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Carl Alwmark

Carl Alwmark

Senior lecturer

Carl Alwmark

The scale of a martian hydrothermal system explored using combined neutron and x-ray tomography

Author

  • Josefin Martell
  • Carl Alwmark
  • Luke Daly
  • Stephen Hall
  • Sanna Alwmark
  • Robin Woracek
  • Johan Hektor
  • Lukas Helfen
  • Alessandro Tengattini
  • Martin Lee

Summary, in English

Nakhlite meteorites are igneous rocks from Mars that were aqueously altered ~630 million years ago. Hydrothermal systems on Earth are known to provide microhabitats; knowledge of the extent and duration of these systems is crucial to establish whether they could sustain life elsewhere in the Solar System. Here, we explore the three-dimensional distribution of hydrous phases within the Miller Range 03346 nakhlite meteorite using nondestructive neutron and x-ray tomography to determine whether alteration is interconnected and pervasive. The results reveal discrete clusters of hydrous phases within and surrounding olivine grains, with limited interconnectivity between clusters. This implies that the fluid was localized and originated from the melting of local subsurface ice following an impact event. Consequently, the duration of the hydrous alteration was likely short, meaning that the martian crust sampled by the nakhlites could not have provided habitable environments that could harbor any life on Mars during the Amazonian.

Department/s

  • Lithosphere and Biosphere Science
  • LINXS - Institute of advanced Neutron and X-ray Science
  • Solid Mechanics
  • LUNARC, Centre for Scientific and Technical Computing at Lund University

Publishing year

2022-05-11

Language

English

Publication/Series

Science Advances

Volume

8

Issue

19

Document type

Journal article

Publisher

American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)

Topic

  • Geology
  • Geosciences, Multidisciplinary

Keywords

  • Neutron tomography
  • Martian meteorites
  • Impact cratering
  • planetary science
  • Planetary geology
  • Meteorite
  • x-ray imaging
  • image analysis
  • 3D Visualisation

Status

Published

Project

  • Leave no trace: A non-destructive correlative approach providing new insights into impactites and meteorites

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 2375-2548