Ammoniated phyllosilicates with a likely outer Solar System origin on (1) Ceres

Sanctis, M. C. De; Ammannito, E.; Raponi, A.; Marchi, S.; McCord, T. B.; McSween, H. Y.; Capaccioni, F.; Capria, M. T.; Carrozzo, F. G.; Ciarniello, M.; Longobardo, A.; Tosi, F.; Fonte, S.; Formisano, M.; Frigeri, Alessandro; Giardino, Marco; Magni, G.; Palomba, E.; Turrini, D.; Zambon, F.; Combe, J.-P.; Feldman, W. C.; Jaumann, R.; McFadden, L. A.; Pieters, C. M.; Prettyman, T. H.; Toplis, Michael J.; Raymond, C. A.; Russell, C. T.

doi:10.1038/nature16172

Cited by 298 publications

(354 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…The surface of Ceres is known to harbor ammoniated phyllosilicates (De Sanctis et al, 2015; and the sub-surface may harbor water ice (Prettyman et al, 2016;Schmidt et al, 2016). We hypothesize that the ejecta of a fresh crater like Haulani were initially a liquid water/phyllosilicate mixture, perhaps as a consequence of impact melting of subsurface water ice, that turned blue after desiccation.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We therefore propose the following scenario to explain the blue color of fresh craters on Ceres. During a major impact, water ice from below the surface is mixed with silicates that are widespread on the surface, among which are phyllosilicates that result from extensive internal processes (De Sanctis et al, 2015;. While the impact ejecta are initially rich in water ice, rapid sublimation leads to the formation of a foam-like residue.…”

Section: The Nature Of Blue Materialsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Ammoniated phyllosilicates are widespread (De Sanctis et al, 2015;, and sub-surface water ice appears to be abundant (Prettyman et al, 2016;Schmidt et al, 2016). In a laboratory experiment, Poch et al (2016) mixed water ice and a smectite phyllosilicate (montmorillonite) into particles ("intra-mixture").…”

Section: The Nature Of Blue Materialsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The observations by the onboard framing camera (FC) and visible and infrared spectrometer (VIR) reveal a dark world with little color variation and several enigmatic bright areas in the Occator crater (De Sanctis et al, 2015;Nathues et al, 2015). The surface shows evidence for aqueous alteration; ammoniated phyllosilicates are widespread .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Resolved spectrophotometric properties of the Ceres surface from Dawn Framing Camera images

Schröder

Mottola

Carsenty

et al. 2017

Icarus

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100

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We present a global spectrophotometric characterization of the Ceres surface using Dawn Framing Camera (FC) images. We identify the photometric model that yields the best results for photometrically correcting images. Corrected FC images acquired on approach to Ceres were assembled into global maps of albedo and color. Generally, albedo and color variations on Ceres are muted. The albedo map is dominated by a large, circular feature in Vendimia Planitia, known from HST images (Li et al., 2006), and dotted by smaller bright features mostly associated with fresh-looking craters. The dominant color variation over the surface is represented by the presence of "blue" material in and around such craters, which has a negative spectral slope over the visible wavelength range when compared to average terrain. We also mapped variations of the phase curve by employing an exponential photometric model, a technique previously applied to asteroid Vesta . The surface of Ceres scatters light differently from Vesta in the sense that the ejecta of several fresh-looking craters may be physically smooth rather than rough. High albedo, blue color, and physical smoothness all appear to be indicators of youth. The blue color may result from the desiccation of ejected material that is similar to the phyllosilicates/water ice mixtures in the experiments of Poch et al. (2016). The physical smoothness of some blue terrains would be consistent with an initially liquid condition, perhaps as a consequence of impact melting of subsurface water ice. We find red terrain (positive spectral slope) near Ernutet crater, where De Sanctis et al. (2017) detected organic material. The spectrophotometric properties of the large Vendimia Planitia feature suggest it is a palimpsest, consistent with the Marchi et al. (2016) impact basin hypothesis. The central bright area in Occator crater, Cerealia Facula, is the brightest on Ceres with an average visual normal albedo of about 0.6 at a resolution of 1.3 km per pixel (six times Ceres average). The albedo of fresh, bright material seen inside this area in the highest resolution images (35 m per pixel) is probably around unity. Cerealia Facula has an unusually steep phase function, which may be due to unresolved topography, high surface roughness, or large average particle size. It has a strongly red spectrum whereas the neighboring, less-bright, Vinalia Faculae are neutral in color. We find no evidence for a diurnal ground fog-type haze in Occator as described by Nathues et al. (2015). We can neither reproduce their findings using the same images, nor confirm them using higher resolution images. FC images have not yet offered direct evidence for present sublimation in Occator.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Nature Of Blue Materialsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Nature Of Blue Materialsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Resolved spectrophotometric properties of the Ceres surface from Dawn Framing Camera images

Schröder

Mottola

Carsenty

et al. 2017

Icarus

Self Cite

100

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“…75 It was hypothesized that clay minerals are present on comets, making them allegedly places for prebiotic synthesis and even for the origin of life (interstellar panspermia). 76 Clay minerals are characterized by very small particles or crystals that increase the active surface of the particles, and make clay mineral more efficient in processes of adsorption and exchanging ions.…”

Section: Heterogeneous Catalysismentioning

confidence: 99%

Catalysis in the Primordial World

Raos

Bermanec²

2017

Kem. Ind.

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Catalysis provides orderly prebiotic synthesis and eventually its evolution into autocatalytic (self-reproduction) systems. Research on homogeneous catalysis is concerned mostly with random peptide synthesis and the chances to produce catalytic peptide oligomers. Synthesis of ribose via formose reaction was found to be catalysed by B(OH) 4 − , presumably released by weathering of borate minerals. Oxide and clay mineral surfaces provide catalytic sites for the synthesis of oligopeptides and oligonucleotides. Chemoautotrophic or iron-sulphur-world theory assumes that the first (pioneer) organisms developed by catalytic processes on (Fe/Ni)S particles formed near/close hydrothermal vents. The review provides an overlay of possible catalytic reactions in prebiotic environment, discussing their selectivity (regioselectivity, stereoselectivity) as well as geological availability of catalytic minerals and geochemical conditions enabling catalytic reactions on early Earth.

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Constraints on an exosphere at Ceres from Hubble Space Telescope observations

Roth

Ivchenko

Retherford

et al. 2016

Geophysical Research Letters

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We report far ultraviolet observations of Ceres obtained with the Cosmic Origin Spectrograph (COS) of the Hubble Space Telescope in the search for atomic emissions from an exosphere. The derived brightnesses at the oxygen lines at 1304 Å and 1356 Å are consistent with zero signals within the 1σ propagated statistical uncertainties. The OI 1304 Å brightness of 0.12 ± 0.20 Rayleighs can be explained by solar resonant scattering from an atomic oxygen column density of (8.2 ± 13.4) × 1010 cm−2. Assuming that O is produced by photodissociation of H2O, we derive an upper limit for H2O abundance and compare it to previous observations. Our upper limit is well above the expected O brightness for a tenuous sublimated H2O exosphere, but it suggests that H2O production with a rate higher than 4 × 1026 molecules s−1 was not present at the time of the COS observation. Additionally, we derive an extremely low geometric albedo of ∼1% in the 1300 Å to 1400 Å range.

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Ammoniated phyllosilicates with a likely outer Solar System origin on (1) Ceres

Cited by 298 publications

References 38 publications

Resolved spectrophotometric properties of the Ceres surface from Dawn Framing Camera images

Resolved spectrophotometric properties of the Ceres surface from Dawn Framing Camera images

Catalysis in the Primordial World

Constraints on an exosphere at Ceres from Hubble Space Telescope observations

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