Journal article
Evidence for Amazonian acidic liquid water on Mars—A reinterpretation of MER mission results
Planetary and space science, Vol.57(3), pp.276-287
2009
Handle:
https://hdl.handle.net/2376/114175
Abstract
The Mars Exploration Rover (MER) missions have confirmed aqueous activity on Mars. Here we review the analyses of the field-based MER data, and conclude that some weathering processes in Meridiani Planum and Gusev crater are better explained by late diagenetic water-rock interactions than by early diagenesis only. At Meridiani, the discovery of jarosite by MER-1 Opportunity indicates acidic aqueous activity, evaporation, and desiccation of rock materials. MER-based information, placed into the context of published data, point to local and limited aqueous activity during geologically recent times in Meridiani. Pre-Amazonian environmental changes (including important variations in the near-surface groundwater reservoirs, impact cratering, and global dust storms and other pervasive wind-related erosion) are too extreme for pulverulent jarosite to survive over extended time periods, and therefore we argue instead that jarosite deposits must have formed in a climatically more stable period. Any deposits of pre-existent concretionary jarosite surviving up to the Amazonian would not have reached completion in the highly saline and acidic brines occurring at Meridiani. MER-2 Spirit has also revealed evidence for local and limited Amazonian aqueous environmental conditions in Gusev crater, including chemical weathering leading to goethite and hematite precipitation, rock layering, and chemical enhancement of Cl, S, Br, and oxidized iron in rocks and soils. The estimated relative age of the impact crater materials in Gusev indicates that these processes have taken place during the last 2 billion years. We conclude that minor amounts of shallow acidic liquid water have been present on the surface of Mars at local scales during the Amazonian Period.
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Details
- Title
- Evidence for Amazonian acidic liquid water on Mars—A reinterpretation of MER mission results
- Creators
- Alberto G Fairén - NASA Ames Research Center, Space Science and Astrobiology Division, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USADirk Schulze-Makuch - School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USAAlexis P Rodríguez - Planetary Science Institute, Tucson, AZ 85719, USAWolfgang Fink - California Institute of Technology, Visual and Autonomous Exploration Systems Research Laboratory, Pasadena, CA 91125, USAAlfonso F Davila - NASA Ames Research Center, Space Science and Astrobiology Division, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USAEsther R Uceda - NASA Ames Research Center, Biosciences Division, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USARoberto Furfaro - Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering Department, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USARicardo Amils - Centro de Astrobiología (CSIC–INTA). 28850-Torrejón de Ardoz, Madrid, SpainChristopher P McKay - NASA Ames Research Center, Space Science and Astrobiology Division, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA
- Publication Details
- Planetary and space science, Vol.57(3), pp.276-287
- Academic Unit
- UNKNOWN
- Publisher
- Elsevier Ltd
- Identifiers
- 99900548368901842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article