Abundances and implications of volatile‐bearing species from evolved gas analysis of the Rocknest aeolian deposit, Gale Crater, Mars

Archer, P. D.; Franz, H. B.; Sutter, B.; Arévalo, Ricardo; Coll, Patrice; Eigenbrode, J. L.; Glavin, Daniel P.; Jones, J.; Leshin, L. A.; Mahaffy, P. R.; McAdam, A. C.; McKay, Christopher P.; Ming, D. W.; Morris, R. V.; Navarro‐González, R.; Niles, P. B.; Павлов, А. А.; Squyres, S. W.; Stern, J. C.; Steele, A.; Wray, J. J.

doi:10.1002/2013je004493

Cited by 90 publications

(106 citation statements)

References 64 publications

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“…Assigning a martian source to any nitrogen measured by Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) in samples from Gale crater (19,20) requires rigorous analysis of N contributions from all possible sources, including terrestrial contamination from the SAM instrument itself, which we have done for this work. Here, we will (i) describe and quantify N species in scooped samples from an aeolian deposit and sedimentary materials from two drill sites in the Sheepbed mudstone as detected by SAM evolved gas analysis (EGA) and GCMS, (ii) evaluate and quantify the contributions of terrestrial N, and (iii) discuss possible N sources and implications of detection of martian N in Gale crater solid samples.…”

Section: Significancementioning

confidence: 99%

Evidence for indigenous nitrogen in sedimentary and aeolian deposits from the Curiosity rover investigations at Gale crater, Mars

Stern

Sutter

Freissinet

et al. 2015

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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The Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) investigation on the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Curiosity rover has detected oxidized nitrogen-bearing compounds during pyrolysis of scooped aeolian sediments and drilled sedimentary deposits within Gale crater. Total N concentrations ranged from 20 to 250 nmol N per sample. After subtraction of known N sources in SAM, our results support the equivalent of 110–300 ppm of nitrate in the Rocknest (RN) aeolian samples, and 70–260 and 330–1,100 ppm nitrate in John Klein (JK) and Cumberland (CB) mudstone deposits, respectively. Discovery of indigenous martian nitrogen in Mars surface materials has important implications for habitability and, specifically, for the potential evolution of a nitrogen cycle at some point in martian history. The detection of nitrate in both wind-drifted fines (RN) and in mudstone (JK, CB) is likely a result of N2 fixation to nitrate generated by thermal shock from impact or volcanic plume lightning on ancient Mars. Fixed nitrogen could have facilitated the development of a primitive nitrogen cycle on the surface of ancient Mars, potentially providing a biochemically accessible source of nitrogen.

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Section: Significancementioning

confidence: 99%

Evidence for indigenous nitrogen in sedimentary and aeolian deposits from the Curiosity rover investigations at Gale crater, Mars

Stern

Sutter

Freissinet

et al. 2015

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

Self Cite

193

171

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“…Perchlorate brines, although not mentioned by Kreslavsky and Head (2009), may play the same role even better; perchlorites have been recently found in the surface layer of Mars (Hecht et al, 2009;Kounaves et al, 2010, 2014, Archer et al, 2014. This "wet" mechanism of the streak formation process operates in a thin (centimeters to decimeters) surface layer and is independent of bedrock geology.…”

Section: Mechanisms Of Formationmentioning

confidence: 90%

Topographic measurements of slope streaks on Mars

Brusnikin

Kreslavsky

Zubarev

et al. 2016

Icarus

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“…In the reducing conditions of the outer Solar System N is present as ammonia which is also biologically usable. The biological availability of nitrogen in an important factor in the assignment of habitability for Mars (49,50).…”

Section: Strategy For Exoplanetsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Requirements and limits for life in the context of exoplanets

McKay

2014

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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133

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The requirements for life on Earth, its elemental composition, and its environmental limits provide a way to assess the habitability of exoplanets. Temperature is key both because of its influence on liquid water and because it can be directly estimated from orbital and climate models of exoplanetary systems. Life can grow and reproduce at temperatures as low as −15°C, and as high as 122°C. Studies of life in extreme deserts show that on a dry world, even a small amount of rain, fog, snow, and even atmospheric humidity can be adequate for photosynthetic production producing a small but detectable microbial community. Life is able to use light at levels less than 10 −5 of the solar flux at Earth. UV or ionizing radiation can be tolerated by many microorganisms at very high levels and is unlikely to be life limiting on an exoplanet. Biologically available nitrogen may limit habitability. Levels of O 2 over a few percent on an exoplanet would be consistent with the presence of multicellular organisms and high levels of O 2 on Earth-like worlds indicate oxygenic photosynthesis. Other factors such as pH and salinity are likely to vary and not limit life over an entire planet or moon.extremophiles | Mars | astrobiology T he list of exoplanets is increasing rapidly with a diversity of masses, orbital distances, and star types. The long list motivates us to consider which of these worlds could support life and what type of life could live there. The only approach to answering these questions is based on observations of life on Earth. Compared with astronomical targets, life on Earth is easily studied and our knowledge of it is extensive--but it is not complete. The most important area in which we lack knowledge about life on Earth is its origin. We have no consensus theory for the origin of life nor do we know the timing or location (1). What we do know about life on Earth is what it is made of, and we know its ecological requirements and limits. Thus, it is not surprising that most of the discussions related to life on exoplanets focus on the requirements for life rather than its origin. In this paper we follow this same approach but later return briefly to the question of the origin of life. Limits to LifeThere are two somewhat different approaches to the question of the limits of life. The first approach is to determine the requirements for life. The second approach is to determine the extreme environments in which adapted organisms-often referred to as extremophiles-can survive. Both perspectives are relevant to the question of life on exoplanets.It is useful to categorize the requirements for life on Earth as four items: energy, carbon, liquid water, and various other elements. These are listed in Table 1 along with the occurrence of these factors in the Solar System (2). In our Solar System it is the occurrence of liquid water that appears to limit the occurrence of habitable environments and this appears to be the case for exoplanetary systems as well.From basic thermodynamic considerations it is clear that life ...

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Abundances and implications of volatile‐bearing species from evolved gas analysis of the Rocknest aeolian deposit, Gale Crater, Mars

Cited by 90 publications

References 64 publications

Evidence for indigenous nitrogen in sedimentary and aeolian deposits from the Curiosity rover investigations at Gale crater, Mars

Evidence for indigenous nitrogen in sedimentary and aeolian deposits from the Curiosity rover investigations at Gale crater, Mars

Topographic measurements of slope streaks on Mars

Requirements and limits for life in the context of exoplanets

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