A sink for methane on Mars? The answer is blowing in the wind
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Publication date
2014-07-01
Authors
Knak Jensen, Svend J.
Skibsted, Jørgen
Jakobsen, Hans J.
MSL Science Team, the
Gunnlaugsson, Haraldur P.
Merrison, Jonathan P.
Finster, Kai
Bak, Ebbe
Iversen, Jens J.
Kondrup, Jens C.
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Supervisors
Document Type
Article
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Abstract
Tumbling experiments that mimic the wind erosion of quartz grains in an atmosphere of 13C-enriched methane are reported. The eroded grains are analyzed by 13C and 29Si solid-state NMR techniques after several months of tumbling. The analysis shows that methane has reacted with the eroded surface to form covalent Si-CH3 bonds, which stay intact for temperatures up to at least 250°C. The NMR findings offer an explanation for the fast disappearance of methane on Mars.
Keywords
Aeolian processes, Atmospheres, chemistry, Mars, atmosphere, Space and Planetary Science, Astronomy and Astrophysics
Citation
Knak Jensen, S J, Skibsted, J, Jakobsen, H J, ten Kate, I L, Gunnlaugsson, H P, Merrison, J P, Finster, K, Bak, E, Iversen, J J, Kondrup, J C & Nørnberg, P 2014, 'A sink for methane on Mars? The answer is blowing in the wind', Icarus, vol. 236, pp. 24-27. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.icarus.2014.03.036