Water on Mars: Clues from Deuterium/Hydrogen and Water Contents of Hydrous Phases in SNC Meteorites.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 17774694.
- No licence information is recorded for this record.
- Because redistribution is not established, this page shows the abstract only. Follow the links below for the full text.
Abstract
Ion microprobe studies of hydrous amphibole, biotite, and apatite in shergottite-nakhlite-chassignite (SNC) meteorites, probable igneous rocks from Mars, indicate high deuterium/hydrogen (D/H) ratios relative to terrestrial values. The amphiboles contain roughly one-tentn as much water as expected, suggesting that SNC magmas were less hydrous than previously proposed. The high but variable D/H values of these minerals are best explained by postcrystallization D enrichment of initially D-poor phases by martian crustal fluids with near atmospheric D/H (about five times the terrestrial value). These igneous phases do not directly reflect the D/H ratios of martian "magmatic" water but provide evidence for a D-enriched martian crustal water reservoir.