Indigenous organic-oxidized fluid interactions in the tissint Mars meteorite
File(s)
Published version
Author(s)
Jaramillo, Elizabeth A
Royle, Samuel
Claire, Mark
Kounaves, Samuel
Sephton, Mark
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
The observed fall and rapid recovery of the Tissint Mars meteorite has provided minimally contaminated samples of the Martian surface. We report analyses of Tissint for organic compounds by pyrolysis‐gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry and for soluble salts by ion chromatography. Pyrolysis‐gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry analysis shows the presence of organic compounds similar to those in the Mars EETA79001 and Nakhla meteorites. The organic profile is dominated by aromatic hydrocarbons, including oxygen and nitrogen‐containing aromatics, and sulfur‐containing species including thiophenes. The soluble salts in Tissint are dominated by sulfate and various oxidation states of chlorine, including perchlorate. The organic compounds and salts in the soils from the Tissint recovery strewn field differ significantly from those found in Tissint suggesting minimal terrestrial contamination. Our results support the hypothesis that the soluble inorganic components of Tissint are most likely a result of indigenous fluid inclusion, thus providing a glimpse into the composition of early Martian fluids.
Date Issued
2019-03-28
Date Acceptance
2019-03-03
Citation
Geophysical Research Letters, 2019, 46 (6), pp.3090-3098
ISSN
0094-8276
Publisher
American Geophysical Union
Start Page
3090
End Page
3098
Journal / Book Title
Geophysical Research Letters
Volume
46
Issue
6
Copyright Statement
©2019. The Authors. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution‐NonCommercial‐NoDerivs License, which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non‐commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made.
Sponsor
UK Space Agency
Grant Number
ST/N000560/1
Subjects
Science & Technology
Physical Sciences
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Geology
Mars
meteorite
organics
salts
fluids
MARTIAN METEORITE
GALE CRATER
MATTER
SEARCH
ORIGIN
WATER
SOIL
PERCHLORATE
PYROLYSIS
COMPONENT
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Publication Status
Published
Date Publish Online
2019-03-07