Tissint, the Martian meteorite that fell in Morocco in July 2011, reveals an unprecedented diversity of organic compounds. This is the finding published in Science Advances by an international team of researchers led by Philippe Schmitt-Koplin, professor at the Technical University of Munich and Helmholtz Munich with the participation of Hasnaa Chennaoui Aoudjehane Professor at the Hassan II University of Casablanca UH2C, Faculty of Sciences Ain Chock FSAC, President of Attarik Foundation.
Prospecting the organic matter contained in Tissint can help answer the question of the presence of a life form in the past on the red planet.
Tissint is the fifth observed Martian meteorite fall in the world. The work carried out on this meteorite gave rise at the beginning of 2012 to an article published in Science by an international consortium of researchers led by Prof. Hasnaa Chennaoui Aoudjehane.
This work had made it possible to show that the ejection of this rock from the surface of the planet Mars took place less than a million years ago, following a very violent impact and that at that time, Mars was wet.
Earth and Mars are two relatively similar planets in their evolution; however, life appeared and flourished on Earth while on Mars, so far there is no hard evidence that it ever existed there. The in-depth study of the organic molecules contained in Martian meteorites, especially Tissint, which is an observed fall that has not had much exchange with external terrestrial agents, is important to answer this fundamental question.
Organic molecules commonly associated with life are composed of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, and sometimes other elements. Work on Martian meteorites had shown that these molecules can be formed by non-biological processes, called abiotic organic chemistry.
The work published in this article presents the most comprehensive catalog ever made of the diversity of organic compounds contained in a Martian meteorite. It shows a link between the specific mineralogy of the meteorite and the unprecedented diversity of the organic compounds it contains.
Similarly, the study of these abiotic organic materials formed from water-rock interactions have revealed information on the evolutionary processes of the mantle and the crust of Mars.
Organic magnesium compounds, a suite of organic molecules never seen on Mars, have been found in abundance and are of particular interest. They provide information on the high pressure and high temperature geochemistry undergone by the interior of the red pnaète and demonstrate a link between its carbon cycle and its mineralogical evolution.
These works are precursors and pave the way for the study of the return of Martian samples to Earth, in particular those concerning the formation, stability and dynamics of organic compounds in current Martian environments.
This publication enriches the contribution and highlights the efforts made in Morocco by researchers from the Hassan II University of Casablanca and Attarik Foundation for more than twenty years to enhance the meteorites of Morocco both scientifically and heritage.
“Oued Awlitis 001”, the Moroccan meteorite that reveals its secrets on the Moon