Evidence for indigenous nitrogen in sedimentary and aeolian deposits from the <i>Curiosity</i> rover investigations at Gale crater, Mars
J. C. Stern(Goddard Space Flight Center), B. Sutter(National Aeronautics and Space Administration), Caroline Freissinet(Goddard Space Flight Center), R. Navarro‐González(Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México), Christopher P. McKay(Ames Research Center), P. D. Archer(National Aeronautics and Space Administration), A. Buch(École Centrale Paris), Anna Brunner(Goddard Space Flight Center), Patrice Coll(Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique), J. L. Eigenbrode(Goddard Space Flight Center), Alberto González Fairén(Cornell University), H. B. Franz(Goddard Space Flight Center), D. P. Glavin(Goddard Space Flight Center), Srishti Kashyap(Goddard Space Flight Center), A. C. McAdam(Goddard Space Flight Center), D. W. Ming(National Aeronautics and Space Administration), A. Steele(Carnegie Institution for Science), Cyril Szopa(Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique), J. J. Wray(Georgia Institute of Technology), Javier Martín‐Torres(Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas), María‐Paz Zorzano(Centro de Astrobiología), P. G. Conrad(Goddard Space Flight Center), P. R. Mahaffy(Goddard Space Flight Center), the MSL Science Team, Osku Kemppinen, N. T. Bridges, J. R. Johnson, M. E. Minitti, David A. Cremers, James F. Bell, L. A. Edgar, Jack D. Farmer, Austin Godber, M. Wadhwa, Danika Wellington, Ian McEwan, Claire Newman(Jet Propulsion Laboratory), M. I. Richardson, Antoine Charpentier, Laurent Péret, P. L. King(Goddard Space Flight Center), Jennifer G. Blank, Gerald Weigle, M. E. Schmidt(Goddard Space Flight Center), Shuai Li, R. E. Milliken, Kevin M. Robertson, V. Z. Sun, Michael B. Baker(Ames Research Center), Christopher S. Edwards, Bethany Ehlmann, Kenneth A. Farley(Goddard Space Flight Center), J. Shechet, J. P. Grotzinger, Hayden Miller, Megan Newcombe, C. Pilorget(Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique), M. S. Rice, K. L. Siebach, Katie Stack, Edward M. Stolper, C. Brunet, V. Hipkin, Richard Léveillé, Geneviève Marchand, Pablo Sobrón Sánchez, Laurent Favot, George D. Cody(Carnegie Institution for Science), A. Steele(Carnegie Institution for Science), Lorenzo Flückiger, David Lees, Ara Nefian(Institute of Geology and Geophysics), Mildred Martin, Francès Westall, Guy Israël(Ames Research Center), Christophe Agard, Julien Baroukh(Ames Research Center), Christophe Donny, Philippe Guillemot, Vivian Lafaille, Éric Lorigny, Alexis Paillet, R. Pérez, M. Saccoccio, Charles Yana, Carlos Armiens‐Aparicio, Javier Caride Rodríguez, Isaías Carrasco Blázquez, Felipe Gómez(Institute of Geology and Geophysics), Javier Gómez‐Elvira, Sebastian Hettrich, Alain Lepinette Malvitte, Mercedes Marín Jiménez, Jesús Martínez‐Frías(Institute of Geology and Geophysics), Javier Martín-Soler(Institute of Geology and Geophysics), F. Javier Martín - Torres, Antonio Molina Jurado, Luis Mora‐Sotomayor(Goddard Space Flight Center), G. M. Muñoz, Sara Navarro López, Verónica Peinado-González, Jorge Pla‐García, J. A. Rodríguez‐Manfredi, Julio José Romeral-Planelló, Sara Alejandra Sans Fuentes, Eduardo Sebastian Martinez, Josefina Torres Redondo, Roser Urqui-O’Callaghan(Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas), María-Paz Zorzano Mier, S. J. Chipera, Jean-Luc Lacour, P. Mauchien, Jean‐Baptiste Sirven, H. L. K. Manning(Centro de Astrobiología), Alberto González Fairén(Cornell University), Alexander G. Hayes, J. Joseph, S. W. Squyres, R. Sullivan, P. C. Thomas, Audrey Dupont, Angela Lundberg, Noureddine Melikechi, Alissa Mezzacappa, Julia DeMarines, David Grinspoon, Günther Reitz, Benito Prats, Evgeny Atlaskin(Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas), Maria Genzer, Ari‐Matti Harri, Harri Haukka, Henrik Kahanpää, Janne Kauhanen, Osku Kemppinen(Jet Propulsion Laboratory), Mark Paton, Jouni Polkko, W. Schmidt, T. Siili, C. Fabre, J. J. Wray(Georgia Institute of Technology), Mary Beth Wilhelm, Franck Poitrasson, Kiran Patel, Stephen Gorevan, Stephen Indyk, G. Paulsen, Sanjeev Gupta, D. L. Bish, Jüergen Schieber, B. Gondet, Yves Langevin, Claude Geffroy, David Baratoux, Gilles Berger, Alain Cros, C. d’Uston, O. Forni, O. Gasnault, J. Lasue, Qiu-Mei Lee, S. Maurice, Pierre‐Yves Meslin, E. Pallier, Yann Parot, P. Pinet, Susanne Schröder, Michael J. Toplis, Éric Lewin(Goddard Space Flight Center), W. Brunner, Ezat Heydari, C. N. Achilles, Dorothy Z. Oehler(Johnson Space Center), Brad Sutter(National Aeronautics and Space Administration), M. Cabane, David Coscia, Guy Israël(Sorbonne Université), Cyril Szopa(Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique), Gilles Dromart, F. Robert, V. Sautter, Stéphane Le Mouëlic, N. Mangold, M. Nachon, A. Buch(École Centrale Paris), Fabien Stalport(Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique), Patrice Coll(Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique), Pascaline François, F. Raulin, Samuel Teinturier, James F. Cameron, S. M. Clegg, A. Cousin, D. Delapp, Robert Dingler, Ryan Steele Jackson, Stephen Johnstone, N. Lanza, Cynthia Little, Tony Nelson, R. C. Wiens, Richard B. Williams, Andrea Jones, L. E. Kirkland, A. H. Treiman, Burt Baker, B. A. Cantor, M. A. Caplinger, Scott Davis, Brian Duston, K. S. Edgett, Donald Fay, C. Hardgrove, D. E. Harker(Goddard Space Flight Center), Paul Herrera, Elsa Jensen, M. R. Kennedy, Gillian M. Krezoski(Goddard Space Flight Center), Daniel Krysak, Leslie Lipkaman, M. C. Malin, Elaina McCartney, Sean McNair, Brian Nixon, L. Posiolova, M. A. Ravine(Carnegie Institution for Science), Andrew Salamon, Lee Saper, Kevin Stoiber, Kimberley Supulver, Jason Van Beek, Tessa Van Beek, Robert Zimdar, Katherine L. French, Karl Iagnemma, Kristen Miller, Roger E. Summons, F. Goesmann, W. Goetz, S. F. Hviid, Micah Johnson, Matthew Lefavor, Eric Lyness, E. A. Breves, M. Darby Dyar, C. I. Fassett, D. F. Blake, T. F. Bristow, David J. DesMarais, Laurence Edwards, Robert Haberle, Tori M. Hoehler, Jeff Hollingsworth, M. A. Kahre, Leslie Keely(Ames Research Center), Christopher P. McKay(Ames Research Center), Mary Beth Wilhelm, L. V. Bleacher, W. B. Brinckerhoff, David S. Choi(Goddard Space Flight Center), P. G. Conrad(Goddard Space Flight Center), Jason P. Dworkin(Goddard Space Flight Center), J. L. Eigenbrode(Goddard Space Flight Center), Melissa Floyd(Goddard Space Flight Center), Caroline Freissinet(Goddard Space Flight Center), J. B. Garvin(Goddard Space Flight Center), D. P. Glavin(Goddard Space Flight Center), Daniel Harpold, Andrea Jones(Goddard Space Flight Center), P. R. Mahaffy(Goddard Space Flight Center), David K. Martin(Goddard Space Flight Center), A. C. McAdam(Goddard Space Flight Center), Alexander A. Pavlov, E. Raaen, M. D. Smith(Goddard Space Flight Center), J. C. Stern(Goddard Space Flight Center), Florence Tan, M. G. Trainer, Michael A. Meÿer, Arik Posner, Mary A. Voytek, Robert C. Anderson(Carnegie Institution for Science), A. D. Aubrey, L. W. Beegle(Centro de Astrobiología), A. Behar, D. L. Blaney, D. E. Brinza, F. J. Calef, L. E. Christensen, J. A. Crisp, Lauren DeFlores, Bethany Ehlmann, Jason Feldman, Gregory J. Flesch, Joel Hurowitz, I. Jun, Didier Keymeulen, J. N. Maki, M. A. Mischna, John Michael Morookian, T. J. Parker, Betina Pavri, Marcel Schoppers, Aaron Sengstacken, John J. Simmonds, N. Spanovich, Manuel de la Torre Juárez, A. R. Vasavada, Christopher R. Webster(Centro de Astrobiología), A. S. Yen(Johnson Space Center), P. D. Archer(National Aeronautics and Space Administration), Francis A. Cucinotta, J. H. Jones, D. W. Ming(National Aeronautics and Space Administration), R. V. Morris(Goddard Space Flight Center), P. B. Niles, E. B. Rampe, Thomas Nolan(Institute of Geology and Geophysics), M. R. Fisk, Leon J. Radziemski, B. L. Barraclough, Steve Bender(Goddard Space Flight Center), D. C. Berman, E. Noe Dobrea, R. L. Tokar, D. T. Vaniman, R. M. E. Williams, Aileen Yingst, K. W. Lewis, L. A. Leshin, T. Cleghorn, Wesley T. Huntress, G. Manhès, Judy Hudgins, Timothy M. Olson, Noel Stewart, P. Sarrazin, J. A. Grant, Edward P. Vicenzi, Sharon A. Wilson(Jet Propulsion Laboratory), M. A. Bullock, Bent Ehresmann, V. E. Hamilton, Donald M. Hassler, Joseph G. Peterson, Scot Rafkin, C. Zeitlin, F. Fedosov, D. V. Golovin, Natalya Karpushkina, Alexander Kozyrev, M. L. Litvak, A. Malakhov, И. Г. Митрофанов, Maxim Mokrousov, Sergey Nikiforov, В. А. Прохоров, А. Б. Санин, V. I. Tretyakov, A. Varenikov, Andrey Vostrukhin, R. N. Kuz’min, B. C. Clark, M. J. Wolff, S. M. McLennan, Oliver Botta, Darrell M. Drake, Keri Bean(Jet Propulsion Laboratory), M. T. Lemmon, S. P. Schwenzer, R. B. Anderson, K. E. Herkenhoff, Ella Mae Lee, R. Sucharski, Miguel Ángel de Pablo Hernández, J. J. Blanco, Miguel Ramos, Myung‐Hee Y. Kim, C. A. Malespin, Ianik Plante, Jan‐Peter Müller, R. Navarro‐González(Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México), R. C. Ewing, W. V. Boynton, Robert T. Downs, Mike Fitzgibbon, K. Harshman, Shaunna M. Morrison, W. E. Dietrich, Onno Kortmann, M. C. Palucis, D. Y. Sumner(Goddard Space Flight Center), Amy M. Williams, G. W. Lugmair, Michael Wilson, David T. Rubin, B. M. Jakosky, T. Balić-Žunić, J. Frydenvang, Jaqueline Kløvgaard Jensen, K. M. Kinch, Asmus Koefoed, M. B. Madsen, S. L. S. Stipp, Nick Boyd, John L. Campbell, R. Gellert, G. M. Perrett, Irina Pradler, S. J. VanBommel, Samantha Jacob, Tobias Owen, Scott K. Rowland, Evgeny Atlaskin, Hannu Savijärvi, E. Boehm, S. Böttcher, S. Burmeister, Jingnan Guo, Jan Köhler, César Martín García, R. Mueller‐Mellin, R. F. Wimmer‐Schweingruber, J. C. Bridges, Timothy McConnochie, M. Benna(Goddard Space Flight Center), H. B. Franz(Goddard Space Flight Center), Hannah Bower(Goddard Space Flight Center), Anna Brunner(Goddard Space Flight Center), Hannah Blau, Thomas Boucher, Marco Carmosino, S. K. Atreya, Harvey Elliott, Douglas Halleaux, N. O. Rennó, Michael L. Wong, Robert O. Pepin, Beverley Elliott, J. G. Spray, L. M. Thompson, S. Gordon, H. E. Newsom(Goddard Space Flight Center), A. Ollila, Joshua Williams, Paulo Vasconcelos(Goddard Space Flight Center), Jennifer Bentz, Kenneth H. Nealson, Radu Popa, Linda C. Kah, J. Moersch(Ames Research Center), Christopher Tate, Mackenzie Day, Gary Kocurek, B. Hallet, R. S. Sletten, Raymond Francis, Emily McCullough, E. A. Cloutis, I. L. ten Kate, R. N. Kuz’min, R. E. Arvidson, A. A. Fraeman(Goddard Space Flight Center), Daniel Scholes, S. Slavney, Thomas Stein(Goddard Space Flight Center), Jennifer Ward, Jeffrey Berger, John E. Moores, J. L. Mitchell, Laurent Jean-Rigaud, Rebekka E. H. Lee, M. P. C. Nikitczuk, Alicia Thomas, H. H. Kaplan(Goddard Space Flight Center), J. Buz, M. G. A. Lapôtre, A. Nastan, D. E. Anderson, David Said, Marie-France Larif, Valérie Mousset, J. Verdasca, Jaime Martín-Sauceda Martín, Ginés Moreno, Patricia Valentín-Serrano, Aurora Ullán-Nieto, Teresa Mendaza de Cal, Sherif Azeez(Centro de Astrobiología), Jun Ren, Alankrita Isha Mrigakshi, Birgit Ritter, Thomas Berger(Goddard Space Flight Center), Daniel Matthiä(Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas), Maria Genzer, Teemu Mäkinen, S. Merikallio, Justin Spring, Y. Daydou, W. Rapin, Pierre Beck(Johnson Space Center), P. D. Archer(National Aeronautics and Space Administration), William Abbey, Jordana Blacksberg, K. A. Lichtenberg, S. M. Milkovich, Jeffrey F. Schroeder, Anthony Scodary, Kenneth H. Williford, Jean-Yves Bonnet, M. Millán, F. Thuillier, Mélissa Joulin, L. Le Deit, Tristan Dequaire, Keian R. Hardy, Hannah Pagel, Alex Parra, Michael L. Beach, Angela Magee, Marie McBride, Benjamin Kotrc, G. Berlanga, Marie V. Ozanne, Kate Lepore, Ricardo Arévalo, Shawn Domagal‐Goldman, Stephanie Getty(Goddard Space Flight Center), Heather V. Graham, Kevin Cropper, Denis Lisov, Ruslan Shterts, E. Dehouck, Michael Battalio, Emily Mason, Hannah L. McLain, R. Starr, R. L. Kirk, Álvaro de Vicente-Retortillo Rubalcaba, Scott D. Guzewich, Kim V. Fendrich, J. K. Appel, A. Kharytonov, H. Lohf, Tobias Orthen, P. Edwards(Tudor Place), Srishti Kashyap(Goddard Space Flight Center), V. Pinnick, Clifton Carey, Cauê S. Borlina, Roch Desrousseaux, Erik Fischer, Germán Martínez, R. H. Becker, Lu Liu, W. Stewart, E. I. Coman, V. K. Fox, Emily McCullough, Raymond Francis, Tristan G. Matthews, Casey A. Moore, Jacob L. Kloos
Cited by 221Open Access
Abstract
The Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) investigation on the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Curiosity rover has detected oxidized nitrogen-bearing compounds during pyrolysis of scooped aeolian sediments and drilled sedimentary deposits within Gale crater. Total N concentrations ranged from 20 to 250 nmol N per sample. After subtraction of known N sources in SAM, our results support the equivalent of 110-300 ppm of nitrate in the Rocknest (RN) aeolian samples, and 70-260 and 330-1,100 ppm nitrate in John Klein (JK) and Cumberland (CB) mudstone deposits, respectively. Discovery of indigenous martian nitrogen in Mars surface materials has important implications for habitability and, specifically, for the potential evolution of a nitrogen cycle at some point in martian history. The detection of nitrate in both wind-drifted fines (RN) and in mudstone (JK, CB) is likely a result of N2 fixation to nitrate generated by thermal shock from impact or volcanic plume lightning on ancient Mars. Fixed nitrogen could have facilitated the development of a primitive nitrogen cycle on the surface of ancient Mars, potentially providing a biochemically accessible source of nitrogen.
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