This SGER award supports studies of contamination and alteration of Antarctic meteorites during long-term storage. It's goal is to both characterize the processes and understand their effects on subsequent research using these meteorites. These effects are poorly constrained at present, but are critical to a number of meteorite research areas, especially those regarding the origin of life. Three meteorites from the 1977 ANSMET field season will be sampled and examined for their microbial populations, as well as the type and level of metabolic activity. The meteorites will also be examined for anthropogenic contamination by petroleum products, plastics, plasticizers, and other compounds that directly affect their inorganic and organic carbon componet. The information gained will ultimately be used to frame a more comprehensive Antarctic meteorite contamination study.
T Wagner
