Organic synthesis associated with serpentinization and carbonation on early Mars

Water-rock interactions are relevant to planetary habitability, influencing mineralogical diversity and the production of organic molecules. We examine carbonates and silicates in the martian meteorite Allan Hills 84001 (ALH 84001), using colocated nanoscale analyses, to characterize the nature of w...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 2022-01, Vol.375 (6577), p.172-177
Main Authors: Steele, A, Benning, L G, Wirth, R, Schreiber, A, Araki, T, McCubbin, F M, Fries, M D, Nittler, L R, Wang, J, Hallis, L J, Conrad, P G, Conley, C, Vitale, S, O'Brien, A C, Riggi, V, Rogers, K
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Basalt
Carbonates
Carbonation
Crystals
Habitability
Magnetite
Mars
Mars rovers
Meteors & meteorites
Mineralogy
Organic chemistry
Planetary geology
Rocks
Silicates
SNC meteorites
Water
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Summary:Water-rock interactions are relevant to planetary habitability, influencing mineralogical diversity and the production of organic molecules. We examine carbonates and silicates in the martian meteorite Allan Hills 84001 (ALH 84001), using colocated nanoscale analyses, to characterize the nature of water-rock reactions on early Mars. We find complex refractory organic material associated with mineral assemblages that formed by mineral carbonation and serpentinization reactions. The organic molecules are colocated with nanophase magnetite; both formed in situ during water-rock interactions on Mars. Two potentially distinct mechanisms of abiotic organic synthesis operated on early Mars during the late Noachian period (3.9 to 4.1 billion years ago).
ISSN:0036-8075
1095-9203
DOI:10.1126/science.abg7905