P31A-2042
Rapid and direct screening of H:C ratio in Archean kerogen via microRaman Spectroscopy
Wednesday, 16 December 2015
Poster Hall (Moscone South)
Nicola Ferralis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Materials Science and Engineering, Cambridge, MA, United States, Emily D Matys, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, EAPS, Cambridge, MA, United States, Abigail Allwood, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, United States, Andrew H Knoll, Harvard University, Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Cambridhe, MA, United States and Roger E Summons, MIT Lincoln Laboratory, Lexington, MA, United States
Abstract:
Rapid evaluation of the preservation of biosignatures in ancient kerogens is essential for the evaluation of the usability of Earth analogues as proxies of Martian geological materials. No single, non-destructive and non-invasive technique currently exists to rapidly determine such state of preservation of the organic matter in relation to its geological and mineral environment. Due to its non-invasive nature, microRaman spectroscopy is emerging as a candidate technique for the qualitative determination maturity of organic matter, by correlating Raman spectral features and aromatic carbon cluster size. Here we will present a novel quantitative method in which before-neglected Raman spectral features are correlated directly and with excellent accuracy with the H:C ratio. In addition to providing a chemical justification of the found direct correlation, we will show its applicability and predictive capabilities in evaluating H:C in Archean kerogens. This novel method opens new opportunities for the use of Raman spectroscopy and mapping. This includes the non-invasively determination of kerogen preservation and microscale chemical diversity within a particular Earth analogue, to be potentially extended to evaluate Raman spectra acquired directly on Mars.
