Probing the chemical and mineralogical characteristics of the Martian meteorite NWA 7397 through mu Raman and mu XRF non-destructively

Author(s)

do Nascimento-Dias, Bruno Leonardo ^[1] ; Galante, Douglas ^[2] ; Oliveira, Davi ^{[3, 1]} ; Anjos, Marcelino ^{[3, 1]}

Affiliation

^[1] Univ State Rio Janeiro, Rio De Janeiro - Brazil

^[2] Brazilian Ctr Res Energy & Mat, Brazilian Synchrotron Light Lab, Campinas, SP - Brazil

^[3] Univ Fed Rio de Janeiro, Rio De Janeiro - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: International Journal of Astrobiology; v. 18, n. 1, p. 73-78, FEB 2019.
• Web of Science Citations: 0

Abstract

Martian meteorites have valuable information about past geological processes on Mars. In this particular case, the sample used was the Martian meteorite Northwest Africa (NWA) 7397. The main objective was to conduct preliminary analyses of the sample that was able to provide mineralogical characteristics in a non-destructive way. These meteorite NWA 7397 analyses were performed using two analytical techniques, mu Raman and mu XRF. Through the techniques used it was possible to suggest the presence of chromite, ilmenite, magnetite and forsterite minerals. These minerals seem to have a correspondence to one another in relation to the process that formed them. Thus, the information generated by these analytical techniques can contribute significantly by providing information on the history of Mars in order to have relevance to the areas of Astrobiology and Planetary Sciences. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 16/06114-6 - The Neoproterozoic Earth System and the rise of biological complexity
• Grantee: Ricardo Ivan Ferreira da Trindade
• Support type: Research Projects - Thematic Grants