title: Evidence for indigenous nitrogen in sedimentary and aeolian deposits from the Curiosity rover investigations at Gale crater, Mars.
abstract: The Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) investigation on the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Curiosity rover has detected oxidized nitrogen-bearing compounds during pyrolysis of scooped aeolian sediments and drilled sedimentary deposits within Gale crater. Total N concentrations ranged from 20 to 250 nmol N per sample. After subtraction of known N sources in SAM, our results support the equivalent of 110-300 ppm of nitrate in the Rocknest (RN) aeolian samples, and 70-260 and 330-1,100 ppm nitrate in John Klein (JK) and Cumberland (CB) mudstone deposits, respectively. Discovery of indigenous martian nitrogen in Mars surface materials has important implications for habitability and, specifically, for the potential evolution of a nitrogen cycle at some point in martian history. The detection of nitrate in both wind-drifted fines (RN) and in mudstone (JK, CB) is likely a result of N2 fixation to nitrate generated by thermal shock from impact or volcanic plume lightning on ancient Mars. Fixed nitrogen could have facilitated the development of a primitive nitrogen cycle on the surface of ancient Mars, potentially providing a biochemically accessible source of nitrogen.
authors.affiliation: Solar System Exploration Division, Goddard Space Flight Center, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Greenbelt, MD 20771; jennifer.c.stern@nasa.gov.
authors.forename: Jennifer C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Stern
authors.affiliation: Jacobs Technology, Inc., Johnson Space Center, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Houston, TX 77058;
authors.forename: Brad
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Sutter
authors.affiliation: NASA Postdoctoral Program, Goddard Space Flight Center, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Greenbelt, MD 20771;
authors.forename: Caroline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Freissinet
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Ciencias Nucleares, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 04510 Mexico D.F., Mexico;
authors.forename: Rafael
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Navarro-González
authors.affiliation: Exobiology Branch, Ames Research Center, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Moffett Field, CA 94035;
authors.forename: Christopher P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: McKay
authors.affiliation: Jacobs Technology, Inc., Johnson Space Center, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Houston, TX 77058;
authors.forename: P Douglas
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Archer
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Genie de Procedes et Materiaux, Ecole Centrale Paris, 92295 Chatenay-Malabry, France;
authors.forename: Arnaud
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Buch
authors.affiliation: Solar System Exploration Division, Goddard Space Flight Center, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Greenbelt, MD 20771; School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281;
authors.forename: Anna E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Brunner
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire Interuniversitaire des Systèmes Atmosphériques, Université Paris-Est Créteil, Université Paris Diderot and CNRS, 94000 Créteil, France;
authors.forename: Patrice
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Coll
authors.affiliation: Solar System Exploration Division, Goddard Space Flight Center, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Greenbelt, MD 20771;
authors.forename: Jennifer L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Eigenbrode
authors.affiliation: Centro de Astrobiologia, 28850 Torrejón de Ardoz, Madrid, Spain; Department of Astronomy, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853;
authors.forename: Alberto G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Fairen
authors.affiliation: Solar System Exploration Division, Goddard Space Flight Center, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Greenbelt, MD 20771; Center for Research and Exploration in Space Science and Technology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742;
authors.forename: Heather B
authors.initials: HB
authors.lastname: Franz
authors.affiliation: Solar System Exploration Division, Goddard Space Flight Center, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Greenbelt, MD 20771;
authors.forename: Daniel P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Glavin
authors.affiliation: Solar System Exploration Division, Goddard Space Flight Center, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Greenbelt, MD 20771; Department of Microbiology University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003;
authors.forename: Srishti
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kashyap
authors.affiliation: Solar System Exploration Division, Goddard Space Flight Center, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Greenbelt, MD 20771;
authors.forename: Amy C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: McAdam
authors.affiliation: Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science Directorate, Johnson Space Center, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Houston, TX 77058;
authors.forename: Douglas W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Ming
authors.affiliation: Geophysical Laboratory, Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington, DC 20015;
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Steele
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire Atmosphères, Milieux et Observations Spatiales, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Université Versailles Saint-Quentin and CNRS, 75005 Paris, France;
authors.forename: Cyril
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Szopa
authors.affiliation: School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332;
authors.forename: James J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Wray
authors.affiliation: Instituto Andaluz de Ciencias de la Tierra (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas-Universidad de Granada), 18100 Armilla, Granada, Spain; Division of Space Technology, Department of Computer Science, Electrical and Space Engineering, Luleå University of Technology, S-981 28 Kiruna, Sweden; and.
authors.forename: F Javier
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Martín-Torres
authors.affiliation: Centro de Astrobiologia, 28850 Torrejón de Ardoz, Madrid, Spain;
authors.forename: Maria-Paz
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Zorzano
authors.affiliation: Solar System Exploration Division, Goddard Space Flight Center, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Greenbelt, MD 20771;
authors.forename: Pamela G
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Conrad
authors.affiliation: Solar System Exploration Division, Goddard Space Flight Center, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Greenbelt, MD 20771;
authors.forename: Paul R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Mahaffy
mesh_terms: D005118:Extraterrestrial Environment / Q000737:chemistry*; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000032:analysis*; D018535:Mars; D009566:Nitrates / Q000737:chemistry; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000737:chemistry; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry; D013696:Temperature; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry; D014919:Wind
chemical_list: D009566:Nitrates; D014867:Water; D009569:Nitric Oxide; D009584:Nitrogen
keywords: Curiosity; Mars; astrobiology; nitrates; nitrogen
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