Probing the Martian atmosphere and hydrosphere using micro and nanoscale analyses
EMSL Project ID
50780
Abstract
The aim of this study is to fully characterize the micro- and nano-structural shock effects in Martian phosphate and sulfide minerals using cutting-edge EMSL instrumentation including: Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Atom Probe Tomography (APT), and Nano Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (NanoSIMS). Detailed analyses of these minerals has yielded important information on bio-essential phosphorous availability and water on Mars (using D/H ratios and water concentrations in phosphate minerals), as well as the evolution of the Martian atmosphere and possible biogenic record (using sulfur isotope signatures in sulfide minerals). However, these analyses are further complicated due to the fact that the only physical samples we currently have of the Martian surface are meteorites. These meteorites undergo intense shock deformation during ejection from the Martian surface before landing on Earth, causing extensive mineral transformations and chemical reactions including the implantation of Martian atmosphere. The effects of shock metamorphism are so extensive that isotopic heterogeneities are often induced at the nano-scale, complicating efforts to accurately characterize Martian materials with conventional techniques. Resolving these nano-scale heterogeneities is especially important when interpreting analyses of Martian phosphates and sulfide minerals, both of which are extremely susceptible to shock metamorphism. This project will combine EMSL's unique capabilities with our team's geological expertise to provide new insights into the source and abundance of water on Mars (using correlative APT and high resolution TEM to analyze phosphate minerals), possible information on a new reservoir to measure Martian soil and better constrain surface processes (using correlative APT and scanning TEM to analyze shock-generated sulfide minerals), and identify possible evidence of past life and habitable climates on Mars (using sulfur isotope ratios within the sulfide minerals of an ancient Martian meteorite).
Project Details
Project type
Large-Scale EMSL Research
Start Date
2019-10-01
End Date
2022-04-19
Status
Closed
Released Data Link
Team
Principal Investigator
Team Members
Related Publications
A. Černok, Tait, K.Anand, M., Nicklin, I.R., White, L., Kizovski, T., Zhao, X. and Franchi, I.A. (2020): A water-rich proto-planet inferred by tridymite and pyroxene in the oldest in igneous achondrite Northwest Africa 11119. 51st Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, the Woodlands Texas abstract #1900.
Kizovski T.V., M.M. Izawa, K. Tait-Sena, D. Moser, J.M. Day, B.C. Hyde, and L.F. White, et al. 2020. "Petrogenesis, alteration, and shock history of intermediate shergottite Northwest Africa 7042: Evidence for hydrous magmatism on Mars?." Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 283. PNNL-SA-152794. doi:10.1016/j.gca.2020.05.030doi:10.1016/j.gca.2020.05.030