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

J.P. Grotzinger; D.Y. Sumner; L.C. Kah; K. Stack; S. Gupta; L. Edgar; D. Rubin; K. Lewis; J. Schieber; N. Mangold; R. Milliken; P.G. Conrad; D. DesMarais; J. Farmer; K. Siebach; F. Calef III; J. Hurowitz; S.M. McLennan; D. Ming; D. Vaniman; J. Crisp; A. Vasavada; K.S. Edgett; M. Malin; D. Blake; R. Gellert; P. Mahaffy; R.C. Wiens; S. Maurice; J.A. Grant; S Wilson; R. C. Anderson; L. Beegle; R. Arvidson; Bernard Hallet; Ronald Sletten; M. Rice; J.F. Bell III; J. Griffes; B. Ehlmann; R.B. Anderson; T.F. Bristow; W. E. Dietrich; G. Dromart; J. Eigenbrode; A. Fraeman; C. Hardgrove; Ken Herkenhoff; L. Jandura; MSL Science Team

doi:10.1126/science.1242777

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

J.P. Grotzinger^*, D.Y. Sumner, L.C. Kah, K. Stack, S. Gupta, L. Edgar, D. Rubin, K. Lewis, J. Schieber, N. Mangold, R. Milliken, P.G. Conrad, D. DesMarais, J. Farmer, K. Siebach, F. Calef III, J. Hurowitz, S.M. McLennan, D. Ming, D. VanimanJ. Crisp, A. Vasavada, K.S. Edgett, M. Malin, D. Blake, R. Gellert, P. Mahaffy, R.C. Wiens, S. Maurice, J.A. Grant, S Wilson, R. C. Anderson, L. Beegle, R. Arvidson, Bernard Hallet, Ronald Sletten, M. Rice, J.F. Bell III, J. Griffes, B. Ehlmann, R.B. Anderson, T.F. Bristow, W. E. Dietrich, G. Dromart, J. Eigenbrode, A. Fraeman, C. Hardgrove, Ken Herkenhoff, L. Jandura, MSL Science Team

^*Corresponding author for this work

Geology and Geophysics

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

671 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

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.

Original language	English
Article number	1242777
Number of pages	15
Journal	Science
Volume	343
Issue number	6169
Early online date	9 Dec 2013
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1242777
Publication status	Published - 24 Jan 2014

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Grotzinger, J. P., Sumner, D. Y., Kah, L. C., Stack, K., Gupta, S., Edgar, L., Rubin, D., Lewis, K., Schieber, J., Mangold, N., Milliken, R., Conrad, P. G., DesMarais, D., Farmer, J., Siebach, K., III, F. C., Hurowitz, J., McLennan, S. M., Ming, D., ... MSL Science Team (2014). A habitable fluvio-lacustrine environment at Yellowknife Bay, Gale Crater, Mars. Science, 343(6169), [1242777]. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1242777

Grotzinger, JP, Sumner, DY, Kah, LC, Stack, K, Gupta, S, Edgar, L, Rubin, D, Lewis, K, Schieber, J, Mangold, N, Milliken, R, Conrad, PG, DesMarais, D, Farmer, J, Siebach, K, III, FC, Hurowitz, J, McLennan, SM, Ming, D, Vaniman, D, Crisp, J, Vasavada, A, Edgett, KS, Malin, M, Blake, D, Gellert, R, Mahaffy, P, Wiens, RC, Maurice, S, Grant, JA, Wilson, S, Anderson, RC, Beegle, L, Arvidson, R, Hallet, B, Sletten, R, Rice, M, III, JFB, Griffes, J, Ehlmann, B, Anderson, RB, Bristow, TF, Dietrich, WE, Dromart, G, Eigenbrode, J, Fraeman, A, Hardgrove, C, Herkenhoff, K, Jandura, L & MSL Science Team 2014, 'A habitable fluvio-lacustrine environment at Yellowknife Bay, Gale Crater, Mars', Science, vol. 343, no. 6169, 1242777. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1242777

@article{668bf3660cb44e8ca8bf4cce30f94609,

title = "A habitable fluvio-lacustrine environment at Yellowknife Bay, Gale Crater, Mars",

abstract = "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.",

author = "J.P. Grotzinger and D.Y. Sumner and L.C. Kah and K. Stack and S. Gupta and L. Edgar and D. Rubin and K. Lewis and J. Schieber and N. Mangold and R. Milliken and P.G. Conrad and D. DesMarais and J. Farmer and K. Siebach and III, {F. Calef} and J. Hurowitz and S.M. McLennan and D. Ming and D. Vaniman and J. Crisp and A. Vasavada and K.S. Edgett and M. Malin and D. Blake and R. Gellert and P. Mahaffy and R.C. Wiens and S. Maurice and J.A. Grant and S Wilson and Anderson, {R. C.} and L. Beegle and R. Arvidson and Bernard Hallet and Ronald Sletten and M. Rice and III, {J.F. Bell} and J. Griffes and B. Ehlmann and R.B. Anderson and T.F. Bristow and Dietrich, {W. E.} and G. Dromart and J. Eigenbrode and A. Fraeman and C. Hardgrove and Ken Herkenhoff and L. Jandura and {MSL Science Team} and Javier Martin-Torres",

note = "We are indebted to the MSL Project engineering and management teams for their exceptionally skilled and diligent efforts in making the mission as effective as possible and enhancing science operations. We are also grateful to all those MSL Science Team members who participated in tactical and strategic operations. Without the support of both the engineering and science teams, the data presented here could not have been collected. Some of this research was carried out at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under a contract with NASA. Data presented in this paper are archived in the Planetary Data System ",

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doi = "10.1126/science.1242777",

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T1 - A habitable fluvio-lacustrine environment at Yellowknife Bay, Gale Crater, Mars

AU - Grotzinger, J.P.

AU - Sumner, D.Y.

AU - Kah, L.C.

AU - Stack, K.

AU - Gupta, S.

AU - Edgar, L.

AU - Rubin, D.

AU - Lewis, K.

AU - Schieber, J.

AU - Mangold, N.

AU - Milliken, R.

AU - Conrad, P.G.

AU - DesMarais, D.

AU - Farmer, J.

AU - Siebach, K.

AU - III, F. Calef

AU - Hurowitz, J.

AU - McLennan, S.M.

AU - Ming, D.

AU - Vaniman, D.

AU - Crisp, J.

AU - Vasavada, A.

AU - Edgett, K.S.

AU - Malin, M.

AU - Blake, D.

AU - Gellert, R.

AU - Mahaffy, P.

AU - Wiens, R.C.

AU - Maurice, S.

AU - Grant, J.A.

AU - Wilson, S

AU - Anderson, R. C.

AU - Beegle, L.

AU - Arvidson, R.

AU - Hallet, Bernard

AU - Sletten, Ronald

AU - Rice, M.

AU - III, J.F. Bell

AU - Griffes, J.

AU - Ehlmann, B.

AU - Anderson, R.B.

AU - Bristow, T.F.

AU - Dietrich, W. E.

AU - Dromart, G.

AU - Eigenbrode, J.

AU - Fraeman, A.

AU - Hardgrove, C.

AU - Herkenhoff, Ken

AU - Jandura, L.

AU - MSL Science Team

AU - Martin-Torres, Javier

N1 - We are indebted to the MSL Project engineering and management teams for their exceptionally skilled and diligent efforts in making the mission as effective as possible and enhancing science operations. We are also grateful to all those MSL Science Team members who participated in tactical and strategic operations. Without the support of both the engineering and science teams, the data presented here could not have been collected. Some of this research was carried out at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under a contract with NASA. Data presented in this paper are archived in the Planetary Data System

PY - 2014/1/24

Y1 - 2014/1/24

N2 - 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.

AB - 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.

U2 - 10.1126/science.1242777

DO - 10.1126/science.1242777

M3 - Article

C2 - 24324272

VL - 343

JO - Science

JF - Science

SN - 0036-8075

IS - 6169

M1 - 1242777

ER -

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

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