title: Serpentinization and the Formation of H2 and CH4 on Celestial Bodies (Planets, Moons, Comets).
abstract: Serpentinization involves the hydrolysis and transformation of primary ferromagnesian minerals such as olivine ((Mg,Fe)2SiO4) and pyroxenes ((Mg,Fe)SiO3) to produce H2-rich fluids and a variety of secondary minerals over a wide range of environmental conditions. The continual and elevated production of H2 is capable of reducing carbon, thus initiating an inorganic pathway to produce organic compounds. The production of H2 and H2-dependent CH4 in serpentinization systems has received significant interdisciplinary interest, especially with regard to the abiotic synthesis of organic compounds and the origins and maintenance of life in Earth's lithosphere and elsewhere in the Universe. Here, serpentinization with an emphasis on the formation of H2 and CH4 are reviewed within the context of the mineralogy, temperature/pressure, and fluid/gas chemistry present in planetary environments. Whether deep in Earth's interior or in Kuiper Belt Objects in space, serpentinization is a feasible process to invoke as a means of producing astrobiologically indispensable H2 capable of reducing carbon to organic compounds.
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Geological Sciences, Stockholm University , Stockholm, Sweden .
authors.forename: N G
authors.initials: NG
authors.lastname: Holm
authors.affiliation: 2 Department of Geological Sciences, University of Canterbury , Christchurch, New Zealand .
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Oze
authors.affiliation: 3 Aix Marseille Université , CNRS, LAM (Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Marseille) UMR 7326, Marseille, France .
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Mousis
authors.affiliation: 4 Space Science and Engineering Division, Southwest Research Institute , San Antonio, Texas, USA.
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Waite
authors.affiliation: 5 European Space Agency , Noordwijk, the Netherlands .
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Guilbert-Lepoutre
mesh_terms: D055587:Astronomical Objects; D006859:Hydrogen / Q000737:chemistry*; D006868:Hydrolysis; D008697:Methane / Q000138:chemical synthesis*; D008903:Minerals; D055601:Organic Chemistry Phenomena; D011312:Pressure; D013696:Temperature
chemical_list: D008903:Minerals; D006859:Hydrogen; D008697:Methane