The nakhlite alteration and habitability - mobility and quantification of essential elements

Schwenzer, S. P. and Bridges, J. C. (2013). The nakhlite alteration and habitability - mobility and quantification of essential elements. In: European Planetary Science Congress (EPSC) 2013, 8-13 Sep 2013, London, UK.

URL: http://www.epsc2013.eu/

Abstract

The nakhlite Martian meteorites contain alteration mineral assemblages, which reveal detailed information about their formation conditions; Thermochemical modeling allows the assessment of factors not observable in the rocks, such as temperature and fluid chemistry at the time of mineral formation. Combining observation and thermochemical modeling leads to the conclusion that ~4 g CO₂ are sequestered per 10 g of altered Lafayette in the presence of 1 kg of water. 27 x 10^-9 g of P and 0.06 g of S are available in the fluid after mineral precipitation. Other cations important for habitability, e.g., Na, K, Ca, and Mg, are present in solution.