A simple inorganic process for formation of carbonates, magnetite, and sulfides in Martian meteorite ALH84001
Abstract
We show experimental evidence that the zoned Mg-Fe-Ca carbonates, magnetite, and Fe sulfides in Martian meteorite ALH84001 may have formed by simple, inorganic processes. Chemically zoned carbonate globules and Fe sulfides were rapidly precipitated under low-temperature (150 °C), hydrothermal, and non-equilibrium conditions from multiple fluxes of Ca-Mg-Fe-CO 2 -S-H 2 O solutions that have different compositions. Chemically pure, single-domain, defect-free magnetite crystals were formed by subsequent decomposition of previously precipitated Fe-rich carbonates by brief heating to 470 °C. The sequence of hydrothermal precipitation of carbonates from flowing CO 2 -rich waters followed by a transient thermal event provides an inorganic explanation for the formation of the carbonate globules, magnetite, and Fe sulfides in ALH84001. In separate experiments, kinetically controlled 13 C enrichment was observed in synthetic carbonates that is similar in magnitude to the 13 C enrichment in ALH84001 carbonates.
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Presence of sulfate does not inhibit low-temperature dolomite precipitation
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“Shortly after that historic announcement (http://www2.jpl.nasa.gov/snc/ clinton.html), the findings were disputed by a number of studies that showed abiotic production of similar small, highly ordered magnetite crystals (Golden et al., 2001, 2004).”
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“However, previous inorganic experiments result in the precipitation of spherical morphology (Malone et al. 1996; Golden et al., 2001), which implies that the morphology alone is not necessarily indicative of a biological process.”
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- Authors
- Golden, D. C., Ming, D. W., Schwandt, C. S., Lauer, H. V., Socki, R. A., Morris, R. V., Lofgren, G. E., & McKay, G. A.
- Affiliations
- Johnson Space Center (US)
- Lockheed Martin (United States) (US)
- Corresponding author
- Ming, Douglas W.
- Venue
- American Mineralogist
- Publisher
- Mineralogical Society of America
- Published
- 2001-03
- Volume
- 86
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 370-375
- ISSN
- 0003-004X (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2231078352
- Cited by
- 187
- References
- 1
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 1 · 2019: 33 · 2018: 6 · 2017: 6 · 2016: 6 · 2015: 1 · 2014: 5 · 2013: 5 · 2012: 6
- FWCI
- 7.95
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- American Mineralogist (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- 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 › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Geophysics › Geological and Geochemical Analysis
- Keywords
- ALH84001, Martian meteorites, carbonate globules, magnetite, iron sulfide, hydrothermal precipitation
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