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Geology; May 2006; v. 34; no. 5; p. 357-360; DOI: 10.1130/G22316.1
© 2006 Geological Society of America
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Sulfate minerals and organic compounds on Mars

Andrew Aubrey1, H. James Cleaves1, John H. Chalmers1, Alison M. Skelley2, Richard A. Mathies2, Frank J. Grunthaner3, Pascale Ehrenfreund4 and Jeffrey L. Bada*,5

1 Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, California92093-0212, USA
2 Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
3 Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, California 91109, USA
4 Leiden Observatory, 2300 RA Leiden, Netherlands
5 Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, California92093-0212, USA

Strong evidence for evaporitic sulfate minerals such as gypsum and jarosite has recently been found on Mars. Although organic molecules are often codeposited with terrestrial evaporitic minerals, there have been no systematic investigations of organic components in sulfate minerals. We report here the detection of organic material, including amino acids and their amine degradation products, in ancient terrestrial sulfate minerals. Amino acids and amines appear to be preserved for geologically long periods in sulfate mineral matrices. This suggests that sulfate minerals should be prime targets in the search for organic compounds, including those of biological origin, on Mars.

Key Words: Mars • sulfates • evaporites • amino acids • gypsum • jarosite • anhydrite • kerogen






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