Antarctic permafrost: An analogue for water and diagenetic minerals on Mars

Abstract

At high altitudes (Ͼ1000 m) throughout the Dry Valleys, Antarctica, liquid water is rare, yet ground ice, which may be millions of years old, is pervasive in glacial sediments and bedrock. The origin of this ice is different from its arctic and alpine counterparts and may be similar to water on Mars. We present chemical and isotopic analyses of Antarctic ground ice from cores of Sirius Group sediments at Table Mountain in the Dry Valleys. These data, together with the presence of diagenetic calcite and chabazite in the frozen sediments, indicate that the ice and minerals accumulated over long periods of time from atmospheric water vapor and brine films formed on the surface of the ground. This analogy indicates that ferric-bearing minerals could precipitate under present conditions in the Martian soil.

Ground ice recharge via brine transport in frozen soils of Victoria Valley, Antarctica: Insights from modeling δ18O and δD profiles

“…While there is no proof that salt distribution in the ground is not inherited, the higher total salt content at deeper depth in ice cement ( Table 1) does indicate that salt was likely transported in brine films, a process also suggested by Dickinson and Rosen (2003). Brine transport is also supported by the salt composition that follows the path of solubility at subfreezing temperatures.…”

“…Such excess has been observed in 'open' water bodies in lakes of East Antarctica (Richter and Bormann, 1995), in Don Juan Pond (Matsubaya et al, 1979) where they attest to considerable evaporation. As noted by Dickinson and Rosen (2003) and Marchant et al (2002), the high deuterium excess may reflect the formation of this ice from residual melt water remaining after much evaporation, consistent with snowmelt water being the source for ice recharge.…”

“…A compilation of soil characteristics in the Dry Valleys noted that $40% of the soils contain ice, predominantly at coastal sites and along the plateau (Bockheim, 2002;Campbell and Claridge, 2006). Ice contents between 5 and 45 wt% are described for Sirius Group sediments on Table Mountain (Dickinson and Rosen, 2003) and other locations throughout the Transantarctic Mountains (Campbell and Claridge, 2006). Ice rich permafrost was observed to 300 m depth during the Dry Valley Drilling Project (Stuiver et al, 1981).…”

“…one event approximately every 2 years for the past 8 years), suggesting snowmelt water infiltration as a potentially significant recharge mechanism. The stable isotope composition (dD, d 18 O) of ice lenses in sublimation till (Marchant et al, 2002) and ice cement at Table Mountain (Dickinson and Rosen, 2003) has been altered by physico-chemical processes that caused low deuterium excess. Such excess has been observed in 'open' water bodies in lakes of East Antarctica (Richter and Bormann, 1995), in Don Juan Pond (Matsubaya et al, 1979) where they attest to considerable evaporation.…”

Planetary science and exploration in the deep subsurface: results from the MINAR Program, Boulby Mine, UK

“…These analogs tend to be focused, at a high level, on science, science operations, or technology research and testing, or a combination of these topics (e.g. Dickinson and Rosen 2003;Sarrazin et al 2005; Cabrol et al 2007;Pollard et al 2009; Lim et al 2011;Abercromby et al 2013). Analog field settings are used to evaluate scientific instruments of particular relevance to future flight missions in a rugged field setting.…”