Publication Date:
2019-07-13
Description:
Nitrate was recently detected in Gale Crater sediments on Mars at abundances up to approximately 600 mg/kg, confirming predictions of its presence at abundances consistent with models based on impact-generated nitrate and other sources of fixed nitrogen. Terrestrial Mars analogs, Mars meteorites, and other solar system materials help establish a context for interpreting in situ nitrate measurements on Mars, particularly in relation to other cooccuring salts. We compare the relative abundance of nitrates to oxychlorine (chlorate and/or perchlorate, hereafter (per)chlorate) salts on Mars and Earth. The nitrate/(per)chlorate ratio on Mars is greater than 1, significantly lower than on Earth (nitrate/(per)chlorate greater than 10(exp.3)), suggesting not only the absence of biological activity but also different (per)chlorate formation mechanisms on Mars than on Earth.
Keywords:
Inorganic, Organic and Physical Chemistry; Instrumentation and Photography; Lunar and Planetary Science and Exploration
Type:
GSFC-E-DAA-TN45627
,
Geophysical Research Letters (ISSN 0094-8276) (e-ISSN 1944-8007); 44; 6; 2643-2651
Format:
application/pdf
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