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      Methane Seepage on Mars: Where to Look and Why

      review-article
      1 , , 2
      Astrobiology
      Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.

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          Abstract

          Methane on Mars is a topic of special interest because of its potential association with microbial life. The variable detections of methane by the Curiosity rover, orbiters, and terrestrial telescopes, coupled with methane's short lifetime in the martian atmosphere, may imply an active gas source in the planet's subsurface, with migration and surface emission processes similar to those known on Earth as “gas seepage.” Here, we review the variety of subsurface processes that could result in methane seepage on Mars. Such methane could originate from abiotic chemical reactions, thermogenic alteration of abiotic or biotic organic matter, and ancient or extant microbial metabolism. These processes can occur over a wide range of temperatures, in both sedimentary and igneous rocks, and together they enhance the possibility that significant amounts of methane could have formed on early Mars. Methane seepage to the surface would occur preferentially along faults and fractures, through focused macro-seeps and/or diffuse microseepage exhalations. Our work highlights the types of features on Mars that could be associated with methane release, including mud-volcano-like mounds in Acidalia or Utopia; proposed ancient springs in Gusev Crater, Arabia Terra, and Valles Marineris; and rims of large impact craters. These could have been locations of past macro-seeps and may still emit methane today. Microseepage could occur through faults along the dichotomy or fractures such as those at Nili Fossae, Cerberus Fossae, the Argyre impact, and those produced in serpentinized rocks. Martian microseepage would be extremely difficult to detect remotely yet could constitute a significant gas source. We emphasize that the most definitive detection of methane seepage from different release candidates would be best provided by measurements performed in the ground or at the ground-atmosphere interface by landers or rovers and that the technology for such detection is currently available. Key Words: Mars—Methane—Seepage—Clathrate—Fischer-Tropsch—Serpentinization. Astrobiology 17, 1233–1264.

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          Most cited references250

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          Recent advances in catalytic hydrogenation of carbon dioxide.

          Owing to the increasing emissions of carbon dioxide (CO(2)), human life and the ecological environment have been affected by global warming and climate changes. To mitigate the concentration of CO(2) in the atmosphere various strategies have been implemented such as separation, storage, and utilization of CO(2). Although it has been explored for many years, hydrogenation reaction, an important representative among chemical conversions of CO(2), offers challenging opportunities for sustainable development in energy and the environment. Indeed, the hydrogenation of CO(2) not only reduces the increasing CO(2) buildup but also produces fuels and chemicals. In this critical review we discuss recent developments in this area, with emphases on catalytic reactivity, reactor innovation, and reaction mechanism. We also provide an overview regarding the challenges and opportunities for future research in the field (319 references).
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            Biogenic methane formation in marine and freshwater environments: CO2 reduction vs. acetate fermentation—Isotope evidence

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              A habitable fluvio-lacustrine environment at Yellowknife Bay, Gale crater, Mars.

              The Curiosity rover discovered fine-grained sedimentary rocks, which are inferred to represent an ancient lake and preserve evidence of an environment that would have been suited to support a martian biosphere founded on chemolithoautotrophy. This aqueous environment was characterized by neutral pH, low salinity, and variable redox states of both iron and sulfur species. Carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, sulfur, nitrogen, and phosphorus were measured directly as key biogenic elements; by inference, phosphorus is assumed to have been available. The environment probably had a minimum duration of hundreds to tens of thousands of years. These results highlight the biological viability of fluvial-lacustrine environments in the post-Noachian history of Mars.
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                Author and article information

                Journal
                Astrobiology
                Astrobiology
                ast
                Astrobiology
                Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. (140 Huguenot Street, 3rd FloorNew Rochelle, NY 10801USA )
                1531-1074
                1557-8070
                01 December 2017
                01 December 2017
                01 December 2017
                : 17
                : 12
                : 1233-1264
                Affiliations
                [ 1 ]Planetary Science Institute , Tucson, Arizona, USA.
                [ 2 ]Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Sezione Roma 2, Roma, Italy, and Faculty of Environmental Science and Engineering, Babes-Bolyai University , Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
                Author notes
                Address correspondence to: Dorothy Z. Oehler, Planetary Science Institute 1700 East Fort Lowell Suite 106, Tucson, AZ 85719, E-mail: doehler@ 123456psi.edu
                Article
                10.1089/ast.2017.1657
                10.1089/ast.2017.1657
                5730060
                28771029
                96bbac96-8700-4c54-aac6-f4c5ae637ed1
                © Dorothy Z. Oehler and Giuseppe Etiope, 2017; Published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.

                This Open Access article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial License ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits any noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author(s) and the source are credited.

                History
                : 01 February 2017
                : 14 May 2017
                Page count
                Figures: 13, Tables: 1, Equations: 1, References: 258, Pages: 32
                Categories
                Review Article

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