carbonates Archives

Time-resolved IR spectra from electron irradiation of CaCO3 at 50, 100, and 120 K under two electron fluxes, normalized to the preirradiation CaCO3 baseline and truncated to the 4.2–4.3 μm region to highlight the CO2 ν3 band. Vertical dashed lines mark the central wavelengths of the CO2 doublet, determined from double Gaussian fits to the continuum-removed spectra (gray). CO2 absorptions appear upon irradiation and gradually saturate. The strongest absorptions occur at 50 K under high flux. At higher temperatures, the absorptions are weaker, but radiolytic CO2 production is still apparent. -- astro-ph.EP

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Europa, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report

Formation And Trapping Of CO2 From Cryogenic Irradiation Of Carbonate

by Keith CowingMay 2, 2026May 2, 2026

The detection of CO2 on the Jovian satellite Europa by Galileo NIMS and recent mapping of the leading side by JWST has revealed that it is most concentrated in geologically […]

[LEFT] Nano-FTIR measurement of Region 1 (belonging to the aliphatic-rich cluster). Color-coded nano-FTIR spectra (A) of spots shown in the SNOM topography (B), optical amplitude (C), and mechanical amplitude (D) images. [RIGHT] Region 2 (also belonging to the aliphatic-rich cluster). -- PNAS

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Meteorites & Asteroids, Missions & Hardware, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Sample Return, Status Report

Nanoscale Infrared Spectroscopy Reveals Complex Organic–mineral Assemblages In Asteroid Bennu

by Keith CowingApril 14, 2026April 14, 2026

Asteroid Bennu preserves primitive material from the early solar system, and returned samples allow direct examination of how organics and minerals were assembled and altered. We applied nanoscale infrared spectroscopy […]

ID: ESP_054090_1985 date: 9 February 2018 altitude: 280 km larger image

Astrogeology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Desert Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs

Exploring Northeast Syrtis via Jezero Crater

by Keith CowingMarch 21, 2026March 21, 2026

One of the final three candidate landing sites for the Mars 2020 mission was northeast Syrtis, along with Gusev Crater/Columbia Hills and the eventual landing site for the Perseverance rover, […]

Caption: At left: Steel is seen to corrode into siderite (FeCO3) when immersed in subcritical liquid carbon dioxide (LCO2). At right: Samples of albite (a plagioclase feldspar) and a sandstone core are observed to form red rhodochrosite (MnCO3) when exposed to supercritical CO2 in the presence of a water solution with potassium chloride and manganese chloride, with particularly strong reaction near the interface of the two solutions. In both experiments, water saturation is provided by floating LCO2 on the water. Under the lower pressure conditions characteristic of early Mars, the water would float on the LCO2. Credits: Photos courtesy of Todd Schaef/PNNL (left) and Earl Mattson/Mattson Hydrology (right).

Analog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Cryobiology, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Mars, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Liquid On Mars Was Not Necessarily All Water

by Keith CowingDecember 7, 2024December 7, 2024

Dry river channels and lake beds on Mars point to the long-ago presence of a liquid on the planet’s surface, and the minerals observed from orbit and from landers seem […]

A person looks at cap carbonate rocks in South China in 2019. The new study provides a new explanation for dramatic global environmental changes that led to their formation. Credit Yarong Liu

Analog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Cryobiology, Extinction events, Fossils & Paleontology, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Press Release

Explaining Dramatic Planetwide Changes After The Last Snowball Earth Event

by Keith CowingSeptember 19, 2024September 19, 2024

Some of the most dramatic climatic events in our planet’s history are “Snowball Earth” events that happened hundreds of millions of years ago, when almost the entire planet was encased […]

The opened science canister in the glovebox at JSC. The cylindrical TAGSAM head is positioned in the center of the avionics deck. Dark particles and dust can be seen on the avionics deck, the top of TAGSAM (including on circular witness plates), and the inside of the canister's lid. NASA

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Meteorites & Asteroids, Missions & Hardware, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Sample Return, Status Report

Asteroid Bennu: Properties Of The Sample Collected By OSIRIS-REx

by Keith CowingJuly 8, 2024July 7, 2024

On September 24, 2023, NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission dropped a capsule to Earth containing ~120 g of pristine carbonaceous regolith from Bennu. We describe the delivery and initial allocation of this asteroid […]

A microscope image of a dark Bennu particle, about a millimeter long, with a crust of bright phosphate. To the right is a smaller fragment that broke off. Credits: From Lauretta & Connolly et al. (2024) Meteoritics & Planetary Science, doi:10.1111/maps.14227.

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Meteorites & Asteroids, Missions & Hardware, Press Release, Sample Return

An OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Sample Has Surprising Phosphate Content

by Keith CowingJune 27, 2024June 27, 2024

Scientists have eagerly awaited the opportunity to dig into the 4.3-ounce (121.6-gram) pristine asteroid Bennu sample collected by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security – Regolith Explorer) […]