An aqueously altered carbon-rich Ceres

Marchi, S.; Raponi, A.; Prettyman, T. H.; Sanctis, M. C. De; Castillo‐Rogez, Julie; Raymond, C. A.; Ammannito, E.; Bowling, T. J.; Ciarniello, M.; Kaplan, H. H.; Palomba, E.; Russell, C. T.; Vinogradoff, Vassilissa; Yamashita, N.

doi:10.1038/s41550-018-0656-0

Cited by 73 publications

(102 citation statements)

References 53 publications

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“…In particular, Ceres could have accreted from both dry and wet planetesimals in the asteroid belt and in the inter-planet disk, but only from wet bodies (i.e., icerock or aqueously altered) in the Kuiper belt (Table 5). Recent studies suggesting that a fraction of Ceres' accreted material may be CI-or CM-like (Marchi et al 2019;McSween et al 2018) support our result that alteration could have occurred on smaller precursors of the dwarf planet.…”

Section: Icy Precursors Of Ceressupporting

confidence: 89%

“…Recent surface activity in the form of water vapor plumes (Küppers et al 2014) and putative haze, as an interpretation of brightness variations specific to the crater Occator (Thangjam et al 2016), indicates that the internal activity could be still ongoing. Both exogenic and endogenic sources have been proposed for the altered material and organics detected (Marchi et al 2019;Pieters et al 2018). However, since Ceres shows clear signatures of pervasive hydrothermal activity and mobility of liquids (the mountain Ahuna Mons that was proposed to have formed as a cryovolcanic dome), both altered rock and organic-rich areas are probably the products of internal processes (De Sanctis et al 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Ceres’ partial differentiation: undifferentiated crust mixing with a water-rich mantle

Neumann

Jaumann

Castillo‐Rogez

et al. 2020

A&A

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Aims. We model thermal evolution and water-rock differentiation of small ice-rock objects that accreted at different heliocentric distances, while also considering migration into the asteroid belt for Ceres. We investigate how water-rock separation and various cooling processes influence Ceres’ structure and its thermal conditions at present. We also draw conclusions about the presence of liquids and the possibility of cryovolcanism. Methods. We calculated energy balance in bodies heated by radioactive decay and compaction-driven water-rock separation in a three-component dust-water/ice-empty pores mixture, while also taking into consideration second-order processes, such as accretional heating, hydrothermal circulation, and ocean or ice convection. Calculations were performed for varying accretion duration, final size, surface temperature, and dust/ice ratio to survey the range of possible internal states for precursors of Ceres. Subsequently, the evolution of Ceres was considered in five sets of simulated models, covering different accretion and evolution orbits and dust/ice ratios. Results. We find that Ceres’ precursors in the inner solar system could have been both wet and dry, while in the Kuiper belt, they retain the bulk of their water content. For plausible accretion scenarios, a thick primordial crust may be retained over several Gyr, following a slow differentiation within a few hundreds of Myr, assuming an absence of destabilizing impacts. The resulting thermal conditions at present allow for various salt solutions at depths of ≲10 km. The warmest present subsurface is obtained for an accretion in the Kuiper belt and migration to the present orbit. Conclusions. Our results indicate that Ceres’ material could have been aqueously altered on small precursors. The modeled structure of Ceres suggests that a liquid layer could still be present between the crust and the core, which is consistent with Dawn observations and, thus, suggests accretion in the Kuiper belt. While the crust stability calculations indicate crust retention, the convection analysis and interior evolution imply that the crust could still be evolving.

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Section: Icy Precursors Of Ceressupporting

confidence: 89%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ceres’ partial differentiation: undifferentiated crust mixing with a water-rich mantle

Neumann

Jaumann

Castillo‐Rogez

et al. 2020

A&A

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“…In addition to offering new perspectives for the search for traces of life on Mars, the present study also provides a strong rationale for the search for potential biosignatures on other planetary bodies, including rocky and/or icy ones (such as Ceres, Enceladus or Europa) on which hydrothermal systems and/or N-rich clay minerals have recently been detected (Carrozzo et al, 2018;Nordheim et al, 2018;Marchi et al, 2019). As illustrated here, laboratory experiments are key steps to support astrobiological exploration seeking to provide evidence of the existence of extraterrestrial life.…”

Section: Lettermentioning

confidence: 92%

Experimental clues for detecting biosignatures on Mars

Viennet¹,

Bernard²,

Guillou³

et al. 2019

Geochem. Persp. Let.

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Forthcoming exploration of Mars aims at identifying fossil biosignatures within ancient clay-rich formations. The subsurface of Mars has mostly acted as a giant freezer for the last 4 Gyr, thereby preserving potential remains of martian life. Yet, volcanism and impactors have periodically triggered the circulation of hydrothermal fluids, inevitably causing alteration of potentially fossilised biogenic organic materials. It thus appears crucial to quantify the impact of hydrothermal processes on organic biogeochemical signals in the presence of clay minerals. Here, we submitted RNA to hydrothermal conditions in the presence of Mg-smectites. Results show heterogeneous organo-mineral residues, with sub-micrometric phosphates, carbonates and amorphous silica particles together with Mg-smectites with interlayer spaces saturated by N-rich organic compounds. Although the chemical structure of RNA did not withstand hydrothermal conditions, clay minerals efficiently trapped organic carbon, confirming the relevance of drilling for organic carbon in ancient martian sediments. In addition, the degradation of RNA in the presence of Mg-smectites led to the precipitation of a quite uncommon mineral assemblage that could be seen as a biosignature per se. Martian targets exhibiting this mineral assemblage will thus constitute high priority and highly relevant candidates for sample return.

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“…This modeling does not account for organics, which might be abundant in the crust (Marchi et al, 2018). However, the extent of that process is unconstrained, so this study assumes a simple three-layer structure (crust, brine-rich rocky layer, and solid mantle) for Ceres' interior.…”

Section: Modeling Approachmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, the extent of that process is unconstrained, so this study assumes a simple three-layer structure (crust, brine-rich rocky layer, and solid mantle) for Ceres' interior. This modeling does not account for organics, which might be abundant in the crust (Marchi et al, 2018). Organics are diverse and their densities cover a broad range, but their abundance in Ceres' crust is not constrained.…”

Section: Modeling Approachmentioning

confidence: 99%

Conditions for the Long‐Term Preservation of a Deep Brine Reservoir in Ceres

Castillo‐Rogez

Hesse

Formisano

et al. 2019

Geophysical Research Letters

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We propose a new internal evolution model for the dwarf planet Ceres matching the constraints on Ceres' present internal state from the Dawn mission observations. We assume an interior differentiated into a volatile‐dominated crust and rocky mantle, and with remnant brines in the mantle, all consistent with inferences from the Dawn geophysical observations. Simulations indicate Ceres should preserve a warm crust until present if the crust is rich in clathrate hydrates. The temperature computed at the base of the crust exceeds 220 K for a broad range of conditions, allowing for the preservation of a small amount of brines at the base of the crust. However, a temperature ≥250 K, for which at least 1 wt.% sodium carbonate gets in solution requires a crustal abundance of clathrate hydrates greater than 55 vol.%, a situation possible for a narrow set of evolutionary scenarios.

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An aqueously altered carbon-rich Ceres

Cited by 73 publications

References 53 publications

Ceres’ partial differentiation: undifferentiated crust mixing with a water-rich mantle

Ceres’ partial differentiation: undifferentiated crust mixing with a water-rich mantle

Experimental clues for detecting biosignatures on Mars

Conditions for the Long‐Term Preservation of a Deep Brine Reservoir in Ceres

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