Martian meteorites are excellent study materials for understanding the present and past of Mars, as they are important historical astrophysical artifacts because they possess information about Martian geological evolution and physical and chemical characteristics. In our case, we analyzed the NWA 6963 Martian meteorite classified as basaltic shergottite because of its chemical structure. A computerized microtomography (μCT) study in the NWA 6963 Martian meteorite provided us with 2D and 3D images that were extremely useful for ascertaining the internal structure of the analyzed sample and gave us the opportunity to find a crumpled material with a very peculiar structural format. In addition, it was possible to observe through the μCT that this encrusted material also has a completely different density of the meteorite. Calcium, strontium, and potassium were detected qualitatively, among others through the technique of X-ray fluorescence. | INTRODUCTIONMars is a rocky planet very similar to Earth. In this way, if we can understand how their planetary evolution occurred, through comparative analysis, we could generate generalizations of physical processes in the formation between the planets and also obtain possible hints of how could been the initial history of our planet and also of the red planet. [1,2] Although most of the geological records have been destroyed, just as happened on Earth, the geological evolution of the Martian surface, its physical information, and chemical characteristics can still be studied through the Martian meteorites. [3,4] Fundamentally, we can see meteorites as rocks of great importance because of the vast amount of information they can give us about the primordial material that formed the planets of our solar system. [5,6] Thus, through the objects ejected from the Martian surface, such as NWA 6963, it is possible, through analytical techniques, to investigate chemical, physical, and geological information, which can help, for example, to define requirements for missions to Mars. [7,8] Finally, another interest very special related to Mars is the possibility that the planet has been habitable, that is, have had the conditions necessary for life to have established itself in the past. Thus, to search for these types of information, the Martian meteorites are of extreme relevance because through them are made research related to the interior of the planet. [9] It also studied the possible presence of water by analyzing the composition of volatile chemical elements in Martian meteorites [10] and the origin and age of the Martian crust, [11][12][13] and there are researches related to the search for fossils, bacteria, or traces of organic compounds in Martian meteorites. [14][15][16][17] Thus, we will try to emphasize and demonstrate in this work the discovery we made and the importance of using nondestructive analytical techniques such as μCT and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) in the preliminary analysis to obtain information on fragments of meteorites. For this, we will demonstrate the effi...
A utilização das aplicações tecnológicas baseadas nos princípios científicos em raios X durante muito tempo foram utilizadas apenas como ferramentas de diagnósticos médicos. Contudo, a espectroscopia de fluorescência de raios X tem demonstrado possuir uma grande relevância multidisciplinar em inúmeros campos de investigação tais como: meteorítica, química, biologia, meio ambiente, geociências, arqueometria e ciência dos materiais. Buscamos fornecer uma breve síntese seletiva dos recentes trabalhos, buscando assim demonstrar a ampla gama de questões, nas quais ela pode ser aproveitada de maneira produtiva, principalmente devidoà sua característica de ser uma técnica não destrutiva. Por fim, serão discutidas aqui as possibilidades de aplicações de forma sucinta e as vantagens específicas da fluorescência de raios X. Palavras-chave: XRF, física aplicada, ciências dos materiais, meteoritos, técnica analíticaThe utilization of technological applications based on scientific principles in X-rays for a long time were only used as medical diagnostic tools. However, X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy has been shown to have a high multidisciplinary relevance in many research fields such as; Meteoritc, chemistry, biology, environment, geosciences, archeometry and materials science. We seek to provide a selective synthesis of the recent works, demonstrating a wide range of issues which can be harnessed productively mainly because of its characteristic of being a non-destructive tech-nique. Finally, here will be discusses the possibilities of applications and the specific advantages of X-ray fluorescence Keywords: XRF, applied physics, sciencie of materials, meteorites, technique analytical IntroduçãoMuitos físicos eminentes no final do século XIX acreditavam que a natureza do mundo físico estava substancialmente esclarecida. Entretanto, este paradigma foi rompido já nestaépoca por uma série de descobertas em um curto intervalo de tempo. Muitas dessas descobertas envolviam inovações científicas provenientes do estudo de radiações e ondas eletromagnéticas. Neste período, ocorreu a descoberta dos raios X em 1895 por Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen, a radioatividade foi observada pela primeira vez em 1896 por Henri Becquerel e o elétron foi descoberto por Joseph John Thomson em 1897.No entanto, dentre tantas descobertas e acontecimentos científicos marcantes que ocorreram nestaépoca, talvez possa ser dito que a descoberta que possuiu a maior importância para a origem e desenvolvimento das tecnologias baseadas em raios X , tenha sido a de Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen a partir do experimento com raios catódicos [1]. Basicamente, o fenômeno para se produzir raios X, nessa ocasiãoé decorrente de feixes de elétrons que são emitidos por um fio aquecido e que são atraídos * Endereço de correspondência: bruno.astrobio@gmail.com.por uma placa metálica com polaridade positiva (anodo) com relação a placa emissora (catodo), com todo este esquema funcionando dentro de um recipiente com atmosfera rarefeita. Além disso, logo após o primeiro registro da ossatu...
Martian meteorites have valuable information about past geological processes on Mars. In this particular case, the sample used was the Martian meteorite Northwest Africa (NWA) 7397. The main objective was to conduct preliminary analyses of the sample that was able to provide mineralogical characteristics in a non-destructive way. These meteorite NWA 7397 analyses were performed using two analytical techniques, μRaman and μXRF. Through the techniques used it was possible to suggest the presence of chromite, ilmenite, magnetite and forsterite minerals. These minerals seem to have a correspondence to one another in relation to the process that formed them. Thus, the information generated by these analytical techniques can contribute significantly by providing information on the history of Mars in order to have relevance to the areas of Astrobiology and Planetary Sciences.
Chondrites are the most common meteorites in the world. However, the carbonaceous chondrites represent only a small fraction of those. Among them, Allende meteorite is one of the most studied carbonaceous chondrites. The main objective of this paper is to use the Raman spectral peak positions of olivine as a parameter to chondrite classification, here, specifically, Allende meteorite. Although these correlations are not new in the literature, this approach has not been used to classify carbonaceous chondrites yet. To develop the olivine calibration, only the peak positions of the doublet in the 700–1100 cm−1 region were analyzed in this study. The typical Raman spectrum of olivine displays two major peaks, here called Peak A, with Raman shifting in the 814–824 cm−1 range, and Peak B, in the 836–857 cm−1 range. The results of measurements found were perfectly matched to a linear correlation between Peak A and Peak B. The peak position versus composition plot shows a good correlation between the samples used as reference. The correlation curve obtained from the reference olivines is consistent with the data found in literature, as well as the peak versus peak plot. Finally, from the analysis of the olivine Raman spectral peak positions present in Allende meteorite, it is possible to conclude that there is little Fe in its matrix. Actually, the proportion of metallic Fe is less than 3% when the range of fayalite content is between Fa26–32.Thus, although the exact amount of iron present in the sample is not entirely clear, this kind of methodology quickly and effectively provides a response regarding the Fa ratio in the meteorite.
Although we have learned much about the geological characteristics and history of Mars, the gaps in our knowledge certainly exceed what we understand. Martian meteorites, such as Northwest Africa (NWA) 6963, can be excellent materials for understanding the present and past of Mars, as part of the records of the planet's evolution is preserved in these extraterrestrial rocks. Micro X-ray fluorescence provided data, in which it was possible to verify the presence of Ca, P and Y elements, which are call attention because they were detected superimposed in certain regions. The way these elements were detected indicates the formation of minerals composed by the combination of these elements, such as, for example, Calcite (CaCO3), Apatite [Ca5(PO4)3(OH, F, Cl)], Merrilite [Ca9NaMg (PO4)7] and Xenotime (YPO4). These minerals are great indicators of aqueous environments. In general, the formation of these minerals is due to processes involving hydrothermal fluids or sources (>100 °C). Some geological indications suggest that in the past there might have been a large amount of liquid water, which could have accumulated large reservoirs below the Martian surface. Thus, the laboratory study of Martian meteorites and interpretations of minerals present in these samples can contribute in a complementary way to the existing results of telescopic observations and/or missions of space probes as a strategy to indicate reservoirs of liquid water.
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