Record of low-temperature aqueous alteration of Martian zircon during the late Amazonian.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Guitreau M
PROVIDER: S-EPMC6559952 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:Discordant U-Pb data of zircon are commonly attributed to Pb loss from domains with variable degree of radiation damage that resulted from α-decay of U and Th, which often complicates the correct age interpretation of the sample. Here we present U-Pb zircon data from 23 samples of ca. 1.7-1.9 Ga granitoid rocks in and around the Siljan impact structure in central Sweden. Our results show that zircon from rocks within the structure that form an uplifted central plateau lost significantly less radiogenic Pb compared to zircon grains in rocks outside the plateau. We hypothesize that zircon in rocks within the central plateau remained crystalline through continuous annealing of crystal structure damages induced from decay of U and Th until uplifted to the surface by the impact event ca. 380 Ma ago. In contrast, zircon grains distal to the impact have accumulated radiation damage at shallow and cool conditions since at least 1.26 Ga, making them vulnerable to fluid-induced Pb-loss. Our data are consistent with studies on alpha recoil and fission tracks, showing that annealing in zircon occurs at temperatures as low as 200-250 °C. Zircon grains from these samples are texturally simple, i.e., neither xenocrysts nor metamorphic overgrowths have been observed. Therefore, the lower intercepts obtained from regression of variably discordant zircon data are more likely recording the age of fluid-assisted Pb-loss from radiation-damaged zircon at shallow levels rather than linked to regional magmatic or tectonic events.
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Project description:The presence of hydrated minerals in chondrites indicates that water played an important role in the geologic evolution of the early Solar System; however, the process of aqueous alteration is still poorly understood. Renazzo-like carbonaceous (CR) chondrites are particularly well-suited for the study of aqueous alteration. Samples range from being nearly anhydrous to fully altered, essentially representing snapshots of the alteration process through time. We studied oxygen isotopes in secondary-minerals from six CR chondrites of varying hydration states to determine how aqueous fluid conditions (including composition and temperature) evolved on the parent body. Secondary minerals analyzed included calcite, dolomite, and magnetite. The O-isotope composition of calcites ranged from δ18O ≈ 9 to 35 ‰, dolomites from δ18O ≈ 23 to 27 ‰, and magnetites from δ18O ≈ -18 to 5 ‰. Calcite in less-altered samples showed more evidence of fluid evolution compared to heavily altered samples, likely reflecting lower water/rock ratios. Most magnetite plotted on a single trend, with the exception of grains from the extensively hydrated chondrite MIL 090292. The MIL 090292 magnetite diverges from this trend, possibly indicating an anomalous origin for the meteorite. If magnetite and calcite formed in equilibrium, then the relative 18O fractionation between them can be used to extract the temperature of co-precipitation. Isotopic fractionation in Al Rais carbonate-magnetite assemblages revealed low precipitation temperatures (~60°C). Assuming that the CR parent body experienced closed-system alteration, a similar exercise for parallel calcite and magnetite O-isotope arrays yields "global" alteration temperatures of ~55 to 88 °C. These secondary mineral arrays indicate that the O-isotopic composition of the altering fluid evolved upon progressive alteration, beginning near the Al Rais water composition of Δ17O ~ 1 ‰ and δ18O ~ 10 ‰, and becoming increasingly 16O-enriched toward a final fluid composition of Δ17O ~ -1.2 ‰ and δ18O ~ -15 ‰.
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Project description:Results from previous experiments indicated that the Gram-negative a-proteobacterium Serratia liquefaciens strain ATCC 27592 was capable of growth under low temperature (0°C), low pressure (0.7 kPa), and anoxic, CO2-dominated atmosphere--conditions intended to simulate the near-subsurface environment of Mars (Schuerger A.C. et al., Astrobiology 13: 115-131, 2013). To probe the response of its transcriptome to this extreme environment, S. liquefaciens ATCC 27592 was cultivated under 4 different environmental simulations: 0°C, 0.7 kPa, CO2 atmosphere (Condition A); 0°C, ~101.3 kPa, CO2 atmosphere (Condition B); 0°C, ~101.3 kPa, ambient N2/O2 atmosphere (Condition C); and 30°C, ~101.3 kPa, N2/O2 atmosphere (Condition D; ambient laboratory conditions). RNA-seq was performed on ribosomal RNA-depleted total RNA isolated from triplicate cultures grown under Conditions A-D and the datasets generated were subjected to transcriptome analyses. The data from Conditions A, B, or C were compared to laboratory Condition D. Significantly differentially expressed transcripts were identified belonging to a number of KEGG pathway categories. Up-regulated genes under all Conditions A, B, and C included those encoding transporters (ABC and PTS transporters); genes involved in translation (ribosomes and their biogenesis, biosynthesis of both tRNAs and aminoacyl-tRNAs); DNA repair and recombination; and non-coding RNAs. Genes down-regulated under all Conditions A, B, and C included: transporters (mostly ABC transporters); flagellar and motility proteins; genes involved in phenylalanine metabolism; transcription factors; and two-component systems. The results are discussed in the context of Mars astrobiology and planetary protection.
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