Formation of methane on Mars by fluid-rock interaction in the crust
نویسندگان
چکیده
[1] Recent spectroscopic detections of CH4 in the atmosphere of Mars are the first definitive observations of an organic compound on that planet. The relatively short photochemical lifetime of CH4 ( 300 years) argues for a geologically young source. We demonstrate here that lowtemperature alteration of basaltic crust by carbon-bearing hydrothermal fluid can produce the required CH4 flux of 1 10 moles year , assuming conservative values for crustal permeability and oxygen fugacity as implied by Martian basaltic meteorites. The crustal thermal disturbance due to a single dike 1 1 10 km intruded during the past 10 years is capable of driving the alteration, if all carbon is supplied by magmatic degassing from a dike with only 50 ppm C. Atmospheric methane strongly suggests ongoing magmatism and hydrothermal alteration on Mars. Citation: Lyons, J. R., C. Manning, and F. Nimmo (2005), Formation of methane on Mars by fluid-rock interaction in the crust, Geophys. Res. Lett., 32, L13201, doi:10.1029/ 2004GL022161.
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