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Ciesielczuk J, Fabiańska MJ, Gaidzik K, Nádudvari Á, Misz-Kennan M, Abramowicz A. Botryoidal and spherulitic hematite as experimental evidence of highly acidic conditions in burning coal-waste dumps and potentially on Mars. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 932:172759. [PMID: 38670352 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.172759] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2023] [Revised: 04/02/2024] [Accepted: 04/23/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024]
Abstract
In the extreme setting of burning coal-waste dumps in the Upper Silesian Coal Basin in Poland, botryoidal and spherulitic hematite occurs in association with sulphates and chlorides. A series of simple experiments aimed at replicating the conditions leading to the formation of hematite spherules on the burning dumps are described. Goethite synthesised in the laboratory, mixed with various combinations of other reactants, was heated in a heating chamber or a tubular furnace. Temperature, duration of heating, water and oxygen access, and pH were experimental variables. The results show that hematite may form spherules from goethite where access to oxygen is limited and where conditions are strongly acidic. The spherulitic shape of hematite produced due to dynamically changing physicochemical conditions in the burning dumps can be an indicator of an extremely acidic environment during the closing stages of coal-waste self-heating. The conditions of hematitic-spherule formation on burning coal-waste dumps may apply in a variety of other unrelated settings, e.g., waning volcanism, sulphuric acid speleologenesis and even the formation of blueberries on Mars.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justyna Ciesielczuk
- Institute of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Silesia in Katowice, Będzińska 60, 41-200 Sosnowiec, Poland.
| | - Monika J Fabiańska
- Institute of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Silesia in Katowice, Będzińska 60, 41-200 Sosnowiec, Poland
| | - Krzysztof Gaidzik
- Institute of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Silesia in Katowice, Będzińska 60, 41-200 Sosnowiec, Poland
| | - Ádám Nádudvari
- Institute of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Silesia in Katowice, Będzińska 60, 41-200 Sosnowiec, Poland
| | - Magdalena Misz-Kennan
- Institute of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Silesia in Katowice, Będzińska 60, 41-200 Sosnowiec, Poland
| | - Anna Abramowicz
- Institute of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Silesia in Katowice, Będzińska 60, 41-200 Sosnowiec, Poland
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2
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Liu J, Michalski JR, Gao W, Schröder C, Li YL. Freeze-thaw cycles drove chemical weathering and enriched sulfates in the Burns formation at Meridiani, Mars. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2024; 10:eadi1805. [PMID: 38232168 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adi1805] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2023] [Accepted: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 01/19/2024]
Abstract
Sulfate-rich sedimentary rocks explored by the Opportunity rover during its 14-year surface mission at Meridiani Planum provide an invaluable window into the thousands of sulfate deposits detected on Mars via remote sensing. Existing models explaining the formation of martian sulfates can be generally described as either bottom-up, groundwater-driven playa settings or top-down icy chemical weathering environments. Here, we propose a hybrid model involving both bottom-up and top-down processes driven by freeze-thaw cycles. Freezing leads to cryo-concentration of acidic fluids from precipitations at the surface, facilitating rapid chemical weathering despite low temperatures. Cryosuction causes the upward migration of vadose water and even groundwater with dissolved ions, resulting in the accumulation of ions in near-surface environments. Evaporation precipitates salts, but leaching separates chlorides from sulfates during the thawing period. Freeze-thaw cycles, therefore, can enrich sulfates at the surface. While freeze-thaw is more commonly understood as a mechanism of physical weathering, we suggest that it is a fundamental aspect of chemical weathering on Mars.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiacheng Liu
- Department of Earth Sciences, the University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
- Laboratory for Space Research, the University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Joseph R Michalski
- Department of Earth Sciences, the University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
- Laboratory for Space Research, the University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Wenyuan Gao
- Department of Geology, Northeastern University, Shenyang, China
| | - Christian Schröder
- Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling, FK9 4LA, UK
| | - Yi-Liang Li
- Department of Earth Sciences, the University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
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3
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Lalla EA, Konstantinidis M, Veneranda M, Daly MG, Manrique JA, Lymer EA, Freemantle J, Cloutis EA, Stromberg JM, Shkolyar S, Caudill C, Applin D, Vago JL, Rull F, Lopez-Reyes G. Raman Characterization of the CanMars Rover Field Campaign Samples Using the Raman Laser Spectrometer ExoMars Simulator: Implications for Mars and Planetary Exploration. ASTROBIOLOGY 2022; 22:416-438. [PMID: 35041521 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2021.0055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The Mars 2020 Perseverance rover landed on February 18, 2021, and has started ground operations. The ExoMars Rosalind Franklin rover will touch down on June 10, 2023. Perseverance will be the first-ever Mars sample caching mission-a first step in sample return to Earth. SuperCam and Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman & Luminescence for Organics & Chemicals (SHERLOC) on Perseverance, and Raman Laser Spectrometer (RLS) on Rosalind Franklin, will comprise the first ever in situ planetary mission Raman spectroscopy instruments to identify rocks, minerals, and potential organic biosignatures on Mars' surface. There are many challenges associated when using Raman instruments and the optimization and quantitative analysis of resulting data. To understand how best to overcome them, we performed a comprehensive Raman analysis campaign on CanMars, a Mars sample caching rover analog mission undertaken in Hanksville, Utah, USA, in 2016. The Hanksville region presents many similarities to Oxia Planum's past habitable conditions, including liquid water, flocculent, and elemental compounds (such as clays), catalysts, substrates, and energy/food sources for life. We sampled and conducted a complete band analysis of Raman spectra as mission validation analysis with the RLS ExoMars Simulator or RLS Sim, a breadboard setup representative of the ExoMars RLS instrument. RLS Sim emulates the operational behavior of RLS on the Rosalind Franklin rover. Given the high fidelity of the Mars analog site and the RLS Sim, the results presented here may provide important information useful for guiding in situ analysis and sample triage for caching relevant for the Perseverance and Rosalind Franklin missions. By using the RLS Sim on CanMars samples, our measurements detected oxides, sulfates, nitrates, carbonates, feldspars, and carotenoids, many with a higher degree of sensitivity than past results. Future work with the RLS Sim will aim to continue developing and improving the capability of the RLS system in the future ExoMars mission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emmanuel A Lalla
- Centre for Research in Earth and Space Science, Lassonde School of Engineering, York University, Toronto, Canada
| | - Menelaos Konstantinidis
- Centre for Research in Earth and Space Science, Lassonde School of Engineering, York University, Toronto, Canada
- Division of Biostatistics, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
- Child Health Evaluative Sciences, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Marco Veneranda
- Unidad Asociada Universidad de Valladolid-CSIC-CAB, Boecillo, Spain
| | - Michael G Daly
- Centre for Research in Earth and Space Science, Lassonde School of Engineering, York University, Toronto, Canada
| | | | - Elizabeth A Lymer
- Centre for Research in Earth and Space Science, Lassonde School of Engineering, York University, Toronto, Canada
| | - James Freemantle
- Centre for Research in Earth and Space Science, Lassonde School of Engineering, York University, Toronto, Canada
| | - Edward A Cloutis
- Department of Geography, University of Winnipeg, Winnipeg, Canada
| | - Jessica M Stromberg
- Department of Geography, University of Winnipeg, Winnipeg, Canada
- CSIRO Mineral Resources, Kensington, Australia
| | - Svetlana Shkolyar
- Universities Space Research Association, Columbia, Maryland, USA
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, USA
- Blue Marble Space Institute of Science, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Christy Caudill
- Centre for Planetary Science and Exploration/Department of Earth Sciences, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada
| | - Daniel Applin
- Department of Geography, University of Winnipeg, Winnipeg, Canada
| | - Jorge L Vago
- European Space Agency, ESA/ESTEC (SCI-S), Noordwijk, The Netherlands
| | - Fernando Rull
- Unidad Asociada Universidad de Valladolid-CSIC-CAB, Boecillo, Spain
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Rolling Ironstones from Earth and Mars: Terrestrial Hydrothermal Ooids as a Potential Analogue of Martian Spherules. MINERALS 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/min11050460] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
High-resolution images of Mars from National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) rovers revealed mm-size loose haematite spherulitic deposits (nicknamed “blueberries”) similar to terrestrial iron-ooids, for which both abiotic and biotic genetic hypotheses have been proposed. Understanding the formation mechanism of these haematite spherules can thus improve our knowledge on the possible geologic evolution and links to life development on Mars. Here, we show that shape, size, fabric and mineralogical composition of the Martian spherules share similarities with corresponding iron spherules currently forming on the Earth over an active submarine hydrothermal system located off Panarea Island (Aeolian Islands, Mediterranean Sea). Hydrothermal fluids associated with volcanic activity enable these terrestrial spheroidal grains to form and grow. The recent exceptional discovery of a still working iron-ooid source on the Earth provides indications that past hydrothermal activity on the Red Planet is a possible scenario to be considered as the cause of formation of these enigmatic iron grains.
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Baccolo G, Delmonte B, Niles PB, Cibin G, Di Stefano E, Hampai D, Keller L, Maggi V, Marcelli A, Michalski J, Snead C, Frezzotti M. Jarosite formation in deep Antarctic ice provides a window into acidic, water-limited weathering on Mars. Nat Commun 2021; 12:436. [PMID: 33469027 PMCID: PMC7815727 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-20705-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2020] [Accepted: 12/07/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Many interpretations have been proposed to explain the presence of jarosite within Martian surficial sediments, including the possibility that it precipitated within paleo-ice deposits owing to englacial weathering of dust. However, until now a similar geochemical process was not observed on Earth nor in other planetary settings. We report a multi-analytical indication of jarosite formation within deep ice. Below 1000 m depth, jarosite crystals adhering on residual silica-rich particles have been identified in the Talos Dome ice core (East Antarctica) and interpreted as products of weathering involving aeolian dust and acidic atmospheric aerosols. The progressive increase of ice metamorphism and re-crystallization with depth, favours the relocation and concentration of dust and the formation of acidic brines in isolated environments, allowing chemical reactions and mineral neo-formation to occur. This is the first described englacial diagenetic mechanism occurring in deep Antarctic ice and supports the ice-weathering model for jarosite formation on Mars, highlighting the geologic importance of paleo ice-related processes on this planet. Additional implications concern the preservation of dust-related signals in deep ice cores with respect to paleoclimatic reconstructions and the englacial history of meteorites from Antarctic blue ice fields. The authors report in-situ formation of jarosite witin the Talos Dome ice core (East Antarctica) and show that this ferric-potassium sulfate mineral is present in ice deeper than 1000 meters and progressively increases with depth. This has implications for the presence and formation mechanisms of jarosite observed on Mars.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giovanni Baccolo
- Department of Environmental and Earth Sciences, University of Milano-Bicocca, 20126, Milan, Italy. .,INFN, section of Milano-Bicocca, 20126, Milan, Italy.
| | - Barbara Delmonte
- Department of Environmental and Earth Sciences, University of Milano-Bicocca, 20126, Milan, Italy
| | - P B Niles
- NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX, 77058, USA
| | - Giannantonio Cibin
- Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, OX11 0DE, UK
| | - Elena Di Stefano
- Department of Environmental and Earth Sciences, University of Milano-Bicocca, 20126, Milan, Italy.,INFN, section of Milano-Bicocca, 20126, Milan, Italy.,Department of Physical, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Siena, 53100, Siena, Italy
| | - Dariush Hampai
- Laboratori Nazionali di Frascati, Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, 00044, Frascati, Italy
| | | | - Valter Maggi
- Department of Environmental and Earth Sciences, University of Milano-Bicocca, 20126, Milan, Italy.,INFN, section of Milano-Bicocca, 20126, Milan, Italy
| | - Augusto Marcelli
- Laboratori Nazionali di Frascati, Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, 00044, Frascati, Italy.,Rome International Center for Materials Science - Superstripes, 00185, Rome, Italy
| | - Joseph Michalski
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong
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Hynek BM, Rogers KL, Antunovich M, Avard G, Alvarado GE. Lack of Microbial Diversity in an Extreme Mars Analog Setting: Poás Volcano, Costa Rica. ASTROBIOLOGY 2018; 18:923-933. [PMID: 29688767 PMCID: PMC6067093 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2017.1719] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
The Poás volcano in Costa Rica has been studied as a Mars geochemical analog environment, since both the style of hydrothermal alteration present and the alteration mineralogy are consistent with Mars' relict hydrothermal systems. The site hosts an active volcano, with high-temperature fumaroles (up to 980°C) and an ultra-acidic lake. This lake, Laguna Caliente, is one of the most dynamic environments on Earth, with frequent phreatic eruptions, temperatures ranging from near-ambient to almost boiling, a pH range of -1 to 1.5, and a wide range of chemistries and redox potential. Martian acid-sulfate hydrothermal systems were likely similarly dynamic and equally challenging to life. The microbiology existing within Laguna Caliente was characterized for the first time, with sampling taking place in November, 2013. The diversity of the microbial community was surveyed via extraction of environmental DNA from fluid and sediment samples followed by Illumina sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene. The microbial diversity was limited to a single species of the bacterial genus Acidiphilium. This organism likely gets its energy from oxidation of reduced sulfur in the lake, including elemental sulfur. Given Mars' propensity for sulfur and acid-sulfate environments, this type of organism is of significant interest to the search for past or present life on the Red Planet. Key Words: Mars astrobiology-Acid-sulfate hydrothermal systems-Extremophiles-Acidic-High temperature-Acidiphilium bacteria. Astrobiology 18, 923-933.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian M. Hynek
- Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, USA
- Department of Geological Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, USA
- Address correspondence to:Brian M. HynekLaboratory for Atmospheric and Space PhysicsUniversity of Colorado3665 Discovery Dr.Boulder, CO 80303
| | - Karyn L. Rogers
- Earth and Environmental Sciences, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York, USA
| | - Monique Antunovich
- Department of Geological Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, USA
| | - Geoffroy Avard
- OVSICORI, National University of Costa Rica, Heredia, Costa Rica
| | - Guillermo E. Alvarado
- Centro de Investigaciones Geológicas, Red Sismológica Nacional, Universidad de Costa Rica, Costa Rica
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7
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Curtis-Harper E, Pearson VK, Summers S, Bridges JC, Schwenzer SP, Olsson-Francis K. The Microbial Community of a Terrestrial Anoxic Inter-Tidal Zone: A Model for Laboratory-Based Studies of Potentially Habitable Ancient Lacustrine Systems on Mars. Microorganisms 2018; 6:microorganisms6030061. [PMID: 29966361 PMCID: PMC6165429 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms6030061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2018] [Revised: 06/18/2018] [Accepted: 06/21/2018] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Evidence indicates that Gale crater on Mars harboured a fluvio-lacustrine environment that was subjected to physio-chemical variations such as changes in redox conditions and evaporation with salinity changes, over time. Microbial communities from terrestrial environmental analogues sites are important for studying such potential habitability environments on early Mars, especially in laboratory-based simulation experiments. Traditionally, such studies have predominantly focused on microorganisms from extreme terrestrial environments. These are applicable to a range of Martian environments; however, they lack relevance to the lacustrine systems. In this study, we characterise an anoxic inter-tidal zone as a terrestrial analogue for the Gale crater lake system according to its chemical and physical properties, and its microbiological community. The sub-surface inter-tidal environment of the River Dee estuary, United Kingdom (53°21′15.40″ N, 3°10′24.95″ W) was selected and compared with available data from Early Hesperian-time Gale crater, and temperature, redox, and pH were similar. Compared to subsurface ‘groundwater’-type fluids invoked for the Gale subsurface, salinity was higher at the River Dee site, which are more comparable to increases in salinity that likely occurred as the Gale crater lake evolved. Similarities in clay abundance indicated similar access to, specifically, the bio-essential elements Mg, Fe and K. The River Dee microbial community consisted of taxa that were known to have members that could utilise chemolithoautotrophic and chemoorganoheterotrophic metabolism and such a mixed metabolic capability would potentially have been feasible on Mars. Microorganisms isolated from the site were able to grow under environment conditions that, based on mineralogical data, were similar to that of the Gale crater’s aqueous environment at Yellowknife Bay. Thus, the results from this study suggest that the microbial community from an anoxic inter-tidal zone is a plausible terrestrial analogue for studying habitability of fluvio-lacustrine systems on early Mars, using laboratory-based simulation experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elliot Curtis-Harper
- Faculty of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, The Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes MK7 6AA, UK.
| | - Victoria K Pearson
- Faculty of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, The Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes MK7 6AA, UK.
| | - Stephen Summers
- Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, 637551 Singapore, Singapore.
| | - John C Bridges
- Space Research Centre, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK.
| | - Susanne P Schwenzer
- Faculty of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, The Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes MK7 6AA, UK.
| | - Karen Olsson-Francis
- Faculty of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, The Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes MK7 6AA, UK.
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8
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Ghelichi R, Kamrin K. Modeling growth paths of interacting crack pairs in elastic media. SOFT MATTER 2015; 11:7995-8012. [PMID: 26330342 DOI: 10.1039/c5sm01376c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
The problem of predicting the growth of a system of cracks, each crack influencing the growth of the others, arises in multiple fields. We develop an analytical framework toward this aim, which we apply to the 'En-Passant' family of crack growth problems, in which a pair of initially parallel, offset cracks propagate nontrivially toward each other under far-field opening stress. We utilize boundary integral and perturbation methods of linear elasticity, linear elastic fracture mechanics, and common crack opening criteria to calculate the first analytical model for curved En-Passant crack paths. The integral system is reduced under a hierarchy of approximations, producing three methods of increasing simplicity for computing crack paths. The last such method is a major highlight of this work, using an asymptotic matching argument to predict crack paths based on superposition of simple, single-crack fields. Within the corresponding limits of the three methods, all three are shown to agree with each other. We provide comparisons to exact results and existing experimental data to verify certain approximation steps.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ramin Ghelichi
- MIT, Room 1-310, 77 Massachusetts Ave Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
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9
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Marcucci EC, Hynek BM. Laboratory simulations of acid-sulfate weathering under volcanic hydrothermal conditions: Implications for early Mars. JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH. PLANETS 2014; 119:679-703. [PMID: 26213665 PMCID: PMC4508920 DOI: 10.1002/2013je004439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2013] [Accepted: 02/27/2014] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
We have completed laboratory experiments and thermochemical equilibrium models to investigate secondary mineral formation under conditions akin to volcanic, hydrothermal acid-sulfate weathering systems. Our research used the basaltic mineralogy at Cerro Negro Volcano, Nicaragua, characterized by plagioclase, pyroxene, olivine, and volcanic glass. These individual minerals and whole-rock field samples were reacted in the laboratory with 1 molal sulfuric acid at varying temperatures (65, 150, and 200°C), fluid:rock weight ratios (1:1, 4:1, and 10:1), and durations (1-60 days). Thermochemical equilibrium models were developed using Geochemist's Workbench. To understand the reaction products and fluids, we employed scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersive spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy. The results of our experiments and models yielded major alteration minerals that include anhydrite, natroalunite, minor iron oxide, and amorphous Al-Si gel. We found that variations in experimental parameters did not drastically change the suite of minerals produced; instead, abundance, size, and crystallographic shape changed. Our results also suggest that it is essential to separate phases formed during experiments from those formed during fluid evaporation to fully understand the reaction processes. Our laboratory reacted and model predicted products are consistent with the mineralogy observed at places on Mars. However, our results indicate that determination of the formation conditions requires microscopic imagery and regional context, as well as a thorough understanding of contributions from both experiment precipitation and fluid evaporation minerals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma C Marcucci
- Department of Geological Sciences, University of Colorado BoulderBoulder, Colorado, USA
- Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado BoulderBoulder, Colorado, USA
- Now at Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska FairbanksFairbanks, Alaska, USA
- Correspondence to: E. C. Marcucci,
| | - Brian M Hynek
- Department of Geological Sciences, University of Colorado BoulderBoulder, Colorado, USA
- Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado BoulderBoulder, Colorado, USA
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10
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Supervolcanoes within an ancient volcanic province in Arabia Terra, Mars. Nature 2013; 502:47-52. [PMID: 24091975 DOI: 10.1038/nature12482] [Citation(s) in RCA: 104] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2013] [Accepted: 07/15/2013] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Several irregularly shaped craters located within Arabia Terra, Mars, represent a new type of highland volcanic construct and together constitute a previously unrecognized Martian igneous province. Similar to terrestrial supervolcanoes, these low-relief paterae possess a range of geomorphic features related to structural collapse, effusive volcanism and explosive eruptions. Extruded lavas contributed to the formation of enigmatic highland ridged plains in Arabia Terra. Outgassed sulphur and erupted fine-grained pyroclastics from these calderas probably fed the formation of altered, layered sedimentary rocks and fretted terrain found throughout the equatorial region. The discovery of a new type of volcanic construct in the Arabia volcanic province fundamentally changes the picture of ancient volcanism and climate evolution on Mars. Other eroded topographic basins in the ancient Martian highlands that have been dismissed as degraded impact craters should be reconsidered as possible volcanic constructs formed in an early phase of widespread, disseminated magmatism on Mars.
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11
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Hayes AG, Grotzinger JP, Edgar LA, Squyres SW, Watters WA, Sohl-Dickstein J. Reconstruction of eolian bed forms and paleocurrents from cross-bedded strata at Victoria Crater, Meridiani Planum, Mars. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2011. [DOI: 10.1029/2010je003688] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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12
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Fairén AG, Davila AF, Lim D, Bramall N, Bonaccorsi R, Zavaleta J, Uceda ER, Stoker C, Wierzchos J, Dohm JM, Amils R, Andersen D, McKay CP. Astrobiology through the ages of Mars: the study of terrestrial analogues to understand the habitability of Mars. ASTROBIOLOGY 2010; 10:821-843. [PMID: 21087162 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2009.0440] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
Mars has undergone three main climatic stages throughout its geological history, beginning with a water-rich epoch, followed by a cold and semi-arid era, and transitioning into present-day arid and very cold desert conditions. These global climatic eras also represent three different stages of planetary habitability: an early, potentially habitable stage when the basic requisites for life as we know it were present (liquid water and energy); an intermediate extreme stage, when liquid solutions became scarce or very challenging for life; and the most recent stage during which conditions on the surface have been largely uninhabitable, except perhaps in some isolated niches. Our understanding of the evolution of Mars is now sufficient to assign specific terrestrial environments to each of these periods. Through the study of Mars terrestrial analogues, we have assessed and constrained the habitability conditions for each of these stages, the geochemistry of the surface, and the likelihood for the preservation of organic and inorganic biosignatures. The study of these analog environments provides important information to better understand past and current mission results as well as to support the design and selection of instruments and the planning for future exploratory missions to Mars.
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13
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Wiseman SM, Arvidson RE, Morris RV, Poulet F, Andrews-Hanna JC, Bishop JL, Murchie SL, Seelos FP, Des Marais D, Griffes JL. Spectral and stratigraphic mapping of hydrated sulfate and phyllosilicate-bearing deposits in northern Sinus Meridiani, Mars. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2010. [DOI: 10.1029/2009je003354] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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14
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Andrews-Hanna JC, Zuber MT, Arvidson RE, Wiseman SM. Early Mars hydrology: Meridiani playa deposits and the sedimentary record of Arabia Terra. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2010. [DOI: 10.1029/2009je003485] [Citation(s) in RCA: 129] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
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15
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Rizzo V, Cantasano N. Possible organosedimentary structures on Mars. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ASTROBIOLOGY 2009; 8:267-280. [DOI: 10.1017/s1473550409990152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/23/2023]
Abstract
AbstractThis study, using the Microscopic Imager (MI) of NASA Rover Exploration Mission's (REM) ‘Opportunity’, aims to explain the origin of laminated sediments lying at Meridiani Planum of Mars, and of the strange spherules, known as blueberries, about which several hypotheses have been formulated. To this purpose, images of the sedimentary textures of layers and fragments captured by REM have been analysed; sediments that NASA has already established as ‘pertinent to water presence’. Our study shows that such laminated sediments and the spherules they contain could be organosedimentary structures, probably produced by microorganisms. The laminated structures are characterized by a sequence of a thin pair of layers, which have the features of skeletal/agglutinated laminae and whose basic constituents are made by a partition of septa and vacuoles radially arranged around a central one. The growth of these supposed organosedimentary masses is based on the ‘built flexibility’ of such a basal element; it may be a coalescing microfossil formed by progressive film accretion (calcimicrobe), in a variety of geometrical gross forms, such as a repeated couplet sequence of laminae or domal mass and large composite polycentric spherule, both in elevation. The acquired structural and textural data seem to be consistent with the existence of life on Mars and could explain an origin of sediments at Meridiani Planum similar to that of terrestrial stromatolites. The Martian deposits, probably produced by cyanobacterial activity, and the embedded blueberries could represent a recurrent and multiform product of colonies with sheath forms, resembling in shape those of the fossil genus Archaeosphaeroides (stromatolites of Fig Tree, South Africa).
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Chojnacki M, Hynek BM. Geological context of water-altered minerals in Valles Marineris, Mars. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2008. [DOI: 10.1029/2007je003070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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Herkenhoff KE, Grotzinger J, Knoll AH, McLennan SM, Weitz C, Yingst A, Anderson R, Archinal BA, Arvidson RE, Barrett JM, Becker KJ, Bell JF, Budney C, Chapman MG, Cook D, Ehlmann B, Franklin B, Gaddis LR, Galuszka DM, Garcia PA, Geissler P, Hare TM, Howington-Kraus E, Johnson JR, Keszthelyi L, Kirk RL, Lanagan P, Lee EM, Leff C, Maki JN, Mullins KF, Parker TJ, Redding BL, Rosiek MR, Sims MH, Soderblom LA, Spanovich N, Springer R, Squyres SW, Stolper D, Sucharski RM, Sucharski T, Sullivan R, Torson JM. Surface processes recorded by rocks and soils on Meridiani Planum, Mars: Microscopic Imager observations during Opportunity's first three extended missions. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2008. [DOI: 10.1029/2008je003100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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Tréguier E, d'Uston C, Pinet PC, Berger G, Toplis MJ, McCoy TJ, Gellert R, Brückner J. Overview of Mars surface geochemical diversity through Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer data multidimensional analysis: First attempt at modeling rock alteration. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2008. [DOI: 10.1029/2007je003010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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Rossi AP, Neukum G, Pondrelli M, van Gasselt S, Zegers T, Hauber E, Chicarro A, Foing B. Large-scale spring deposits on Mars? ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2008. [DOI: 10.1029/2007je003062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 98] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
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Christensen LE, Brunner B, Truong KN, Mielke RE, Webster CR, Coleman M. Measurement of Sulfur Isotope Compositions by Tunable Laser Spectroscopy of SO2. Anal Chem 2007; 79:9261-8. [DOI: 10.1021/ac071040p] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Lance E. Christensen
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, 91109
| | - Benjamin Brunner
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, 91109
| | - Kasey N. Truong
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, 91109
| | - Randall E. Mielke
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, 91109
| | - Christopher R. Webster
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, 91109
| | - Max Coleman
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, 91109
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Guinness EA, Arvidson RE, Jolliff BL, Seelos KD, Seelos FP, Ming DW, Morris RV, Graff TG. Hyperspectral reflectance mapping of cinder cones at the summit of Mauna Kea and implications for equivalent observations on Mars. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2007. [DOI: 10.1029/2006je002822] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Edward A. Guinness
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences; Washington University; St. Louis Missouri USA
| | - Raymond E. Arvidson
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences; Washington University; St. Louis Missouri USA
| | - Bradley L. Jolliff
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences; Washington University; St. Louis Missouri USA
| | - Kim D. Seelos
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences; Washington University; St. Louis Missouri USA
| | - Frank P. Seelos
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences; Washington University; St. Louis Missouri USA
| | | | | | - Trevor G. Graff
- School of Earth and Space Exploration; Arizona State University; Tempe Arizona USA
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Zolotov MY, Mironenko MV. Timing of acid weathering on Mars: A kinetic-thermodynamic assessment. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2007. [DOI: 10.1029/2006je002882] [Citation(s) in RCA: 86] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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Glotch TD, Rogers AD. Evidence for aqueous deposition of hematite- and sulfate-rich light-toned layered deposits in Aureum and Iani Chaos, Mars. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2007. [DOI: 10.1029/2006je002863] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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Squyres SW, Aharonson O, Arvidson RE, Bell JF, Christensen PR, Clark BC, Crisp JA, Farrand W, Glotch T, Golombek MP, Grant J, Grotzinger J, Herkenhoff KE, Johnson JR, Jolliff BL, Knoll AH, McLennan SM, McSween HY, Moore JM, Rice JW, Tosca N. Planetary science: bedrock formation at Meridiani Planum. Nature 2006; 443:E1-2; discussion E2. [PMID: 16957684 DOI: 10.1038/nature05212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity discovered sulphate-rich sedimentary rocks at Meridiani Planum on Mars, which are interpreted by McCollom and Hynek as altered volcanic rocks. However, their conclusions are derived from an incorrect representation of our depositional model, which is upheld by more recent Rover data. We contend that all the available data still support an aeolian and aqueous sedimentary origin for Meridiani bedrock.
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Affiliation(s)
- S W Squyres
- Department of Astronomy, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA.
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Glotch TD, Bandfield JL. Determination and interpretation of surface and atmospheric Miniature Thermal Emission Spectrometer spectral end-members at the Meridiani Planum landing site. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2006. [DOI: 10.1029/2005je002671] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Timothy D. Glotch
- Division of Geological and Planetary Science; California Institute of Technology; Pasadena California USA
| | - Joshua L. Bandfield
- Department of Geological Sciences; Arizona State University; Tempe Arizona USA
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Squyres SW, Knoll AH, Arvidson RE, Clark BC, Grotzinger JP, Jolliff BL, McLennan SM, Tosca N, Bell JF, Calvin WM, Farrand WH, Glotch TD, Golombek MP, Herkenhoff KE, Johnson JR, Klingelhöfer G, McSween HY, Yen AS. Two Years at Meridiani Planum: Results from the Opportunity Rover. Science 2006; 313:1403-7. [PMID: 16959999 DOI: 10.1126/science.1130890] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
The Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity has spent more than 2 years exploring Meridiani Planum, traveling approximately 8 kilometers and detecting features that reveal ancient environmental conditions. These include well-developed festoon (trough) cross-lamination formed in flowing liquid water, strata with smaller and more abundant hematite-rich concretions than those seen previously, possible relict "hopper crystals" that might reflect the formation of halite, thick weathering rinds on rock surfaces, resistant fracture fills, and networks of polygonal fractures likely caused by dehydration of sulfate salts. Chemical variations with depth show that the siliciclastic fraction of outcrop rock has undergone substantial chemical alteration from a precursor basaltic composition. Observations from microscopic to orbital scales indicate that ancient Meridiani once had abundant acidic groundwater, arid and oxidizing surface conditions, and occasional liquid flow on the surface.
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Affiliation(s)
- S W Squyres
- Department of Astronomy, Space Sciences Building, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
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Glotch TD, Bandfield JL, Christensen PR, Calvin WM, McLennan SM, Clark BC, Rogers AD, Squyres SW. Mineralogy of the light-toned outcrop at Meridiani Planum as seen by the Miniature Thermal Emission Spectrometer and implications for its formation. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2006. [DOI: 10.1029/2005je002672] [Citation(s) in RCA: 86] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Timothy D. Glotch
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences; California Institute of Technology; Pasadena California USA
| | - Joshua L. Bandfield
- Department of Geological Sciences; Arizona State University; Tempe Arizona USA
| | | | - Wendy M. Calvin
- Department of Geological Sciences; University of Nevada; Reno Nevada USA
| | - Scott M. McLennan
- Department of Geosciences; State University of New York; Stony Brook New York USA
| | | | - A. Deanne Rogers
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences; California Institute of Technology; Pasadena California USA
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