Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Digital Commons Network

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Articles 1 - 2 of 2

Full-Text Articles in Entire DC Network

Phosphate Release: The Effect Of Prebiotic Organic Compounds On Dissolution Of Merrillite, Whitlockite, Chlorapatite, And Fluorapatite, Courtney Lea Bartlett May 2017

Phosphate Release: The Effect Of Prebiotic Organic Compounds On Dissolution Of Merrillite, Whitlockite, Chlorapatite, And Fluorapatite, Courtney Lea Bartlett

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Phosphate is an essential nutrient on Earth, used by life for ATP, DNA, RNA, and phospholipid membranes. Therefore, if life is or ever was present on Mars, phosphorus may have played an important role in determining the habitability of an environment. Phosphorus does not have a significant volatile phase; its release from minerals is consequently critical to phosphorus availability and prebiotic chemistry. Phosphate release from Mars-relevant minerals such as merrillite and chlorapatite has been previously found to differ significantly from phosphate release from fluorapatite, the dominant phosphate phase on Earth. However, the environments in which phosphate release would have been …


An Elemental Highway: Investigation Of A High Nickel Anomaly In Olivine From The Island Of Niihau, Hawaii, Alexander James Valentine May 2017

An Elemental Highway: Investigation Of A High Nickel Anomaly In Olivine From The Island Of Niihau, Hawaii, Alexander James Valentine

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The study of volcanic geochemistry is one of the main gateways for investigating the Earth’s mantle. One important topic in the field is that of nickel (Ni) in the mineral olivine. While Ni is a compatible element in olivine, its high concentration at a given MgO content is not well understood. A variety of hypotheses have been proposed, including attributing presence of Ni to pyroxenite source melting, contribution from the core, or variation in peridotite source melting. In addition to the other hypotheses, chemical diffusion may also be a mechanism for enriching olivine Ni concentration. Magnesium-iron (Mg-Fe) isotopic measurements have …