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[MIS06-P03] A theoretical approach built on the series of coincidence: Martian component in the terrestrial evolution or vice versa
Keywords:Mars, megatsunami, panspermia, ALH84001, Late Hesperian, Paleoarchean
In 2010, Rampelotto suggested [1] that Panspermia hypothesis, the transfer of the “seeds of life” between planets [2] is one of the promising fields of astrobiological and planetary research. The suggested transfer has some crucial steps, generally marked as i) escape, ii) transfer and iii) landing phases [2]. All steps have been investigated, and even though some questions are remained, related to the escape (i.e., the way of ejection into space) and the landing phase (i.e., the survival entering the atmosphere and the extreme heat), the results shows that some lifeforms may (might) survive interplanetary travel [2]. The series of incidents, introduced below, may be nothing, but a coincidence of various planetary and terrestrial events, but observing them from the point of panspermia, it may provide some evidence to the possible appearance of Martian component in the evolution on Earth.
The Martian paleoenvironment during the Hesperian (3.71 to 3.37 Ga) is characterized by the intensification of volcanism, changing wet and dry periods, permafrost, catastrophic floods and a possible (ice covered) ocean in the Northern lowlands [3, 4]. Recently, a theory of (some) large, planetary scale impact(s) on Mars during the Late Hesperian, triggered a scientific discussion [5, 6, and 7]. If such impact existed, it provides a potential explanation to the escape of various bioaerosols from Mars by ejecting microbe-containing material into the space [8]. It is proven by recent experiments on ISS (International Space Station; Tanpopo [dandelion] mission) that microorganisms can survive minimum three years, exposed to outer space during the interplanetary travel by using the radiation killed surface cells as a protective layer (massapanspermia) [9]. An alternative (or parallel) explanation for the transfer phase might be connected to (an) ALH84001(-like) asteroid. As an igneous rock exposed on the surface of Mars, ALH84001 preserved some components from the history of the planet, including gas from the Martian atmosphere, the marks of two impacts (shock events) and some liquid which might be migrated in its structure (formation of carbonate globules) [10], and although the debate is still not settled, it may contain the remain of some microorganism as well (magnetofossil) [11-14]. The formation of carbonate minerals is dated back to the Hesperian (3.6 Ga) [15] and followed by the latter shock event which might lift ALH84001 and its “passengers” off from the surface [10] (lithopanspermia). It is nothing more but a speculation, that one of the above discussed Hesperian asteroid impacts [5, 6] had something to do with the escape of ALH84001.
Some speculation can also be made about the fate of the microbes arriving to the most likely “water-world” of Paleo-/Mesoarchean Earth and the possible interaction between the rising microbial life of the Archean [16, 17 and 18] and the cosmic newcomers. Such interaction might contain competition and even cooperation [19] but this and the summary of the evolutionary consequences of such interactions are “another story and shall be told another time.”
[1]Rampelotto 2010 Astrobiology Science Conf. 2010:5224 [2]Kawaguchi 2019 Astrobiology 419-428 [3]Rapin et al 2021 Geol. 49:842–846 [4]Barlow 2010 GSA Bull. 122:644–657; [5]Rodriguez et al 2016 Sci Rep 6:25106 [6]Costard et al 2019 J Geophys Res: Planets 124:1840–1851 [7]Turbet & Forget 2019 Sci Rep 9:5717 [8]Gladman et al 2005 Astrobiology 5:483–496 [9] Kawaguchi et al 2020 Front in Microbiology 11:2050 [10]Treiman 1995 Meteoritics 30:294-302 [11]McKay et al 1996 Science 273:924–930 [12]Bradley et al 1997 Nature 390:454–455 [13] Thomas-Keprta et al 2000 Geochim Cosmochim Acta 64:4049–4081 [14]Friedmann et al 2001 PNAS 98:2176-2181 [15]Knott et al 1995 Lunar Planet. Sci. XXVI:765-766 [16]Schopf et al 2018 PNAS 115:53-58 [17] Homann 2019 Earth-Sci Rev 196:102888 [18]Lepot 2020 Earth-Sci Rev 209:103296 [19]Hibbing et al 2010 Nat Rev Microbiol 8:15–25
Figure 1. Infographic-like summary of the discussed coinsidence of events
The Martian paleoenvironment during the Hesperian (3.71 to 3.37 Ga) is characterized by the intensification of volcanism, changing wet and dry periods, permafrost, catastrophic floods and a possible (ice covered) ocean in the Northern lowlands [3, 4]. Recently, a theory of (some) large, planetary scale impact(s) on Mars during the Late Hesperian, triggered a scientific discussion [5, 6, and 7]. If such impact existed, it provides a potential explanation to the escape of various bioaerosols from Mars by ejecting microbe-containing material into the space [8]. It is proven by recent experiments on ISS (International Space Station; Tanpopo [dandelion] mission) that microorganisms can survive minimum three years, exposed to outer space during the interplanetary travel by using the radiation killed surface cells as a protective layer (massapanspermia) [9]. An alternative (or parallel) explanation for the transfer phase might be connected to (an) ALH84001(-like) asteroid. As an igneous rock exposed on the surface of Mars, ALH84001 preserved some components from the history of the planet, including gas from the Martian atmosphere, the marks of two impacts (shock events) and some liquid which might be migrated in its structure (formation of carbonate globules) [10], and although the debate is still not settled, it may contain the remain of some microorganism as well (magnetofossil) [11-14]. The formation of carbonate minerals is dated back to the Hesperian (3.6 Ga) [15] and followed by the latter shock event which might lift ALH84001 and its “passengers” off from the surface [10] (lithopanspermia). It is nothing more but a speculation, that one of the above discussed Hesperian asteroid impacts [5, 6] had something to do with the escape of ALH84001.
Some speculation can also be made about the fate of the microbes arriving to the most likely “water-world” of Paleo-/Mesoarchean Earth and the possible interaction between the rising microbial life of the Archean [16, 17 and 18] and the cosmic newcomers. Such interaction might contain competition and even cooperation [19] but this and the summary of the evolutionary consequences of such interactions are “another story and shall be told another time.”
[1]Rampelotto 2010 Astrobiology Science Conf. 2010:5224 [2]Kawaguchi 2019 Astrobiology 419-428 [3]Rapin et al 2021 Geol. 49:842–846 [4]Barlow 2010 GSA Bull. 122:644–657; [5]Rodriguez et al 2016 Sci Rep 6:25106 [6]Costard et al 2019 J Geophys Res: Planets 124:1840–1851 [7]Turbet & Forget 2019 Sci Rep 9:5717 [8]Gladman et al 2005 Astrobiology 5:483–496 [9] Kawaguchi et al 2020 Front in Microbiology 11:2050 [10]Treiman 1995 Meteoritics 30:294-302 [11]McKay et al 1996 Science 273:924–930 [12]Bradley et al 1997 Nature 390:454–455 [13] Thomas-Keprta et al 2000 Geochim Cosmochim Acta 64:4049–4081 [14]Friedmann et al 2001 PNAS 98:2176-2181 [15]Knott et al 1995 Lunar Planet. Sci. XXVI:765-766 [16]Schopf et al 2018 PNAS 115:53-58 [17] Homann 2019 Earth-Sci Rev 196:102888 [18]Lepot 2020 Earth-Sci Rev 209:103296 [19]Hibbing et al 2010 Nat Rev Microbiol 8:15–25
Figure 1. Infographic-like summary of the discussed coinsidence of events