
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Haider SA, Sheel V, Singh V, Maguire WC, Molina-Cuberos GJ. Model calculation of production rates, ion and electron densities in the evening troposphere of Mars at latitudes 67°N and 62°S: Seasonal variability. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2008. [DOI: 10.1029/2007ja012980] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- S. A. Haider
- Department of Space and Atmospheric Sciences; Physical Research Laboratory; Ahmedabad India
| | - Varun Sheel
- Department of Space and Atmospheric Sciences; Physical Research Laboratory; Ahmedabad India
| | - V. Singh
- Department of Electronics for Automation, Faculty of Engineering; Universita' degli Studi di Brescia; Brescia Italia
| | - W. C. Maguire
- Solar System Exploration Division; NASA Goddard Space Flight Centre; Greenbelt Maryland USA
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19
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Sprengers JP, Ubachs W, Baldwin KGH, Lewis BR, Tchang-Brillet WÜL. Extreme ultraviolet laser excitation of isotopic molecular nitrogen: The dipole-allowed spectrum of 15N2 and 14N15N. J Chem Phys 2003. [DOI: 10.1063/1.1589478] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
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20
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Hashizume K, Chaussidon M, Marty B, Robert F. Solar wind record on the moon: deciphering presolar from planetary nitrogen. Science 2000; 290:1142-5. [PMID: 11073449 DOI: 10.1126/science.290.5494.1142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 122] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Ion microprobe analyses show that solar wind nitrogen associated with solar wind hydrogen implanted in the first tens of nanometers of lunar regolith grains is depleted in 15N by at least 24% relative to terrestrial atmosphere, whereas a nonsolar component associated with deuterium-rich hydrogen, detected in silicon-bearing coatings at the surface of some ilmenite grains, is enriched in 15N. Systematic enrichment of 15N in terrestrial planets and bulk meteorites relative to the protosolar gas cannot be explained by isotopic fractionation in nebular or planetary environments but requires the contribution of 15N-rich compounds to the total nitrogen in planetary materials. Most of these compounds are possibly of an interstellar origin and never equilibrated with the 15N-depleted protosolar nebula.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Hashizume
- Centre de Recherches Pétrographiques et Géochimiques-CNRS, BP 20, 54501 Vandoeuvre-lès-Nancy Cedex, France.
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21
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Abstract
A class of isotope effects that alters isotope ratios on a mass-independent basis provides a tool for studying a wide range of processes in atmospheres of Earth and other planets as well as early processes in the solar nebula. The mechanism for the effect remains uncertain. Mass-independent isotopic compositions have been observed in O3, CO2, N2O, and CO in Earth's atmosphere and in carbonate from a martian meteorite, which suggests a role for mass-independent processes in the atmosphere of Mars. Observed mass-independent meteoritic oxygen and sulfur isotopic compositions may derive from chemical processes in the presolar nebula, and their distributions could provide insight into early solar system evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- M H Thiemens
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093-0356, USA.
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22
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Sauke TB, Becker JF. Stable isotope laser spectrometer for exploration of Mars. PLANETARY AND SPACE SCIENCE 1998; 46:805-812. [PMID: 11541820 DOI: 10.1016/s0032-0633(98)00014-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
On Earth, measurements of the ratios of stable carbon isotopes have provided much information about geological and biological processes. For example, fractionation of carbon occurs in biotic processes and the retention of a distinctive 2-4% contrast in 13C/12C between organic carbon and carbonates in rocks as old as 3.8 billion years constitutes some of the firmest evidence for the antiquity of life on the Earth. We have developed a prototype tunable diode Laser spectrometer which demonstrates the feasibility of making accurate in situ isotopic ratio measurements on Mars. This miniaturized instrument, with an optical path length of 10 cm, should be capable of making accurate 13C/12C and 15N/14N measurements. Gas samples for measurement are to be produced by pyrolysis using soil samples as small as 50 mg. Measurements of 13C/12C, 18O/16O and 15N/14N have been made to a precision of better than 0.1% and various other isotopes are feasible. This laser technique, which relies on the extremely narrow emission linewidth of tunable diode lasers (<0.001 cm(-1)) has favorable features in comparison to mass spectrometry, the standard method of accurate isotopic ratio measurement. The miniature instrument could be ready to deploy on the 2003 or other Mars lander missions.
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Affiliation(s)
- T B Sauke
- SETI Institute, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035-1000, USA
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23
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Fox JL, Hać A. The15N/14N isotope fractionation in dissociative recombination of N2+. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 1997. [DOI: 10.1029/97je00086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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24
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Fox JL. Dissociative Recombination in Planetary Ionospheres. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 1993. [DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4615-2976-7_21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/19/2023]
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25
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Abstract
The average tilt of Mars' equator with respect to its orbital plane may have increased significantly over the age of the solar system. Obliquity oscillations might have induced changes in the climate, which altered the mass distribution and hence the solar torque on the planet. Viscous deformation attributable to loading by the large polar caps expected at low obliquity may have induced secular changes in the axial tilt. Earth-like effective viscosities can account for virtually the entire present obliquity of 24.4 degrees. Thus the present average tilt of Mars may not be primordial.
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26
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Wright IP, Grady MM, Pillinger CT. The evolution of atmospheric CO2on Mars: The perspective from carbon isotope measurements. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 1990. [DOI: 10.1029/jb095ib09p14789] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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27
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Paige DA, Herkenhoff KE, Murray BC. Mariner 9 observations of the south polar cap of Mars: Evidence for residual CO2frost. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 1990. [DOI: 10.1029/jb095ib02p01319] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [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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28
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Plumb RC, Tantayanon R, Libby M, Xu WW. Chemical model for Viking biology experiments: implications for the composition of the martian regolith. Nature 1989. [DOI: 10.1038/338633a0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [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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29
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Yung YL, Wen JS, Pinto JP, Allen M, Pierce KK, Paulson S. HDO in the Martian atmosphere: implications for the abundance of crustal water. ICARUS 1988; 76:146-159. [PMID: 11538666 DOI: 10.1016/0019-1035(88)90147-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
The physical and chemical processes that lead to the preferential escape of hydrogen over deuterium in the Martian atmosphere are studied in detail using a one-dimensional photochemical model. Comparison of our theory with recent observations of HDO suggests that, averaged over the planet, Mars contains 0.2 m of crustal water that is exchangeable with the atmosphere. Our estimate is considerably lower than recent estimates of subsurface water on Mars based on geomorphological analysis of Viking images. The estimate can be reconciled if only a small fraction of crustal water can exchange with the atmosphere.
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Affiliation(s)
- Y L Yung
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena 91125, USA
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30
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Abstract
High-resolution Viking orbiter images show evidence for quasi-viscous relaxation of topography. The relaxation is believed to be due to creep deformation of ice in near-surface materials. The global distribution of the inferred ground ice shows a pronounced latitudinal dependence. The equatorial regions of Mars appear to be ice-poor, while the heavily cratered terrain poleward of +/- 30 degrees latitude appears to be ice-rich. The style of creep poleward of +/- 30 degrees varies with latitude, possibly due to variations in ice rheology with temperature. The distribution suggests that ice at low latitudes, which is not in equilibrium with the present atmosphere, has been lost via sublimation and diffusion through the regolith, thereby causing a net poleward transport of ice over martian history.
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Jakosky BM, Farmer CB. The seasonal and global behavior of water vapor in the Mars atmosphere: Complete global results of the Viking Atmospheric Water Detector Experiment. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 1982. [DOI: 10.1029/jb087ib04p02999] [Citation(s) in RCA: 291] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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35
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Oyama VI, Carle GC, Woeller F, Pollack JB. Venus Lower Atmospheric Composition: Analysis by Gas Chromatography. Science 1979; 203:802-5. [PMID: 17833004 DOI: 10.1126/science.203.4382.802] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
The first gas chromatographic analysis of the lower atmosphere of Venus is reported. Three atmospheric samples were analyzed. The third of these samples showed carbon dioxide (96.4 percent), molecular nitrogen (3.41 percent), water vapor (0.135 percent), molecular oxygen [69.3 parts per million (ppm)], argon (18.6 ppm), neon (4.31 ppm), and sulfuir dioxide (186 ppm). The amounts of water vapor and sulfur dioxide detected are roughly compatible with the requirements of greenhouse models of the high surface temperature of Venus. The large positive gradient of sulfur dioxide, molecular oxygen, and water vapor from the clould tops to their bottoms, as implied by Earth-based observations and these resuilts, gives added support for the presence of major quantities of aqueous sulfuric acid in the clouds. A comparison of the inventory of inert gases found in the atmospheres of Venus, Earth, and Mars suggests that these components are due to outgassing from the planetary interiors.
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Fanale FP, Cannon WA. Mars: CO2adsorption and capillary condensation on clays—significance for volatile storage and atmospheric history. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 1979. [DOI: 10.1029/jb084ib14p08404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [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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Butler DM, Newman MJ, Talbot RJ. Interstellar Cloud Material: Contribution to Planetary Atmospheres. Science 1978; 201:522-5. [PMID: 17790439 DOI: 10.1126/science.201.4355.522] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
A statistical analysis of the properties of dense interstellar clouds indicates that the solar system has encountered at least a dozen clouds of sufficient density to cause planets to accumulate nonnegligible amounts of some isotopes. The effect is most pronounced for neon. This mechanism could be responsible for much of the neon in Earth's atmosphere. For Mars, the predicted amount of neon added by cloud encounters greatly exceeds the present abundance.
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Fanale FP, Cannon WA. Mars: The role of the regolith in determining atmospheric pressure and the atmosphere's response to insolation changes. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 1978. [DOI: 10.1029/jb083ib05p02321] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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BOGARD DD, GIBSON EK. The origin and relative abundances of C, N and the noble gases on the terrestrial planets and in meteorites. Nature 1978. [DOI: 10.1038/271150a0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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Abstract
Mars, like Earth, may have received its volatiles in the final stages of accretion, as a veneer of volatile-rich material similar to C3V carbonaceous chondrites. The high (40)Ar/(36)Ar ratio and low (36)Ar abundance on Mars, compared to data for other differentiated planets, suggest that Mars is depleted in volatiles relative to Earth-by a factor of 1.7 for K and 14 other moderately volatile elements and by a factor of 35 for (36)Ar and 15 other highly volatile elements. Using these two scaling factors, we have predicted martian abundances of 31 elements from terrestrial abundances. Comparison with the observed (36)Ar abundance suggests that outgassing on Mars has been about four times less complete than on Earth. Various predictions of the model can be checked against observation. The initial abundance of N, prior to escape, was about ten times the present value of 0.62 ppb, in good agreement with an independent estimate based on the observed enhancement in the martian (15)N/(14)N ratio (78,79). The initial water content corresponds to a 9-m layer, close to the value of >/=13 m inferred from the lack of an (18)O/(16)O fractionation (75). The predicted crustal Cl/S ratio of 0.23 agrees exactly with the value measured for martian dust (67); we estimate the thickness of this dust layer to be about 70 m. The predicted surface abundance of carbon, 290 g/cm(2), is 70 times greater than the atmospheric CO(2) value, but the CaCO(3) content inferred for martian dust (67) could account for at least one-quarter of the predicted value. The past atmospheric pressure, prior to formation of carbonates, could have been as high as 140 mbar, and possibly even 500 mbar. Finally, the predicted (129)Xe/(132)Xe ratio of 2.96 agrees fairly well with the observed value of 2.5(+2)(-1) (85). From the limited data available thus far, a curious dichotomy seems to be emerging among differentiated planets in the inner solar system. Two large planets (Earth and Venus) are fairly rich in volatiles, whereas three small planets (Mars, the moon, and the eucrite parent body-presumably the asteroid 4 Vesta) are poorer in volatiles by at least an order of magnitude. None of the obvious mechanisms seems capable of explaining this trend, and so we can only speculate that the same mechanism that stunted the growth of the smaller bodies prevented them from collecting their share of volatiles. But why then did the parent bodies of the chondrites and shergottites fare so much better? One of the driving forces behind the exploration of the solar system has always been the realization that these studies can provide essential clues to the intricate network of puzzles associated with the origin of life and its prevalence in the universe. In our own immediate neighborhood, Mars has always seemed to be the planet most likely to harbor extraterrestrial life, so the environment we have found in the vicinity of the two Viking landers is rather disappointing in this context. But the perspective we have gained through the present investigation suggests that this is not a necessary condition for planets at the distance of Mars from a solar-type central star. In other words, if it turns out that Mars is completely devoid of life, this does not mean that the zones around stars in which habitable planets can exist are much narrower than has been thought (114). Suppose Mars had been a larger planet-the size of Earth or Venus-and therefore had accumulated a thicker veneer and had also developed global tectonic activity on the scale exhibited by Earth. A much larger volatile reservoir would now be available, there would be repeated opportunities for tapping that reservoir, and the increased gravitational field would limit escape from the upper atmosphere. Such a planet could have produced and maintained a much thicker atmosphere, which should have permitted at least an intermittently clement climate to exist. How different would such a planet be from the present Mars? Could a stable, warm climate be maintained? It seems conceivable that an increase in the size of Mars might have compensated for its greater distance from the sun and that the life zone around our star would have been enlarged accordingly.
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RASOOL SI, LE SERGEANT L. Implications of the Viking results for volatile outgassing from Earth and Mars. Nature 1977. [DOI: 10.1038/266822a0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [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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Abstract
The two Viking missions to Mars have been extraordinarily successful. Thirteen scientific investigations yielded information about the atmosphere and surface. Two orbiters and landers operating for several months photographed the surface extensively from 1500 kilometers and directly on the surface. Measurements were made of the atmospheric composition, the surface elemental abundance, the atmospheric water vapor, temperature of the surface, and meteorological conditions; direct tests were made for organic material and living organisms. The question of life on Mars remains unanswered. The Viking spacecraft are designed to continue the investigations for at least one Mars year.
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Nier AO, McElroy MB. Structure of the Neutral Upper Atmosphere of Mars: Results from Viking 1 and Viking 2. Science 1976; 194:1298-300. [PMID: 17797088 DOI: 10.1126/science.194.4271.1298] [Citation(s) in RCA: 94] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Neutral mass spectrometers carried on the aeroshells of Viking 1 and Viking 2 indicate that carbon dioxide is the major constituent of the martian atmosphere over the height range 120 to 200 kilometers. The atmosphere contains detectable concentrations of nitrogen, argon, carbon monoxide, molecular oxygen, atomic oxygen, and nitric oxide. The upper atmosphere exhibits a complex and variable thermal structure and is well mixed to heights in excess of 120 kilometers.
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