U-series dating data and Raman data

Similar to early Mars where aridification had remained for millions of years, the western Qaidam Basin in the north of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is extremely dry and covered by a broad area of playas since the Pleistocene. From the primary fluid inclusions within halite minerals in the salt duricrust, we found β-carotene, lipids and kerogen that were very likely of biological origin. The long-term preservation of these organic compounds within halite fluid inclusions for hundreds of thousands of years in an extremely dry region gives a clue to the search for life in evaporite flats on Mars.与干旱化进程持续数百万年的早期火星相似，青藏高原北部的柴达木盆地西部极端干旱，自更新世（Pleistocene）起便被大片干盐湖（playa）平原覆盖。我们对该区域盐结壳（salt duricrust）中石盐（halite）矿物内的原生流体包裹体（primary fluid inclusions）开展分析后，检出了极有可能源自生物的β-胡萝卜素（β-carotene）、脂质（lipids）与干酪根（kerogen）。这些有机化合物在极端干旱环境下的石盐流体包裹体中得以保存数十万年，为在火星蒸发岩平原（evaporite flats）上搜寻生命痕迹提供了关键启示。