Isotopic evidence for a terrestrial source of organic compounds found in martian meteorites Allan Hills 84001 and Elephant Moraine 79001

Science

Volumn 279, Issue 5349, 1998, Pages 366-369

  Jull, A J T ^a   Courtney, C ^a   Jeffrey, D A ^a   Beck, J W ^a  

^a UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA   (United States)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

HYDROCARBON;

ALH84001 METEORITE; EETA79001; EETA79001 METEORITE; MARTIAN METEORITE; ORGANIC COMPOUND;

ANALYTIC METHOD; ARTICLE; COMBUSTION; METEOROLOGY; PRIORITY JOURNAL;

CARBON; CARBON DIOXIDE; CARBON ISOTOPES; CARBON RADIOISOTOPES; CARBONATES; HEAT; MARS; METEOROIDS; ORGANIC CHEMICALS; SILICATES;

EID: 0032536042     PISSN: 00368075     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1126/science.279.5349.366     Document Type: Article

References (40)

1. D. S. McKay et al., Science 273, 924 (1996).
2. H. Y. McSween, Meteoritics 29, 757 (1994).
3. E. Jagoutz, A. Sorowka, J. D. Vogel, H. Wänke, ibid., p. 478.
4. R. D. Ash, S. F. Knott, G. Turner, Nature 380, 57 (1996); D. H. Garrison and D. D. Bogard, Meteoritics Planet. Sci. 32, A45 (1997); G. Turner, S. F. Knott, R. D. Ash, J. D. Gilmour, Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 61, 3835 (1997).
5. R. D. Ash, S. F. Knott, G. Turner, Nature 380, 57 (1996); D. H. Garrison and D. D. Bogard, Meteoritics Planet. Sci. 32, A45 (1997); G. Turner, S. F. Knott, R. D. Ash, J. D. Gilmour, Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 61, 3835 (1997).
6. R. D. Ash, S. F. Knott, G. Turner, Nature 380, 57 (1996); D. H. Garrison and D. D. Bogard, Meteoritics Planet. Sci. 32, A45 (1997); G. Turner, S. F. Knott, R. D. Ash, J. D. Gilmour, Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 61, 3835 (1997).
7. R. H. Carr, M. M. Grady, I. P. Wright, C. T. Pillinger, Nature 314, 248 (1985).
8. I. P. Wright, M. M. Grady, C. T. Pillinger, Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 52, 917 (1988).
9. R. N. Clayton and T. K. Mayeda, ibid., p. 925.
10. I. P. Wright, M. M. Grady, C. T. Pillinger, ibid. 56, 817 (1992).
11. A. J. T. Jull, C. J. Eastoe, S. Xue, G. F. Herzog, Meteoritics 30, 311 (1995).
12. A. J. T. Jull, C. J. Eastoe, S. Cloudt, J. Geophys. Res. 102, 1663 (1997).
13. I. P. Wright, M. M. Grady, C. T. Pillinger, Nature 340, 220 (1989).
14. M. M. Grady, I. P. Wright, C. Douglas, C. T. Pillinger, Meteoritics 29, 469 (1994).
15. K. S. Hutchins, thesis, University of Colorado (1997).
16. A. J. T. Jull, D. J. Donahue, T. W. Linick, Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 53, 2095 (1989).
17. A. J. T. Jull and D. J. Donahue, ibid. 52, 1309 (1988).
18. 14C in carbonates from these two meteorites to have decayed to a level about 0.9% of the modern value.
19. A. J. T. Julle et al., Lunar Planet. Sci. XXIII, 641 (1992).
20. 14C abundance resulting from irradiation in space.
21. 14C (up to twice the modern values) because of contamination of the atmosphere by nuclear testing [I. Levin et al., Radiocarbon 27, 1 (1985)].
22. J. L. Gooding, S. J. Wentworth, M. E. Zolensky, Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 52, 909 (1988).
23. 3 where the Standard is Pee Dee belemnite.
24. 14C analysis by AMS. The AMS measurements on these graphite targets were made at the University of Arizona AMS Facility (34). Blanks run at each temperature step showed 3 ± 1 μg of modern C for each extraction step (35). For our samples, each combustion step yielded between 9 and 79 μg of C, with an average sample size of ∼30 μg.
25. M. M. Grady, I. P. Wright, P. K. Swart, C. T. Pillinger Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 52, 2855 (1988).
26. U. Neupert et al., Meteoritics Planet. Sci. 32, A98 (1997).
27. I. P. Wright, M. M. Grady, C. T. Pillinger, Lunar Planet. Sci. 28, 1591 (1997).
28. C. S. Romanek et al., Nature 372, 655 (1994).
29. J. W. Valley et al., Science 275, 1633 (1997).
30. I. Friedman and J. R. O'Niel, U.S. Geol. Surv. Prof. Pap. 440-KK (1977).
31. D. Mittlefehldt, Meteoritics 29, 214 (1994); R. P. Harvey and H. Y. McSween Jr., Nature 382, 49 (1997).
32. D. Mittlefehldt, Meteoritics 29, 214 (1994); R. P. Harvey and H. Y. McSween Jr., Nature 382, 49 (1997).
33. L. Becker, D. P. Glavin, J. P. Bada, Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta, 61, 475 (1997).
34. J. L. Bada, D. P. Glavin, G. D. McDonald, L. Becker, Science 279, xxx (1998).
35. R. E. Taylor, Radiocarbon Dating: An Archaeological Perspective (Wiley, New York, 1987).
36. P. J. Slota, A. J. T. Jull, T. W. Linick, L. J. Toolin, Radiocarbon 29, 303 (1987).
37. D. J. Donahue, T. W. Linick, A. J. T. Jull, ibid. 32, 135 (1990); D. J. Donahue, Int. J. Mass Spectrom. Ion Processes 143, 235 (1995).
38. D. J. Donahue, T. W. Linick, A. J. T. Jull, ibid. 32, 135 (1990); D. J. Donahue, Int. J. Mass Spectrom. Ion Processes 143, 235 (1995).
39. The blank levels we determined for a series of combustion steps gave 3 μg (75° to 200°C), 2.5 μg (200° to 400°C), and 5.6 μg (400° to 600°C) of modern carbon. Other studies on blanks in our laboratory for combustions using this line give a mean blank of 3 ± 1 μg of carbon.
40. We are grateful to the Meteorite Working Group for provision of the samples. We wish to thank A. L. Hatheway, D. Biddulph, L. R. Hewitt, and T. E. Lange for technical assistance, and K. Hutchins, G. S. Burr, D. J. Donahue, and C. J. Eastoe for many useful scientific discussions. This work was partly supported by NASA grant NAGW-3614 and NSF grant EAR 95-08413.