The case for vestiges of early solar system biota in carbonaceous chondrites: petroleum geochemical snapshots and possible future petroleum prospects on Mars expedition

Abstract

This research documents the analysis and interpretation of selected Carbonaceous Chondrites (CC) including Murchison, Allende, NWA 3003, Dhofar 735, Orgueil, Tagish Lake and Vigarano using organic petrology, scanning electron microscopy, and petroleum geochemistry. The kerogen microstructures and bitumen within CCs closely resemble remnant 2.5 Ga terrestrial microbial-like structures and their biodegraded components and solid bitumen. In both instances, organoclasts are associated with framboidal iron sulfides or oxides and clay-like minerals. The organic-rich kerogens within three CCs (especially Murchison) might have served as petroleum source rocks for the early generation of hydrocarbons. The maturity varies between 0.7% (Orgueil) and 1.24% (Murchison), to 5.1 % Ro (Vigarano) with predicted maturation temperatures of 100 o to 475 o C. Geochemical analysis of selected CCs (Murchison, Orgueil, and Tagish Lake) reveal the organic richness and the presence of low molecular weight n-alkanes (C 10 to C 20 ), complex cyclo-and isoalkanes, nonhydrocarbons, elemental sulfur with abundant aromatic compounds, most of them similar to bacterial and algal derived petroleum products. Apart from the concept of panspermia, the data highlights that three CCs sustained a formation temperature (<200 o C) capable of supporting bacterial growth in a cooler early Solar System environment. In effect, the information encoded within these extraterrestrial sediments represents a cosmic analogue to terrestrial geopolymers and bitumen that may include some crude oil biomarkers. Therefore, the authors propose a model of a "universal unconventional petroleum system", which implies a prospect of oil and gas within the Martian environment and elsewhere within the Solar System.

A universal, unconventional petroleum system exists throughout our solar system

“…12 In summary, we have described what we call a biologically derived, universal, unconventional petroleum system. 6 On the basis of our findings, we believe there to be the prospect of oil and gas throughout the solar system, including on Mars and various moons of Saturn. Should this hypothesis bear out, hydrocarbons recovered from Earth's sister planets and their moons could potentially contribute toward the food and energy needs of humans colonizing extraterrestrial environments.…”

“…Algal-like and lignin (an organic polymer)-rich polyaromatic macromolecular organoclasts have also been detected, especially in Murchison and Dofar. 6 On the basis of our analysis, we propose that these hydrocarbons (oil and solid bitumen) originated through biological processes similar to those at work in terrestrial organic-rich sedimentary rocks. Confirming the work of earlier researchers, in the CCs we studied, the hydrocarbons appear to be derived from nanobacteria and/or primitive algal remains (based on SEM-EDS, visual kerogen analysis using fluorescence, and white-incident-light microscopy).…”

“…The results are particularly important from an environmental perspective insofar as they indicate the existence of two temperature-influenced categories of organic compounds important in the evolution of CCs. 6 First, low temperature-a projected maximum of < 200 • Cacted on organic remains to form oil, gas, and some asphaltene (e.g., Murchison, Orgueil, and Tagish Lake). Geochemically these CCs are remarkably close to oil-prone kerogen type II and II-III source rocks that usually occur close to major oil and gas fields within the terrestrial environment.…”

“…Specifically, we geochemically analyzed selected CCs (ALH 840001, Allende, Dofar 735, EET, Murchison, NWA 3003, Orgueil, Tagish Lake, and Vigarano) to determine the dominant organic components within these extraterrestrial rocks. 6 Our analyses are primarily based on organic petrology, scanning-electron-microscopy Continued on next page energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), and pyrolysis/gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) techniques. We discovered that the Murchison, Orgueil, and Tagish Lake CCs are rich in organic compounds (mostly >1.5% total organic carbon), containing abundant semisolid and solid bitumen with variable proportions of microbial-like remnants and their biodegraded macerals associated with framboidal iron oxides and sulfides, and claylike minerals (see Figures 1-5).…”

Estudo Da Matéria Orgânica Insolúvel No Meteorito Carbonáceo Aguas Zarcas

“…As figuras 4 A -D apresentam partículas morfograficamente similares às registradas na publicação dos pesquisadores liderados por Mukhopadhyay (2007). No estudo referente à matriz do meteorito carbonáceo Orgueil, os cientistas apontam indícios de similaridade entre as estruturas captadas e um grupo de macerais do tipo fusinita (grupo inertinita).…”