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1.
The Tyrrhena Terra region of Mars is studied with the imaging spectrometers OMEGA (Observatoire pour la Minéralogie, l’Eau, les Glaces et l’Activité) onboard Mars Express and CRISM (Compact Reconnaissance Infrared Spectrometer for Mars) onboard Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, through the observation of tens of craters that impacted into this part of the martian highlands. The 175 detections of hydrated silicates are reported, mainly associated with ejecta blankets, crater walls and rims, and central up-lifts. Sizes of craters where hydrated silicates are detected are highly variable, diameters range from less than 1 km to 42 km. We report the presence of zeolites and phyllosilicates like prehnite, Mg-chlorite, Mg-rich smectites and mixed-layer chlorites–smectites and chlorite–vermiculite from comparison of hyperspectral infrared observations with laboratory spectra. These minerals are associated with fresh craters post-dating any aqueous activity. They likely represent ancient hydrated terrains excavated by the crater-forming impacts, and hence reveal the composition of the altered Noachian crust, although crater-related hydrothermal activity may have played a minor role for the largest craters (>20 km in diameter). Most detected minerals formed over relatively high temperatures (100–300 °C), likely due to aqueous alteration of the Noachian crust by regional low grade metamorphism from the Noachian thermal gradient and/or by extended hydrothermal systems associated with Noachian volcanism and ancient large impact craters. This is in contrast with some other phyllosilicate-bearing regions like Mawrth Vallis where smectites, kaolinites and hydrated silica were mainly identified, pointing to a predominance of surface/shallow sub-surface alteration; and where excavation by impacts played only a minor role. Smooth plains containing hydrated silicates are observed at the boundary between the Noachian altered crust, dissected by fluvial valleys, and the Hesperian unaltered volcanic plains. These plains may correspond to alluvial deposition of eroded material. The highlands of Tyrrhena Terra are therefore particularly well suited for investigating the diversity of hydrated minerals in ancient martian terrains.  相似文献   

2.
HiRISE images together with other recent orbital data from Mars define new characteristics of enigmatic Hesperian-aged deposits in Sirenum Fossae that are mostly 100-200 m thick, drape kilometers of relief, and often display generally low relief surfaces. New characteristics of the deposits, previously mapped as the “Electris deposits,” include local detection of meter-scale beds that show truncating relationships, a generally light-toned nature, and a variably blocky, weakly indurated appearance. Boulders shed by erosion of the deposits are readily broken down and contribute little to talus. Thermal inertia values for the deposits are ∼200 J m−2 K−1 s−1/2 and they may incorporate hydrated minerals derived from weathering of basalt. The deposits do not contain anomalous amounts of water or water ice. Deflation may dominate degradation of the deposits over time and points to an inventory of fine-grained sediment. Together with constraints imposed by the regional setting on formation processes, these newly resolved characteristics are most consistent with an eolian origin as a loess-like deposit comprised of redistributed and somewhat altered volcanic ash. Constituent sediments may be derived from airfall ash deposits in the Tharsis region. An origin directly related to airfall ash or similar volcanic materials is less probable and emplacement by alluvial/fluvial, impact, lacustrine, or relict polar processes is even less likely.  相似文献   

3.
Abstract— The 50,000 year old, 1.8 km diameter Lonar crater is one of only two known terrestrial craters to be emplaced in basaltic target rock (the 65 million year old Deccan Traps). The composition of the Lonar basalts is similar to martian basaltic meteorites, which establishes Lonar as an excellent analogue for similarly sized craters on the surface of Mars. Samples from cores drilled into the Lonar crater floor show that there are basaltic impact breccias that have been altered by post‐impact hydrothermal processes to produce an assemblage of secondary alteration minerals. Microprobe data and X‐ray diffraction analyses show that the alteration mineral assemblage consists primarily of saponite, with minor celadonite, and carbonate. Thermodynamic modeling and terrestrial volcanic analogues were used to demonstrate that these clay minerals formed at temperatures between 130°C and 200°C. By comparing the Lonar alteration assemblage with alteration at other terrestrial craters, we conclude that the Lonar crater represents a lower size limit for impact‐induced hydrothermal activity. Based on these results, we suggest that similarly sized craters on Mars have the potential to form hydrothermal systems, as long as liquid water was present on or near the martian surface. Furthermore, the Fe‐rich alteration minerals produced by post‐impact hydrothermal processes could contribute to the minor iron enrichment associated with the formation of the martian soil.  相似文献   

4.
Evidence of recent gully activity on Mars has been reported based on the formation of new light toned deposits within the past decade, the origin of which remains controversial. Analogous recent light toned gully features have formed by liquid water activity in the Atacama Desert on Earth. These terrestrial deposits leave no mineralogical trace of water activity but rather show an albedo difference due to particle size sorting within a fine-grained mudflow. Therefore, spectral differences indicating varying mineralogy between a recent gully deposit and the surrounding terrain may not be the most relevant criteria for detecting water flow in arid environments. Instead, variation in particle size between the deposit and surrounding terrain is a possible discriminator to identify a water-based flow. We show that the Atacama deposit is similar to the observed Mars gully deposits, and both are consistent with liquid water activity. The light-toned Mars gully deposits could have formed from dry debris flows, but a liquid water origin cannot be ruled out because not all liquid water flows leave hydrated minerals behind on the surface. Therefore, the Mars deposits could be remnant mudflows that formed on Mars within the last decade.  相似文献   

5.
A large number of candidate open-basin lakes (low-lying regions with both inlet valleys and an outlet valley) have been identified and mapped on Mars and are fed by valley network systems that were active near the Noachian–Hesperian boundary. The nature of processes that modified the open-basin lake interiors subsequent to lacustrine activity, and how frequently sedimentary deposits related to lacustrine activity remain exposed, has not been extensively examined. An analysis of 226 open-basin lakes was undertaken to identify evidence for: (1) exposed deposits of possible lacustrine origin and (2) post-lacustrine-activity processes that may have modified or resurfaced open-basin lakes. Spectroscopic data from the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) instrument were analyzed over identified exposed open-basin lake deposits to assess the mineralogy of these deposits. Particular attention was paid to the possible detection of any component of aqueous alteration minerals (e.g. phyllosilicates, hydrated silica, zeolites) or evaporites (e.g. carbonates, sulfates, chlorides) associated with these exposed deposits. The aim of this paper is to act as a broad survey and cataloguing of the types of lacustrine and post-lacustrine deposits that are present within these 226 paleolake basins. Results of the morphologic classification indicate that 79 open-basin lakes (～35% of the population) contain exposed deposits of possible lacustrine origin, identified on the basis of fan/delta deposits, layered deposits and/or exposed floor material of apparent lacustrine origin. Additionally, all 226 open-basin lakes examined appear to have been at least partially resurfaced subsequent to their formation by several processes, including volcanism, glacial and periglacial activity, impact cratering and aeolian activity. Results from the analysis of CRISM data show that only 10 (～29% of the 34 deposits with CRISM coverage) of the exposed open-basin lake deposits contain positively identified aqueous alteration minerals, with one deposit also containing evaporites. The identified hydrated and evaporite minerals include Fe/Mg-smectite, kaolinite, hydrated silica and carbonate, with Fe/Mg-smectite the most commonly identified mineral. These results indicate that hydrated and evaporite minerals are not as commonly associated with lacustrine deposits on Mars as they are on Earth. This suggests in situ alteration and mineral precipitation, a common source of such minerals in terrestrial lakes, was not a major process occurring in these paleo-lacustrine systems, and that the observed minerals are likely to be present as transported material within the lacustrine deposits. The lack of widespread in situ alteration also suggests that either the water chemistry in these paleolake systems was not conducive to aqueous alteration and mineral precipitation, or that the open-basin lake systems were relatively short-lived.  相似文献   

6.
Clay minerals, although ubiquitous on the ancient terrains of Mars, have not been observed in Martian meteorite Allan Hills (ALH) 84001, which is an orthopyroxenite sample of the early Martian crust with a secondary carbonate assemblage. We used a low‐temperature (20 °C) one‐dimensional (1‐D) transport thermochemical model to investigate the possible aqueous alteration processes that produced the carbonate assemblage of ALH 84001 while avoiding the coprecipitation of clay minerals. We found that the carbonate in ALH 84001 could have been produced in a process, whereby a low‐temperature (~20 °C) fluid, initially equilibrated with the early Martian atmosphere, moved through surficial clay mineral and silica‐rich layers, percolated through the parent rock of the meteorite, and precipitated carbonates (thereby decreasing the partial pressure of CO2) as it evaporated. This finding requires that before encountering the unweathered orthopyroxenite host of ALH 84001, the fluid permeated rock that became weathered during the process. We were able to predict the composition of the clay minerals formed during weathering, which included the dioctahedral smectite nontronite, kaolinite, and chlorite, all of which have been previously detected on Mars. We also calculated host rock replacement in local equilibrium conditions by the hydrated silicate talc, which is typically considered to be a higher temperature hydrothermal phase on Earth, but may have been a common constituent in the formation of Martian soils through pervasive aqueous alteration. Finally, goethite and magnetite were also found to precipitate in the secondary alteration assemblage, the latter associated with the generation of H2. Apparently, despite the limited water–rock interaction that must have led to the formation of the carbonates ~ 3.9 Ga ago, in the vicinity of the ALH 84001 source rocks, clay formation would have been widespread.  相似文献   

7.
The results of the analysis of the spectral observations of Mars carried out with the OMEGA spectrometer onboard the Mars Express spacecraft are presented. The data from one of the spectrometer’s channels working in the near-IR spectral range (0.93–2.69 μm) were analyzed. This range includes the characteristic absorption bands of both condensed water phases (ice and frost) and bound water contained in hydrated minerals of the Martial soil. From the 1.93-μm band indicating the presence of these minerals, global maps of the bound-water index have been made. They show a noticeable latitude dependence of the index: the largest values refer to high latitudes (>60°), while they gradually diminish toward the equator. Seasonal variations of the spectral index obtained by the 1.93-μm band are connected with the hydration-dehydration processes occurring in hydrogenous minerals when the temperature of the soil and the relative humidity in the near-surface atmospheric layer are changing. The evolution of the spectral absorption bands of water ice (1.2 and 1.5 μm) dependent on the season testifies to the changes in the microstructure of the surface layer in the North ploar cap caused by the sublimate re-crystallization processes in the ice sheet. The spatial pattern of the location of the areas where the microstructure most quickly grows could be formed under the influence of the stationary atmospheric waves.  相似文献   

8.
Encouraged by recent results of the Mars Odyssey spacecraft mission and the OMEGA team (Mars Express) concerning water in equatorial latitudes between ±45° on Mars and the possible existence of hydrated minerals, we have investigated the water sorption properties of natural zeolites and clay minerals close to martian atmospheric surface conditions as well as the properties of Mg-sulfates and gypsum. To quantify the stability of hydrous minerals on the martian surface and their interaction with the martian atmosphere, the water adsorption and desorption properties of nontronite, montmorillonite, chabazite and clinoptilolite have been investigated using adsorption isotherms at low equilibrium water vapor pressures and temperatures, modeling of the adsorption equilibrium data, thermogravimetry (TG), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and proton magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance measurements (1H MAS NMR). Mg-sulfate hydrates were also analyzed using TG/DSC methods to compare with clay mineral and zeolites. Our data show that these microporous minerals can remain hydrated under present martian atmospheric conditions and hold up to 2.5-25 wt% of water in their void volumes at a partial water vapor pressure of 0.001 mbar in a temperature range of 333-193 K. Results of the 1H MAS NMR measurements suggest that parts of the adsorbed water are liquid-like water and that the mobility of the adsorbed water might be of importance for adsorption-water-triggered chemistry and hypothetical exobiological activity on Mars.  相似文献   

9.
The Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES) has observed a high-silica material in the dark regions of Mars that is spectrally similar to obsidian glass and may have a volcanic origin. An alternate interpretation is that the spectrally amorphous material consists of clay minerals or some other secondary material, formed by chemical alteration of surface rocks. The regions where this material is observed (e.g., Acidalia Planitia) have relatively high spectral contrast, suggesting that the high-silica material exists as coarse particulates, indurated soils or cements, within rocks, or as indurated coatings on rock surfaces. The geologic interpretation of this spectral result has major implications for understanding magmatic evolution and weathering processes on Mars. One of the complications in interpreting spectral observations of glasses and clay minerals is that both are structurally and compositionally complex. In this study, we perform a detailed spectroscopic analysis of indurated smectite clay minerals and relate their thermal emission spectral features to structural and crystal chemical properties. We examine the spectral similarities and differences between smectite clay minerals and obsidian glass from a structural-chemical perspective, and make further mineralogical interpretations from previous TES results. The results suggest that neither smectite clays nor any clay mineral with similar structural and chemical properties can adequately explain TES observations of high-silica materials in some martian dark regions. If the spectrally amorphous materials observed by TES do represent an alteration product, then these materials are likely to be poorly crystalline aluminosilicates. While all clay minerals have Si/O ratios ?0.4, the position of the emissivity minimum at Mars suggests a Si/O ratio of 0.4-0.5. The spectral observation could be explained by the existence of a silica-rich alteration product, such as Al- or Fe-bearing opal, an intimate physical mixture of relatively pure silica and other aluminosilicates (such as clay minerals or clay precursors), or certain zeolites. The chemical alteration of basaltic rocks on Mars to phyllosilicate-poor, silica-rich alteration products provides a geologically reasonable and consistent explanation for the global TES surface mineralogical results.  相似文献   

10.
Lava tubes and basaltic caves are common features in volcanic terrains on Earth. Lava tubes and cave-like features have also been identified on Mars based on orbital imagery and remote-sensing data. Caves are unique environments where both secondary mineral precipitation and microbial growth are enhanced by stable physico-chemical conditions. Thus, they represent excellent locations where traces of microbial life, or biosignatures, are formed and preserved in minerals. By analogy with terrestrial caves, caves on Mars may contain a record of secondary mineralization that would inform us on past aqueous activity. They may also represent the best locations to search for biosignatures. The study of caves on Earth can be used to test hypotheses and better understand biogeochemical processes, and the signatures that these processes leave in mineral deposits. Caves may also serve as test beds for the development of exploration strategies and novel technologies for future missions to Mars. Here we review recent evidence for the presence of caves or lava tubes on Mars, as well as the geomicrobiology of lava tubes and basaltic caves on Earth. We also propose future lines of investigation, including exploration strategies and relevant technologies.  相似文献   

11.
The south residual polar cap of Mars, rich in CO2 ice, is compositionally distinct from the north residual cap which is dominantly H2O ice. The south cap is also morphologically distinct, displaying a bewildering variety of depressions formed in thin layered deposits, which have been observed to change by scarp retreat over an interval of one Mars year (Malin et al., 2001, Science 294, 2146-2148). The climatically sensitive locale of the residual caps suggests that their behavior may help in the interpretation of recent fluctuations or repeatability of the Mars climate. We have used Mars Global Surveyor Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) images obtained in three southern summers to map the variety of features in the south residual cap and to evaluate changes over two Mars years (Mars y). The images show that there are two distinct layered units which were deposited at different times separated by a period of degradation. The older unit, ∼10 m thick, has layers approximately 2 m thick. The younger unit has variable numbers of layers, each ∼1 m thick. The older unit is eroding by scarp retreat averaging 3.6 m/Mars y, a rate greater than the retreat of 2.2 m/Mars y observed for the younger unit. The rates of scarp retreat and sizes of the different types of depressions indicate that the history of the residual cap has been short periods of deposition interspersed with longer erosional periods. Erosion of the older unit probably occupied ∼100-150 Mars y. One layer may have been deposited after the Mariner 9 observations in 1972. Residual cap layers appear to differ from normal annual winter deposits by having a higher albedo and perhaps by having higher porosities. These properties might be produced by differences in the depositional meteorology that affect the fraction of high porosity snow included in the winter deposition.  相似文献   

12.
Several hydrated silicate deposits on Mars are observed within craters and are interpreted as excavated Noachian material. Toro crater (71.8°E, 17.0°N), located on the northern edge of the Syrtis Major Volcanic Plains, shows spectral and morphologic evidence of impact-induced hydrothermal activity. Spectroscopic observations were used to identify extensive hydrated silicate deposits, including prehnite, chlorites, smectites, and opaline material, a suite of phases that frequently results from hydrothermal alteration in terrestrial craters and also expected on Mars from geochemical modeling of hydrothermal environments. When combined with altimetry and high-resolution imaging data, these deposits appear associated predominantly with the central uplift and with portions of the northern part of the crater floor. Detailed geologic mapping of these deposits reveals geomorphic features that are consistent with hydrothermal activity that followed the impact event, including vent-like and conical mound structures, and a complex network of tectonic structures caused by fluid interactions such as fractures and joints. The crater age has been calculated from the cumulative crater size-frequency distributions and is found to be Early Hesperian. The evidence presented here provides support for impact-induced hydrothermal activity in Toro crater, that extends phyllosilicate formation processes beyond the Noachian era.  相似文献   

13.
The presence of water-bearing minerals on Mars has long been discussed, but little or no data exist showing that minerals such as smectites and zeolites may be present on the surface in a hydrated state (i.e., that they could contain H2O molecules in their interlayer or extra-framework sites, respectively). We have analyzed experimental thermodynamic and X-ray powder diffraction data for smectite and the most common terrestrial zeolite, clinoptilolite, to evaluate the state of hydration of these minerals under martian surface conditions. Thermodynamic data for clinoptilolite show that water molecules in its extra-framework sites are held very strongly, with enthalpies of dehydration for Ca-clinoptilolite up to three times greater than that for liquid water. Using these data, we calculated the Gibbs free energy of hydration of clinoptilolite and smectite as a function of temperature and pressure. The calculations demonstrate that these minerals would indeed be hydrated under the very low-P (H2O) conditions existing on Mars, a reflection of their high affinities for H2O. These calculations assuming the partial pressure of H2O and the temperature range expected on Mars suggest that, if present on the surface, zeolites and Ca-smectites could also play a role in affecting the diurnal variations in martian atmospheric H2O because their calculated water contents vary considerably over daily martian temperature ranges. The open crystal structure of clinoptilolite and existing hydration and kinetic data suggest that hydration/dehydration are not kinetically limited. Based on these calculations, it is possible that hydrated zeolites and clay minerals may explain some of the recent observations of significant amounts of hydrogen not attributable to water ice at martian mid-latitudes.  相似文献   

14.
The climatic impact of volcanic activity on the Earth and Mars is considered and a comparative analysis is made. The effect of gaseous components and of aerosols, formed in the process of the evolution of volcanic cloud, on the greenhouse effect and climate on the Earth and Mars is analyzed. A numerical modelling has shown that the climatic impact of volcanic activity depends on the optical properties (the extent of opacity of the atmospheric gaseous components and on the intensity of volcanic activity). In connection with sporadic variations in the intensity of volcanic activity, a temporal modulation of climate takes place with alternating periods of warming and cooling. An important role of SO2 and volcanic aerosols in the formation of climate in the presence of evolution of the Earth and Mars is revealed.  相似文献   

15.
The 174 km diameter Terby impact crater (28.0°S-74.1°E) located on the northern rim of the Hellas basin displays anomalous inner morphology, including a flat floor and light-toned layered deposits. An analysis of these deposits was performed using multiple datasets from Mars Global Surveyor, Mars Odyssey, Mars Express and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter missions, with visible images for interpretation, near-infrared data for mineralogical mapping, and topography for geometry. The geometry of layered deposits was consistent with that of sediments that settled mainly in a sub-aqueous environment, during the Noachian period as determined by crater counts. To the north, the thickest sediments displayed sequences for fan deltas, as identified by 100 m to 1 km long clinoforms, as defined by horizontal beds passing to foreset beds dipping by 6-10° toward the center of the Terby crater. The identification of distinct sub-aqueous fan sequences, separated by unconformities and local wedges, showed the accumulation of sediments from prograding/onlapping depositional sequences, due to lake level and sediment supply variations. The mineralogy of several layers with hydrated minerals, including Fe/Mg phyllosilicates, supports this type of sedimentary environment. The volume of fan sediments was estimated as >5000 km3 (a large amount considering classical martian fan deltas such as Eberswalde (6 km3)) and requires sustained liquid water activity. Such a large sedimentary deposition in Terby crater is characteristic of the Noachian/Phyllosian period during which the environment favored the formation of phyllosilicates. The latter were detected by spectral data in the layered deposits of Terby crater in three distinct layer sequences. During the Hesperian period, the sediments experienced strong erosion, possibly enhanced by more acidic conditions, forming the current morphology with three mesas and closed depressions. Small fluvial valleys and alluvial fans formed subsequently, attesting to late fluvial processes dated as late Early to early Late Hesperian. After this late fluvial episode, the Terby impact crater was submitted to aeolian processes and permanent cold conditions with viscous flow features. Therefore, the Terby crater displays, in a single location, geologic features that characterize the three main periods of time on Mars, with the presence of one of the thickest sub-aqueous fan deposits reported on Mars. The filling of Terby impact crater is thus one potential “reference geologic cross-section” for Mars stratigraphy.  相似文献   

16.
Geological analysis of Mars imagery supports the hypothesis that the planet has been the site of recent (<?10 Ma) volcanic and tectonic processes and glacier flow, and makes most likely previous suggestions of continuing endogenic and exogenic activity. Tectonic structures which deform very slightly cratered (at MOC scales) surfaces of Tharsis Montes and surrounding regions seem to attest to active tectonism (both extensional and transcurrent) on Mars. Exogenic processes in this region, such as a glacial origin for the aureole deposits on the northwestern flanks of the Tharsis Montes shield volcanoes, are supported by new data. The very recent age of these structures could be the first direct confirmation that drastic changes in obliquity are modulating the martian climate, such that an increase in obliquity would result in equatorial glaciers taking the place of the receding polar ice caps. If this and other concurring research is extended and confirmed, the ‘alive Mars’ which would emerge would constitute a most appealing place for exobiology and comparative planetology.  相似文献   

17.
Lakes on Mars were formed under periglacial to glacial climates. Extreme conditions prevailed including freezing temperatures, low atmospheric pressure, high evaporation/sublimation rates, and liquid water reservoirs locked in aquifers below a thick cryosphere. Although many of the Martian paleolakes display evidence of a short period of activity consistent with these conditions, others display clear evidence of lifetimes ranging from 104 to 105 years. The discovery of young seeping processes in impact craters and pole-facing valley slopes along with young volcanic activity raise questions about the conditions and limitations of liquid water flow and potential lacustrine activity today on Mars. Current climate models show that in today's conditions there exist regions on Mars of sols above the triple point and below boiling point of water that could provide hydrogeological conditions comparable to these of the Antarctic Dry Valley lakes (with the exception of the atmosphere pressure). The locations of the most recent Martian paleolakes are correlated with these regions. Throughout the history of Mars, lakes generated diversified environments, which could have provided potential habitats for life. The recent discovery of young energy sources from volcanism and the potential for liquid water reinforces the possibility of extant life on Mars, and suggests recent ponds and ancient paleolakes as primary targets for rover and sample return missions.  相似文献   

18.
The presence of extensive phyllosilicate deposits from the early Noachian of Mars are often interpreted as having formed from neutral to subalkaline solutions. In this paper we examine the Río Tinto fluvial basin, an early Mars analog, that hosts clay production and sedimentation along the entire course of the river. At Río Tinto, phyllosilicate minerals including clays and micas are sourced by volcanosedimentary bedrock of rhyolitic and andesitic composition affected by Carboniferous hydrothermal alteration. Pleistocene to modern acidic weathering of those materials chemically altered the volcanic and sedimentary materials to K/Na-clay-(montmorillonite/smectites)-kaolinite assemblages in paleosoils and fractures while physical weathering degrades phyllosilicates more resistant to acidic attack. During the wet season, phyllosilicates are eroded, transported and deposited from both acidic headwaters and neutral tributaries. During the dry season, sulfates and nanophase oxyhydroxides co-precipitate. Late summer storms that cause fast flooding events mix illite, quartz, feldspars, iron oxides and other minerals in fluvial deposits where these minerals are stabilized and aggrade until the following wet season. As a result, chemical precipitates, primary phyllosilicates and secondary clays form mineral admixtures that explain the compositional diversity of the fluvial deposits. These deposits reveal the persistence of smectites, whose occurrence is explained given that the reaction kinetics under acidic conditions of degradation is lowered by seasonal discharges of the river. The longevity of phyllosilicate minerals within fluvial deposits depends on climatic and geochemical conditions and processes which are in turn are correlated to temperature, persistence of water, hydrological cycling, hydrogeochemistry and composition of the source materials in the basement. These parameters are universal and have to be characterized in order to understand the distribution of mineral composition on any planetary surface, including Mars.  相似文献   

19.
Analyses of Mars Express OMEGA hyperspectral data (0.4-2.7 μm) for Terra Meridiani and western Arabia Terra show that the northern mantled cratered terrains are covered by dust that is spectrally dominated by nanophase ferric oxides. Dark aeolian dunes inside craters and dark streaks extending from the dunes into the intercrater areas in mantled cratered terrains in western Arabia Terra have similar pyroxene-rich signatures demonstrating that the dunes supply dark basaltic material to create dark streaks. The dissected cratered terrains to the south of the mantled terrains are dominated spectrally by both low-calcium and high-calcium pyroxenes with abundances of 20-30% each retrieved from nonlinear radiative transfer modeling. Spectra over the hematite-bearing plains in Meridiani Planum are characterized by very weak but unique spectral features attributed to a mixture of a dark and featureless component (possibly gray hematite) and minor olivine in some locations. Hydrated minerals (likely hydrous ferric sulfates and/or hydrous hydroxides) associated with poorly ferric crystalline phases are found in the etched terrains to the north and east of the hematite-bearing plains where erosion has exposed ∼1 km of section of layered outcrops with high thermal inertias. These materials are also found in numerous craters in the northern Terra Meridiani and may represent outliers of the etched terrain materials. A few localized spots within the etched terrain also exhibit the spectral signature of Fe-rich phyllosilicates. The ensemble of observations show that the evidence for aqueous processes detected by the Opportunity Rover in Meridiani Planum is widespread and confirms the extended presence of surface or near-surface water over this large region of Mars. The scenarios of formation of Terra Meridiani (“dirty” acidic evaporite, impact surge or weathering of volcanic ash) cannot satisfactorily explain the mineralogy derived from the OMEGA observations. The formation of the etched terrains is consistent with leaching of iron sulfides and formation of sulfates and hydrated iron oxides, either in-place or via transport and evaporation of aqueous fluids and under aqueous conditions less acidic than inferred from rocks examined by Opportunity.  相似文献   

20.
An extensive layered formation covers the high plateaus around Valles Marineris. Mapping based on HiRISE, CTX and HRSC images reveals these layered deposits (LDs) crop out north of Tithonium Chasma, south of Ius Chasma, around West Candor Chasma, and southwest of Juventae Chasma and Ganges Chasma. The estimated area covered by LDs is ∼42,300 km2. They consist of a series of alternating light and dark beds, a 100 m in total thickness that is covered by a dark unconsolidated mantle possibly resulting from their erosion. Their stratigraphic relationships with the plateaus and the Valles Marineris chasmata indicate that the LDs were deposited during the Early- to Late Hesperian, and possibly later depending on the region, before the end of the backwasting of the walls near Juventae Chasma, and probably before Louros Valles sapping near Ius Chasma. Their large spatial coverage and their location mainly on highly elevated plateaus lead us to conclude that LDs correspond to airfall dust and/or volcanic ash. The surface of LDs is characterized by various morphological features, including lobate ejecta and pedestal craters, polygonal fractures, valleys and sinuous ridges, and a pitted surface, which are all consistent with liquid water and/or water ice filling the pores of LDs. LDs were episodically eroded by fluvial processes and were possibly modified by sublimation processes. Considering that LDs correspond to dust and/or ash possibly mixed with ice particles in the past, LDs may be compared to Dissected Mantle Terrains currently observed in mid- to high latitudes on Mars, which correspond to a mantle of mixed dust and ice that is partially or totally dissected by sublimation. The analysis of CRISM and OMEGA hyperspectral data indicates that the basal layer of LDs near Ganges Chasma exhibits spectra with absorption bands at ∼1.4 μm, and ∼1.9 μm and a large deep band between ∼2.21 and ∼2.26 μm that are consistent with previous spectral analysis in other regions of LDs. We interpret these spectral characteristics as an enrichment of LDs in opaline silica or by Al-phyllosilicate-rich layers being overlain by hydroxylated ferric sulfate-rich layers. These alteration minerals are consistent with the aqueous alteration of LDs at low temperatures.  相似文献   

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