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Follow the methane: the search for a deep biosphere, and the case for sampling serpentinites, on Mars

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 July 2010

John Parnell ,
Adrian J. Boyce  and
Nigel J.F. Blamey
John Parnell*
Affiliation:
Department of Geology, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB24 3UE, UK
Adrian J. Boyce
Affiliation:
Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre, East Kilbride, Glasgow G75 0QF, UK
Nigel J.F. Blamey
Affiliation:
Department of Earth and Environmental Science, New Mexico Tech, Socorro, NM 87801, USA
*
e-mail: J.Parnell@abdn.ac.uk
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Abstract

If life occurs elsewhere in the Solar System, there is a strong likelihood that it occurs in a deep biosphere beneath the planetary surface. The evidence for methane in the martian atmosphere has drawn attention to the possible role of serpentinites in fuelling a deep biosphere through the generation of hydrogen and/or methane. Serpentinites represent a good target for the search for biosignatures in a range of reaction products. Isotopic measurements in each of methane, sulphide and carbonate in serpentinites can help determine evidence of biological activity. We show that ancient terrestrial serpentinites retain methane that could be subject to the measurement of carbon and hydrogen isotopes. There is, therefore, potential to sample serpentinites on Mars and test for evidence of life in the deep geological record of Mars.

Keywords

deep biospherebiosignaturesMarsmethaneserpentinitesserpentinization
Type
Research Article
Information
International Journal of Astrobiology , Volume 9 , Special Issue 4: Special issue Papers from the Astrobiology Society of Britain Conference 2010 , October 2010 , pp. 193 - 200
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2010

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