ロスト・シティの水熱場でのアビオジェニック炭化水素生産
Giora Proskurowski1, Marvin D Lilley, Jeffery S Seewald
1School of Oceanography, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA. giora@whoi.edu
Science (New York, N.Y.)
|February 2, 2008
まとめ
Fischer-Tropsch型 (FTT) 反応による炭化水素のアビオティック合成は,失われた都市水熱場からの新しい同位体データによって支持されています. 海水ではなく,マントルに由来する炭素が,この天然の炭化水素産生を燃料にしている可能性が高い.
科学分野:
- 地質化学 地質化学
- 天体生物学 アストロバイオロジー
- オーガニック・ジオケミストリー オーガニック・ジオケミストリー
背景:
- 天然熱水流体内の低分子量炭化水素は,しばしばアビオジェニックのフィッシャー・トロプシュ型 (FTT) 反応に起因する.
- しかし,自然環境でのFTT反応の確固たる証拠はほとんどありません.
研究 の 目的:
- ウルトラマフィックのホストであるロストシティ水熱場における水素に富んだ液体中の炭化水素の起源を調査する.
- FTT反応によるアビオジェニック炭化水素生成の賛成または反対の証拠を提供すること.
主な方法:
- 失われた都市水熱場からの流体における炭化水素濃度,安定 (炭素と水素) および放射性炭素同位体の分析.
- 反応経路と炭素源を推論するために,同位体データを解釈する.
主要な成果:
- C1からC4の炭化水素の安定した炭素と水素の同位体組成において,FTTの起源と一致する明確な逆の傾向が観察されました.
- 放射性炭素の証拠は,海水バイカーボネートを炭素源として除外し,宿主岩から浸出されたマントル由来の無機炭素源を示しています.
結論:
- FTT反応による炭化水素のアビオティック合成は,ウルトラマフィック岩,水,適度な熱を含む自然環境で実証されています.
- この発見は,地上の環境および潜在的に地外環境における炭化水素の起源を理解する上で重要な意味を持つ.
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