Abstract
The 24-km-diameter Tertiary Haughton impact structure formed in rocks that contained preexisting liquid hydrocarbons. Biomarker ratios in the hydrocarbons show a consistent pattern of variation in degree of heating across the structure. The heating reached a maximum at the crater center and is attributed to hydrothermal activity following impact. Kinetic modeling suggests a time scale of similar to 5 k.y. for the heating, at a maximum temperature of 210 degrees C. The short time scale suggests that in moderate-sized craters, which are abundant on Mars, heating is not so extensive that fossil or extant organic matter would be obliterated.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 373-376 |
| Number of pages | 3 |
| Journal | Geology |
| Volume | 33 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - May 2005 |
Bibliographical note
This work was carried out under the auspices of the NASA Haughton–Mars Project with support provided to Lee in part by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Institute, and the Mars Institute. We are grateful to the Polar Continental Shelf Project (Natural Resources Canada), the Nunavut Research Institute, the Communities of Grise Fiord and Resolute Bay for their support, and to the many participants of the NASA Haughton–Mars Project. C.W. Taylor and J.B. Fulton provided skilled technical assistance.Keywords
- Haughton impact structure
- impact craters
- biomarkers
- thermal maturity
- thermal alteration
- Mars
- ARCTIC CANADA
- KINETIC-MODEL
- MATURITY
- ORIGIN
- REFLECTANCE
- MATURATION
- GENERATION
- LIFE
- OILS
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