Data for Abiotic Origin of Organics in the Martian Regolith

<p>This is the supplemental data for the muscript (submitted): "Abiotic Origin of Organics in the Martian Regolith", and comprises the following:&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>_FTIR hyperspectral map&nbsp;</strong></p> <blockquote> <p><strong>↪</strong> FTIR hyperspectral data [combined into single .xlsx file]</p> <p><strong>↪ </strong>FTIR pixel location map</p> <p><strong>↪ </strong>Raman IFORS fitting results</p> </blockquote> <p><strong>_micro-Raman hyperspectral maps</strong></p> <blockquote> <p><strong>↪&nbsp;</strong>Raman hyperspectral data [per region]</p> <p><strong>↪&nbsp;</strong>Raman pixel location map [per region]</p> </blockquote> <p><strong>_microscopy</strong></p> <blockquote> <p><strong>↪ </strong>Reflected Light (RL) image of entire sample</p> <p><strong>↪ </strong>Reflected Light (RL) [per region]</p> </blockquote> <p><strong>_mossbauer results</strong></p> <p><strong>_NanoSIMS</strong></p> <blockquote> <p><strong>↪ </strong>NanoSIMS data [per region]</p> <p><strong>↪&nbsp;</strong>NanoSIMS data images [per region]</p> <p><strong>↪&nbsp;</strong>NanoSIMS processed data</p> <p><strong>↪ </strong>NanoSIMS standards</p> </blockquote> <p><strong>_SEM BSE&amp;EDS images</strong></p> <blockquote> <p><strong>↪ </strong>BSE and EDS images [per region]</p> </blockquote> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>ABSTRACT</strong></p> <p>The martian meteorite Northwest Africa (NWA) 11220 and paired stones (notably NWA 7034) are the only group of meteorites that sample a clastic near-surface lithology from Mars. The stones have been recognized as an impact-reworked lithology subjected to an impact-induced hydrothermal system &mdash; comparable to the postulated history of Jezero Crater, currently being explored by the NASA Perseverance rover. By applying M&ouml;ssbauer spectroscopy in combination with several <em>in situ</em> analytical techniques including Raman spectroscopy, FTIR spectroscopy, and NanoSIMS, we show that aliphatic carbon compounds dominate the inventory of insoluble indigenous carbon compounds within NWA 11220. Disordered carbon &mdash; present in ~5 &mu;m heterogeneous masses &mdash; is preferentially found within porosity where it adjoins the mineral surface of titano-magnetite. This relationship suggests catalytic surfaces have enabled Fischer&ndash;Tropsch (FT) synthesis of hydrocarbons. Our&nbsp;<em>in situ</em> micron-scale analytical study indicates that such methods can successfully determine the origin of organic material and, therefore, differentiate abiotic martian organics that exist in the near-surface martian regolith. The multimodal approach will be a key methodology for searching for traces of past life in future samples returned from Mars.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>