An evaporite sequence from ancient brine recorded in Bennu samples

McCoy, T. J.; Russell, S. S.; Zega, T. J.; Thomas-Keprta, K. L.; Singerling, S. A.; Brenker, F. E.; Timms, N. E.; Rickard, W. A.; Barnes, J. J.; Libourel, G.; Ray, S.; Corrigan, C. M.; Haenecour, P.; Gainsforth, Z.; Dominguez, G.; King, A. J.; Keller, L. P.; Thompson, M. S.; Sandford, S. A.; Jones, R. H.; Yurimoto, H.; Righter, K.; Eckley, S. A.; Bland, P. A.; Marcus, M. A.; DellaGiustina, D. N.; Ireland, T. R.; Almeida, N. V.; Harrison, C. S.; Bates, H. C.; Schofield, P. F.; Seifert, L. B.; Sakamoto, N.; Kawasaki, N.; Jourdan, F.; Reddy, S. M.; Saxey, D. W.; Ong, I. J.; Prince, B. S.; Ishimaru, K.; Smith, L. R.; Benner, M. C.; Kerrison, N. A.; Portail, M.; Guigoz, V.; Zanetta, P. -M.; Wardell, L. R.; Gooding, T.; Rose, T. R.; Salge, T.; Le, L.; Tu, V. M.; Zeszut, Z.; Mayers, C.; Sun, X.; Hill, D. H.; Lunning, N. G.; Hamilton, V. E.; Glavin, D. P.; Dworkin, J. P.; Kaplan, H. H.; Franchi, I. A.; Tait, K. T.; Tachibana, S.; Connolly, H. C.; Lauretta, D. S.

doi:10.1038/s41586-024-08495-6

An evaporite sequence from ancient brine recorded in Bennu samples

Journal Article · Wed Jan 29 00:00:00 EST 2025 · Nature (London)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-08495-6· OSTI ID:2561266

^[1]; ; Zega, T. J.; Thomas-Keprta, K. L.; ; ; ; ; Barnes, J. J.; Libourel, G.; ; Corrigan, C. M.; Haenecour, P.; ; ; ; ; ; Sandford, S. A.; Jones, R. H. more »

Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC (United States); et al.

Evaporation or freezing of water-rich fluids with dilute concentrations of dissolved salts can produce brines, as observed in closed basins on Earth and detected by remote sensing on icy bodies in the outer Solar System. The mineralogical evolution of these brines is well understood in regard to terrestrial environments, but poorly constrained for extraterrestrial systems owing to a lack of direct sampling. Here we report the occurrence of salt minerals in samples of the asteroid (101955) Bennu returned by the OSIRIS-REx mission. These include sodium-bearing phosphates and sodium-rich carbonates, sulfates, chlorides and fluorides formed during evaporation of a late-stage brine that existed early in the history of Bennu’s parent body. Discovery of diverse salts would not be possible without mission sample return and careful curation and storage, because these decompose with prolonged exposure to Earth’s atmosphere. Similar brines probably still occur in the interior of icy bodies Ceres and Enceladus, as indicated by spectra or measurement of sodium carbonate on the surface or in plumes.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: Canadian Space Agency (CSA); National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA); Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC); UK Research and Innovation (UKRI); US Department of Energy; USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA); USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES) (SC-22), Scientific User Facilities Division (SC-22.3 )

Grant/Contract Number:: 89233218CNA000001; AC02-05CH11231

OSTI ID:: 2561266

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 2571281

Report Number(s):: LA-UR--24-31500

Journal Information:: Nature (London), Journal Name: Nature (London) Journal Issue: 8048 Vol. 637; ISSN 0028-0836

Publisher:: Nature Publishing GroupCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

References (54)

Studies in prebiotic synthesis. VII: Solid-State Synthesis of Purine Nucleosides Fuller, W. D.; Sanchez, R. A.; Orgel, L. E. Journal of Molecular Evolution, Vol. 1, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01660244	journal	September 1972
The OSIRIS-REx Spacecraft and the Touch-and-Go Sample Acquisition Mechanism (TAGSAM) Bierhaus, E. B.; Clark, B. C.; Harris, J. W. Space Science Reviews, Vol. 214, Issue 7 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11214-018-0521-6	journal	September 2018
On the chemical evolution of the carbonaceous chondrites Dufresne, E. R.; Anders, Edward Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, Vol. 26, Issue 11 https://doi.org/10.1016/0016-7037(62)90047-9	journal	November 1962
Matrix phyllosilicates and associated minerals in C2M carbonaceous chondrites Barber, D. J. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, Vol. 45, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.1016/0016-7037(81)90120-4	journal	June 1981
CRISP: crystallographic image processing on a personal computer Hovmöller, Sven Ultramicroscopy, Vol. 41, Issue 1-3 https://doi.org/10.1016/0304-3991(92)90102-P	journal	April 1992
Low-temperature thermodynamic model for the system Na2CO3−MgCO3−CaCO3−H2O Königsberger, Erich; Königsberger, Lan-Chi; Gamsjäger, Heinz Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, Vol. 63, Issue 19-20 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0016-7037(99)00238-0	journal	October 1999
Brines and evaporites: analogs for Martian life Mancinelli, R. L.; Fahlen, T. F.; Landheim, R. Advances in Space Research, Vol. 33, Issue 8 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asr.2003.08.034	journal	January 2004
The nakhlite meteorites: Augite-rich igneous rocks from Mars Treiman, Allan H. Geochemistry, Vol. 65, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemer.2005.01.004	journal	July 2005
How life began on Earth: a status report Bada, Jeffrey L. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, Vol. 226, Issue 1-2 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2004.07.036	journal	September 2004
Constraints on the ice composition of carbonaceous chondrites from their magnetic mineralogy Sridhar, Sanjana; Bryson, James F. J.; King, Ashley J. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, Vol. 576 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2021.117243	journal	December 2021
Experimental study of shortite (Na2Ca2(CO3)3) formation and application to the burial history of the Wilkins Peak Member, Green River Basin, Wyoming, USA Jagniecki, Elliot A.; Jenkins, David M.; Lowenstein, Tim K. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, Vol. 115 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2013.04.005	journal	August 2013
The chemical composition of carbonaceous chondrites: Implications for volatile element depletion, complementarity and alteration Braukmüller, Ninja; Wombacher, Frank; Hezel, Dominik C. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, Vol. 239 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2018.07.023	journal	October 2018
Mineralogy of Occator crater on Ceres and insight into its evolution from the properties of carbonates, phyllosilicates, and chlorides Raponi, A.; De Sanctis, M. C.; Carrozzo, F. G. Icarus, Vol. 320 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.icarus.2018.02.001	journal	March 2019
Thermal and radiation stability of the hydrated salt minerals epsomite, mirabilite, and natron under Europa environmental conditions McCord, Thomas B.; Orlando, Thomas M.; Teeter, Glenn Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, Vol. 106, Issue E2 https://doi.org/10.1029/2000JE001282	journal	February 2001
Partitioning of Crystalline and Amorphous Phases During Freezing of Simulated Enceladus Ocean Fluids Fox‐Powell, Mark G.; Cousins, Claire R. Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, Vol. 126, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1029/2020JE006628	journal	January 2021
Boulder Diversity in the Nightingale Region of Asteroid (101955) Bennu and Predictions for Physical Properties of the OSIRIS‐REx Sample Jawin, Erica R.; Ballouz, Ronald‐L.; Ryan, Andrew J. Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, Vol. 128, Issue 12 https://doi.org/10.1029/2023JE008019	journal	December 2023
Synthesis of long prebiotic oligomers on mineral surfaces Ferris, James P.; Hill, Aubrey R.; Liu, Rihe Nature, Vol. 381, Issue 6577 https://doi.org/10.1038/381059a0	journal	May 1996
Sodium salts in E-ring ice grains from an ocean below the surface of Enceladus Postberg, F.; Kempf, S.; Schmidt, J. Nature, Vol. 459, Issue 7250 https://doi.org/10.1038/nature08046	journal	June 2009
Bright carbonate deposits as evidence of aqueous alteration on (1) Ceres De Sanctis, M. C.; Raponi, A.; Ammannito, E. Nature, Vol. 536, Issue 7614 https://doi.org/10.1038/nature18290	journal	June 2016
Chemical evolution of primordial salts and organic sulfur molecules in the asteroid 162173 Ryugu Yoshimura, Toshihiro; Takano, Yoshinori; Naraoka, Hiroshi Nature Communications, Vol. 14, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-40871-0	journal	September 2023
Numerical simulations suggest asteroids (101955) Bennu and (162173) Ryugu are likely second or later generation rubble piles Walsh, K. J.; Ballouz, R-L.; Bottke, W. F. Nature Communications, Vol. 15, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-49310-0	journal	July 2024
Fresh emplacement of hydrated sodium chloride on Ceres from ascending salty fluids De Sanctis, M. C.; Ammannito, E.; Raponi, A. Nature Astronomy, Vol. 4, Issue 8 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-020-1138-8	journal	August 2020
Impact-driven mobilization of deep crustal brines on dwarf planet Ceres Raymond, C. A.; Ermakov, A. I.; Castillo-Rogez, J. C. Nature Astronomy, Vol. 4, Issue 8 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-020-1168-2	journal	August 2020
Sodium carbonates on Ryugu as evidence of highly saline water in the outer Solar System Matsumoto, Toru; Noguchi, Takaaki; Miyake, Akira Nature Astronomy, Vol. 8, Issue 12 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-024-02418-1	journal	November 2024
Abundant ammonia and nitrogen-rich soluble organic matter in samples from asteroid (101955) Bennu Glavin, Daniel P.; Dworkin, Jason P.; Alexander, Conel M. O’D. Nature Astronomy, Vol. 9, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-024-02472-9	journal	January 2025
Detection of phosphates originating from Enceladus’s ocean Postberg, Frank; Sekine, Yasuhito; Klenner, Fabian Nature, Vol. 618, Issue 7965 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-023-05987-9	journal	June 2023
Hydroxyapatite: catalyst for a one-pot pentose formation Usami, K.; Okamoto, A. Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry, Vol. 15, Issue 42 https://doi.org/10.1039/C7OB02051A	journal	January 2017
Evidence for sodium-rich alkaline water in the Tagish Lake parent body and implications for amino acid synthesis and racemization White, Lee F.; Tait, Kimberly T.; Langelier, Brian Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Vol. 117, Issue 21 https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2003276117	journal	May 2020
Vibrational structure of core to Rydberg state excitations of carbon dioxide and dinitrogen oxide Prince, K. C.; Avaldi, L.; Coreno, M. Journal of Physics B: Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics, Vol. 32, Issue 11 https://doi.org/10.1088/0953-4075/32/11/307	journal	January 1999
A terrestrial origin for sulfate veins in CI1 chondrites Gounelle, Matthieu; Zolensky, Michael E. Meteoritics & Planetary Science, Vol. 36, Issue 10 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1945-5100.2001.tb01827.x	journal	October 2001
The OSIRIS-REx target asteroid (101955) Bennu: Constraints on its physical, geological, and dynamical nature from astronomical observations Lauretta, D. S.; Bartels, A. E.; Barucci, M. A. Meteoritics & Planetary Science, Vol. 50, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1111/maps.12353	journal	November 2014
An in situ investigation on the origins and processing of circumstellar oxide and silicate grains in carbonaceous chondrites Zega, Thomas J.; Haenecour, Pierre; Floss, Christine Meteoritics & Planetary Science, Vol. 55, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.1111/maps.13418	journal	November 2019
The composition of CI chondrites and their contents of chlorine and bromine: Results from instrumental neutron activation analysis Palme, H.; Zipfel, J. Meteoritics & Planetary Science, Vol. 57, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1111/maps.13720	journal	July 2021
Abundance and importance of petrological type 1 chondritic material Russell, Sara S.; Suttle, M. D.; King, A. J. Meteoritics & Planetary Science, Vol. 57, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1111/maps.13753	journal	November 2021
Winchcombe: An example of rapid terrestrial alteration of a CM chondrite Jenkins, Laura E.; Lee, Martin R.; Daly, Luke Meteoritics & Planetary Science, Vol. 59, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.1111/maps.13949	journal	February 2023
Analysis of layered boulders on asteroid (101955) Bennu and their implications for fluid flow on the parent body Ishimaru, K.; Lauretta, D. S. Meteoritics & Planetary Science, Vol. 59, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1111/maps.14115	journal	December 2023
Electron microscopy observations of the diversity of Ryugu organic matter and its relationship to minerals at the micro‐ to nano‐scale Stroud, Rhonda M.; Barosch, Jens; Bonal, Lydie Meteoritics & Planetary Science, Vol. 59, Issue 8 https://doi.org/10.1111/maps.14128	journal	January 2024
Coevolution of phyllosilicate, carbon, sulfide, and apatite in Ryugu's parent body Gainsforth, Zack; Dominguez, Gerardo; Amano, Kana Meteoritics & Planetary Science, Vol. 59, Issue 8 https://doi.org/10.1111/maps.14161	journal	April 2024
Asteroid (101955) Bennu in the laboratory: Properties of the sample collected by OSIRIS‐REx Lauretta, Dante S.; Connolly, Harold C.; Aebersold, Joseph E. Meteoritics & Planetary Science, Vol. 59, Issue 9 https://doi.org/10.1111/maps.14227	journal	June 2024
Asteroid (101955) Bennu’s weak boulders and thermally anomalous equator Rozitis, B.; Ryan, A. J.; Emery, J. P. Science Advances, Vol. 6, Issue 41 https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abc3699	journal	October 2020
Enceladus' Water Vapor Plume Hansen, Candice J.; Esposito, L.; Stewart, A. I. F. Science, Vol. 311, Issue 5766 https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1121254	journal	March 2006
Cassini Encounters Enceladus: Background and the Discovery of a South Polar Hot Spot Spencer, J. R. Science, Vol. 311, Issue 5766 https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1121661	journal	March 2006
Asteroidal Water Within Fluid Inclusion-Bearing Halite in an H5 Chondrite, Monahans (1998) Zolensky, M. E. Science, Vol. 285, Issue 5432 https://doi.org/10.1126/science.285.5432.1377	journal	August 1999
Bright carbonate veins on asteroid (101955) Bennu: Implications for aqueous alteration history Kaplan, H. H.; Lauretta, D. S.; Simon, A. A. Science, Vol. 370, Issue 6517 https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abc3557	journal	November 2020
Variations in color and reflectance on the surface of asteroid (101955) Bennu DellaGiustina, D. N.; Burke, K. N.; Walsh, K. J. Science, Vol. 370, Issue 6517 https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abc3660	journal	November 2020
Spacecraft sample collection and subsurface excavation of asteroid (101955) Bennu Lauretta, D. S.; Adam, C. D.; Allen, A. J. Science, Vol. 377, Issue 6603 https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abm1018	journal	July 2022
Formation and evolution of carbonaceous asteroid Ryugu: Direct evidence from returned samples Nakamura, T.; Matsumoto, M.; Amano, K. Science, Vol. 379, Issue 6634 https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abn8671	journal	February 2023
Searles Lake evaporite sequences: Indicators of late Pleistocene/Holocene lake temperatures, brine evolution, and pCO2 Olson, Kristian J.; Lowenstein, Tim K. GSA Bulletin, Vol. 133, Issue 11-12 https://doi.org/10.1130/B35857.1	journal	March 2021
Apexite, NaMg(PO₄)·9H₂O, a new struvite-type phase with a heteropolyhedral cluster Kampf, Anthony R.; Mills, Stuart J.; Nash, Barbara P. American Mineralogist, Vol. 100, Issue 11-12 https://doi.org/10.2138/am-2015-5457	journal	November 2015
Classification and Characteristics of Natural Lithium Resources Bowell, Robert J.; Lagos, Laura; de los Hoyos, Camilo R. Elements, Vol. 16, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.2138/gselements.16.4.259	journal	August 2020
Dry, Salty, and Habitable: The Science of Alkaline Lakes Tutolo, Benjamin M.; Tosca, Nicholas J. Elements, Vol. 19, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.2138/gselements.19.1.10	journal	February 2023
How to Make an Alkaline Lake: Fifty Years of Chemical Divides Tosca, Nicholas J.; Tutolo, Benjamin M. Elements, Vol. 19, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.2138/gselements.19.1.15	journal	February 2023
Salt Distribution from Freezing Intrusions in Ice Shells on Ocean Worlds: Application to Europa Naseem, Mariam; Neveu, Marc; Howell, Samuel The Planetary Science Journal, Vol. 4, Issue 9 https://doi.org/10.3847/PSJ/ace5a2	journal	September 2023
OSIRIS-REx Sample Analysis Plan -- Revision 3.0 Lauretta, Dante S.; Connolly, Harold C.; Grossman, Jeffrey N. arXiv https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2308.11794	preprint	January 2023

Similar Records

Mineralogical evidence for hydrothermal alteration of Bennu samples

Journal Article · Sun Aug 31 20:00:00 EDT 2025 · Nature Geoscience · OSTI ID:2998366

Nitrogen- and oxygen-rich organic material indicative of polymerization in pre-aqueous cryochemistry on Bennu’s parent body

Journal Article · Tue Dec 31 19:00:00 EST 2024 · Nature Astronomy · OSTI ID:3013084

Related Subjects

58 GEOSCIENCES
Asteroids
comets and Kuiper belt
Astrobiology
Bennu
Early solar system
Mineralogy
OSIRIS-REx
Petrology
Planetary Sciences
asteroid
sample return

An evaporite sequence from ancient brine recorded in Bennu samples

Citation Formats

References (54)

Similar Records

Related Subjects