Large sulfur isotope fractionations in Martian sediments at Gale crater

Franz, H. B.; McAdam, A. C.; Ming, D. W.; Freissinet, Caroline; Mahaffy, P. R.; Eldridge, Daniel L.; Fischer, Woodward W.; Grotzinger, J. P.; House, Christopher H.; Hurowitz, J. A.; McLennan, Scott M.; Schwenzer, S. P.; Vaniman, D. T.; Archer, P. D.; Atreya, S. K.; Conrad, Pamela G.; Dottin, James W.; Eigenbrode, J. L.; Farley, Kenneth A.; Glavin, Daniel P.; Johnson, S. S.; Knudson, C. A.; Morris, R. V.; Navarro‐González, R.; Pavlov, Alexander A.; Plummer, Rebecca E.; Rampe, E. B.; Stern, J. C.; Steele, A.; Summons, Roger E.; Sutter, B.

doi:10.1038/ngeo3002

Cited by 59 publications

(99 citation statements)

References 67 publications

(55 reference statements)

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“…GCMS measurements of the Y‐mars material show low levels of organic carbon and nitrogen, and sulfur isotope fractionation of similar levels to similar measurements of these molecules in the Sheepbed mudstone (Franz et al, ; Freissinet et al, ; Stern et al, ), even though these were not supplemented when producing the analogue and were therefore endogenous to the mineral samples. These data show that the introduction of C, N, and S into analogue materials made from commercial sources is likely during their preparation.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 58%

Y‐Mars: An Astrobiological Analogue of Martian Mudstone

Stevens

Steer

McDonald

et al. 2018

Earth and Space Science

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NASA's Mars Science Laboratory mission has collected evidence of a long‐lasting habitable environment in the Sheepbed sediments of Gale Crater on Mars. The geochemistry of this mudstone suggests that the lake filling the crater in Mars' past had a neutral pH and low salinity and contained elements and redox couples required by life. We produced a geochemical analogue to the Sheepbed mudstone by mixing a collection of its primary minerals to match the X‐Ray diffraction data from Mars Science Laboratory. Here we describe the production of the Y‐Mars (Yellowknife‐Mars) analogue and characterize its properties, including the presence of background carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur. We highlight some of the unavoidable issues involved in making analogues, especially for astrobiological applications. The Y‐Mars analogue has a number of applications for astrobiological research, but more analogues are required to properly represent the diversity of Martian sedimentary contexts.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 58%

Y‐Mars: An Astrobiological Analogue of Martian Mudstone

Stevens

Steer

McDonald

et al. 2018

Earth and Space Science

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“…For this reason, the martian surface may have experienced higher temperatures, implying the planet had a much denser atmosphere (Ramirez et al, 2014) during the same period life probably arose on Earth (Mojzsis et al, 1996;Bell et al, 2015). Moreover, recent in situ measurements showed that all the major elements required by all known life (Cockell et al, 2016) are also present (Stern et al, 2015;Franz et al, 2017;Sutter et al, 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

First Detections of Dichlorobenzene Isomers and Trichloromethylpropane from Organic Matter Indigenous to Mars Mudstone in Gale Crater, Mars: Results from the Sample Analysis at Mars Instrument Onboard the Curiosity Rover

et al. 2020

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Chromatographic analysis of the Cumberland mudstone in Gale crater by the Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument revealed the detection of two to three isomers of dichlorobenzene. Their individual concentrations were estimated to be in the 0.5-17 ppbw range relative to the sample mass. We also report the first detection of trichloromethylpropane and the confirmation of the detection of chlorobenzene previously reported. Supporting laboratory experiments excluded the SAM internal background as the source of those compounds, thus confirming the organic carbon and chlorine of the newly detected chlorohydrocarbons are indigenous to the mudstone sample. Laboratory experiments also demonstrated that the chlorohydrocarbons were mainly produced from chemical reactions occurring in the SAM ovens between organic molecules and oxychlorines contained in the sample. The results we obtained show that meteoritic organics and tested chemical species (a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, an amino acid, and a carboxylic acid) were plausible organic precursors of the chlorinated aromatic molecules detected with SAM, thus suggesting that they could be among the organic molecules present in the mudstone. Results from this study coupled with previously reported detections of chlorinated aromatics (<300 ppbw) indigenous to the same mudstone highlight that organics can be preserved from the harsh surface conditions even at shallow depth. The detection of new chlorohydrocarbons with SAM confirms that organic molecules should have been available in an environment favorable to life forms, strengthening the habitability aspect of Gale crater.

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“…Sulfurous and saline waters are proposed to have existed on the surface of Mars during the Noachian-Hesperian transition (4.1-3.0 Gya) [1][2][3][4][5][6] , whereby in the Noachian period, liquid water formed widespread surface features, such as stream beds and sedimentary deposits, and led to the depositions of clay minerals 4 . Many locations on Mars feature rock formations rich in sulfur species, with sulfate and sulfide minerals detected by lander missions [7][8][9][10][11] and within martian meteorites [12][13][14][15][16] . At the end of the Noachian and into the beginning of the Hesperian, the presence of water declined and saline-rich brines formed, as evidenced by the jarosite at Gale crater 17 .…”

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confidence: 99%

The identification of sulfide oxidation as a potential metabolism driving primary production on late Noachian Mars

Macey

Fox-Powell

Ramkissoon

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

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The transition of the martian climate from the wet Noachian era to the dry Hesperian (4.1-3.0 Gya) likely resulted in saline surface waters that were rich in sulfur species. Terrestrial analogue environments that possess a similar chemistry to these proposed waters can be used to develop an understanding of the diversity of microorganisms that could have persisted on Mars under such conditions. Here, we report on the chemistry and microbial community of the highly reducing sediment of Colour Peak springs, a sulfidic and saline spring system located within the Canadian High Arctic. DNA and cDNA 16S rRNA gene profiling demonstrated that the microbial community was dominated by sulfur oxidising bacteria, suggesting that primary production in the sediment was driven by chemolithoautotrophic sulfur oxidation. It is possible that the sulfur oxidising bacteria also supported the persistence of the additional taxa. Gibbs energy values calculated for the brines, based on the chemistry of Gale crater, suggested that the oxidation of reduced sulfur species was an energetically viable metabolism for life on early Mars.

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Large sulfur isotope fractionations in Martian sediments at Gale crater

Cited by 59 publications

References 67 publications

Y‐Mars: An Astrobiological Analogue of Martian Mudstone

Y‐Mars: An Astrobiological Analogue of Martian Mudstone

First Detections of Dichlorobenzene Isomers and Trichloromethylpropane from Organic Matter Indigenous to Mars Mudstone in Gale Crater, Mars: Results from the Sample Analysis at Mars Instrument Onboard the Curiosity Rover

The identification of sulfide oxidation as a potential metabolism driving primary production on late Noachian Mars

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