Constraining the preservation of organic compounds in Mars analog nontronites after exposure to acid and alkaline fluids.

ABSTRACT: The presence of organic matter in lacustrine mudstone sediments at Gale crater was revealed by the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover, which also identified smectite clay minerals. Analogue experiments on phyllosilicates formed under low temperature aqueous conditons have illustrated that these are excellent reservoirs to host organic compounds against the harsh surface conditions of Mars. Here, we evaluate whether the capacity of smectites to preserve organic compounds can be influenced by a short exposure to different diagenetic fluids. We analyzed the stability of glycine embedded within nontronite samples previously exposed to either acidic or alkaline fluids (hereafter referred to as "treated nontronites") under Mars-like surface conditions. Analyses performed using multiple tech

SUBMITTER: Gil-Lozano C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7492362 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature