A Low Temperature Transfer of ALH84001 from Mars to Earth
Open accessAbstract
The ejection of material from Mars is thought to be caused by large impacts that would heat much of the ejecta to high temperatures. Images of the magnetic field of martian meteorite ALH84001 reveal a spatially heterogeneous pattern of magnetization associated with fractures and rock fragments. Heating the meteorite to 40°C reduces the intensity of some magnetic features, indicating that the interior of the rock has not been above this temperature since before its ejection from the surface of Mars. Because this temperature cannot sterilize most bacteria or eukarya, these data support the hypothesis that meteorites could transfer life between planets in the solar system.
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Any secondary heating event above 40-80 °C should have destroyed the magnetic properties of primary deposited magnetites and pyrrhotites in all globule types, unless the magnetite and pyrrhotite in the outer rim of type 2 globules and the magnetite within the matrix were formed in this event.
“Any secondary heating event above 40-80 °C (Weiss et al. 2000) should have destroyed the magnetic properties of primary deposited magnetites and pyrrhotites in all globule types, unless the magnetite and pyrrhotite in the outer rim of type 2 globules and the magnetite within the matrix were formed in this event.”
From Comprehensive imaging and Raman spectroscopy of carbonate globules from Martian meteorite ALH 84001 and a terrestrial analogue from Svalbard (2007) · cites this paper as Weiss et al. 2000
Evidence from remnant magnetism in the magnetite and pyrrhotite of the globules, combined with petrographic studies of plagioclase grains, indicates that this meteorite has not been exposed to a temperature above 40 °C or a change in bulk rock temperature of more than 120 °C.
“Evidence from remnant magnetism in the magnetite and pyrrhotite of the globules, combined with petrographic studies of plagioclase grains, however, indicates that this meteorite has not been exposed to a temperature above 40 °C or a change in bulk rock temperature of more than 120 °C (Fritz et al. 2005;Weiss et al. 2000;Weiss et al. 2002).”
From Comprehensive imaging and Raman spectroscopy of carbonate globules from Martian meteorite ALH 84001 and a terrestrial analogue from Svalbard (2007) · cites this paper as Weiss et al. 2000
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References 29 · Cited by 218
- Authors
- Weiss, B. P., Kirschvink, J. L., Baudenbacher, F. J., Vali, H., Peters, N. T., Macdonald, F. A., & Wikswo, J. P.
- Affiliations
- California Institute of Technology (US)
- Vanderbilt University (US)
- McGill University (CA)
- Corresponding author
- Weiss, Benjamin P.
- Venue
- Science
- Published
- 2000-10-27
- Volume
- 290
- Issue
- 5492
- Pages
- 791-795
- ISSN
- 0036-8075 (ISSN-L)
- 1095-9203
- OpenAlex
- W2123158419
- Cited by
- 218
- References
- 29
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 7 · 2020: 7 · 2019: 9 · 2018: 6 · 2017: 10 · 2016: 7 · 2015: 6 · 2014: 9 · 2013: 7 · 2012: 6
- FWCI
- 10.09
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- nrs.harvard.edu
- Licence
- cc-by
- Locations
- Science (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- CaltechAUTHORS (California Institute of Technology) (submittedVersion)
- Digital Access to Scholarship at Harvard (DASH) (Harvard University) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Astronomy and Astrophysics › Planetary Science and Exploration
- Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Astronomy and Astrophysics › Astro and Planetary Science
- Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Astronomy and Astrophysics › Space Science and Extraterrestrial Life
- Keywords
- ALH84001, Martian meteorites, impact heating, magnetic field, magnetization, thermal history, bacterial survival, panspermia
- MeSH terms
- Crystallization, Magnetics, Temperature, Mars, Exobiology, Meteoroids
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