LINXS helps in search for past water on Mars
Nakhlite meteorites are igneous rocks from Mars and can provide vital information about the possibilities of past life on the red planet some 1,3 billion years ago. LINXS researchers were part of an international research team that explored the three-dimensional (3D) distribution of hydrous phases in a sample called Miller Range 03346, using neutron and x-ray tomography. Their study has just been published in Science Advances.
In an article at Space.com, Josefin Martell, PhD in Geology at Lund University shares the research methods and findings of the study where the non-invasive scanning methods were used to estimate how much liquid water had altered the rock´s minerals. This could provide evidence to if Mars once had hydrothermal environments capable of supporting life:
"I think it's really exciting that we can study meteorites without having to cut them open," Martell said. "We scanned our samples using X-rays and neutrons, and basically got a 3D image showing what our sample looked like on the inside."
Neutron tomography is a specifically useful tool for studying if a mineral contains hydrogen (H). In the 3D study the researchers could locate where hydrogen was encapsulated in the meteorite. Finding hydrogen is of key interest since H2O is a prerequisite for life forms, familiar to us on Earth. Hydrothermal systems on our planet are known to provide such microhabitats and indications of their existence, even in past times, are exciting findings.
For the martian sample studied by Martell et al., the identified hydrogen-rich minerals were not determined to be from a hydrothermal source, rather more likely from ice buried within the rock as it was rocketed away from Mars. Although, Martell underlined that the sudy was limited to this sample and there may well be other places where conditions were suitable for sustaining life.
Martell also highlighted that neutron and x-ray methods used provide an exciting perspective towards analysing samples from Perseverance, which is right now drilling for samples on Mars to be brought back in 2030.
The x-ray and neutron measurements were performed by previous LINXS director Stephen Hall using the NeXT instrument at the Institute Laue Langevin in Grenoble, France, and at the 4D Imaging Lab at Lund University. Such measurements generate large amounts of data and Martell took up the challenge to bring together and analyse the x-ray and neutron data, along with additional measurements, to reveal new details on the past presence of water on Mars. Martell received important help at a LINXS 3D image analysis hackathon organised within the Imaging theme.
Read more in the article at Space.com:
Scientists peer inside a Mars meteorite to check for signs of a habitable world | Space
Read more in the paper, published in Science Advances:
The scale of a martian hydrothermal system explored using combined neutron and x-ray tomography (science.org)
Read more in an article at Lund University website:
Ny studie indikerar begränsad vattencirkulation sent i Mars historia | Lunds universitet