A search for endogenous amino acids in martian meteorite ALH84001.

The Search for Possible Source Craters for Martian Meteorite Alh84001

ALH84001 is the only martian meteorite currently known with a crystallization age of 4.5 Ga. This ancient age indicates the meteorite must come from the ancient crust of Mars, located primarily in the southern hemisphere of the planet. The 4.56 Ga crystallization age, the 16 Ma ejection, and theoretical models of how material is ejected off Mars were used to identify possible source craters for...

Evidence for the extraterrestrial origin of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the Martian meteorite ALH84001.

Possible sources of terrestrial contamination are considered for the observation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the Martian meteorite ALH84001. Contamination is concluded to be negligible.

Amino acids in the Martian meteorite Nakhla.

A suite of protein and nonprotein amino acids were detected with high-performance liquid chromatography in the water- and acid-soluble components of an interior fragment of the Martian meteorite Nakhla, which fell in Egypt in 1911. Aspartic and glutamic acids, glycine, alanine, beta-alanine, and gamma-amino-n-butyric acid (gamma-ABA) were the most abundant amino acids detected and were found pr...

High-temperature Mars-to-Earth transfer of meteorite ALH84001

Martian meteorites provide crucial insights into Martian evolution and interplanetary mass transfer, including the potential for exogenesis. ALH84001 is the oldest Martian meteorite discovered so far, and has been used to derive important conclusions about Martian surface temperatures and very low-temperature Mars-to-Earth transfer. To better constrain the thermal evolution and shock metamorphi...

Mechanisms of Formation of Magnetite in Martian Meteorite Alh84001