Incipient hydrothermal alteration of basalts and the origin of martian soil

Nelson, M. J.; Newsom, H. E.; Draper, D. S.

doi:10.1016/j.gca.2005.01.020

Cited by 17 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…The mean composition of Icelandic rivers that results from the dissolution of primary basalts (Gislason and Arnórsson, 1993) is used for Fluid 5. Icelandic lava flows, which exhibit a relatively unaltered basaltic composition, have served as geological, geomorphological, and geochemical Mars analogues for decades (Allen et al, 1981;Nelson et al, 2005;Cousins et al, 2010;. Minissale et al (2000) measured the fluid composition of the moderately hydrothermal (48°C) Deccan flood basalt springs, sourced from up to 3 km depth.…”

Section: Martian Fluidsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Potential for Biologically Catalyzed Anaerobic Methane Oxidation on Ancient Mars

et al. 2014

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This study examines the potential for the biologically mediated anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) coupled to sulfate reduction on ancient Mars. Seven distinct fluids representative of putative martian groundwater were used to calculate Gibbs energy values in the presence of dissolved methane under a range of atmospheric CO 2 partial pressures. In all scenarios, AOM is exergonic, ranging from -31 to -135 kJ/mol CH 4 . A reaction transport model was constructed to examine how environmentally relevant parameters such as advection velocity, reactant concentrations, and biomass production rate affect the spatial and temporal dependences of AOM reaction rates. Two geologically supported models for ancient martian AOM are presented: a sulfate-rich groundwater with methane produced from serpentinization by-products, and acid-sulfate fluids with methane from basalt alteration. The simulations presented in this study indicate that AOM could have been a feasible metabolism on ancient Mars, and fossil or isotopic evidence of this metabolic pathway may persist beneath the surface and in surface exposures of eroded ancient terrains.

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Section: Martian Fluidsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Potential for Biologically Catalyzed Anaerobic Methane Oxidation on Ancient Mars

et al. 2014

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“…As with large volcanoes, the formation of large craters on Mars should have resulted in massive hydrothermal systems that lasted for tens to hundreds of thousands of years (Newsom, 1980;Rathbun and Squyres, 2002). Impact crater hydrothermal processes may have also contributed to the formation of the martian soil (Newsom et al, 1999;Nelson et al, 2005).…”

Section: B6 How Was the Chemistry And Mineralogy Of The Early Martiamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Recent work on terrestrial analogues (Hagerty and Newsom, 2003) has shown that hydrothermal alteration can produce FeO-rich clay minerals, including saponite, that also have low CaO abundances and high FeO when compared with their basaltic protolith, which makes them ideal candidate components of the martian soil (Nelson et al, 2005). The presence of a hydrothermal alteration component is consistent with an origin for the soil in which aeolian erosion of hydrothermally altered FeO-rich basaltic rock preferentially removed the altered minerals, and the basaltic rock then became a geochemical sink for mobile elements, such as S and Cl, which would have been contributed by fluids, volcanic aerosols, or a combination of both processes.…”

Section: B6 How Was the Chemistry And Mineralogy Of The Early Martiamentioning

confidence: 99%

Key Science Questions from the Second Conference on Early Mars: Geologic, Hydrologic, and Climatic Evolution and the Implications for Life

et al. 2005

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In October 2004, more than 130 terrestrial and planetary scientists met in Jackson Hole, WY, to discuss early Mars. The first billion years of martian geologic history is of particular interest because it is a period during which the planet was most active, after which a less dynamic period ensued that extends to the present day. The early activity left a fascinating geological record, which we are only beginning to unravel through direct observation and modeling. In considering this time period, questions outnumber answers, and one of the purposes of the meeting was to gather some of the best experts in the field to consider the current state of knowledge, ascertain which questions remain to be addressed, and identify the most promising approaches to addressing those questions. The purpose of this report is to document that discussion. Throughout the planet's first billion years, planetary-scale processes•including differentiation, hydrodynamic escape, volcanism, large impacts, erosion, and sedimentation•rapidly modified the atmosphere and crust. How did these processes operate, and what were their rates and interdependencies? The early environment was also characterized by both abundant liquid water and plentiful sources of energy, two of the most important conditions considered necessary for the origin of life. Where and when did the most habitable environments occur? Did life actually occupy them, and if so, has life persisted on Mars to the present? Our understanding of early Mars is critical to understanding how the planet we see today came to be.

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“…Hematite is common alteration product of iron-rich volcanic rocks. The formation and evolution processes of iron minerals are good indicators of the surface environment not only in the oxidative terrestrial environment but also in the Martian environment (Newsom and Hagerty, 1997;Christensen et al, 2000;Christensen and Ruff, 2004;Nelson et al, 2005;Morris et al, 2008). Terrestrial analogue to the Martian environment are also discussed on the basis of samples from Antarctic, Arctic, arid climate regions, an impact crater and basaltic igneous rocks (Allen et al, 1981;Berkley and Drake, 1981;Hagerty and Newsom, 2003;Bishop et al, 2007;Hausrath et al, 2008;Gaudin et al, 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Formation of iron mineral fine particles by acidic hydrothermal alteration experiments of synthetic martian basalt

Isobe

Yoshizawa

2014

Journal of Mineralogical and Petrological Sciences

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The constituent and formation process of the Martian surface soil are fundamental problems to understand the evolution and current environment of the Mars. At the Martian volcanoes, iron-rich basaltic rocks should be subject to the hydrothermal alteration by sulfuric acid-bearing solutions. In this work, we carried out alteration experiments of the synthetic iron-rich basaltic material simulated the typical Martian basalt to elucidate the soil formation processes on the Martian surface. In the run products at 100°C with initial concentration of 0.1N sulfuric acid solution, quite characteristic, snowflake-like hematite fine particles of submicrometers in diameter were produced continuously from 7 days to 112 days. In the run products at longer than 28 days at 100°C and all run durations at 150°C, initial precipitation of hydrous and low-crystalline iron oxide minerals form nuclei for crystalline aggregates of hematite with several micrometers in diameter. The ferric iron oxide particles are not produced with 0.001N sulfuric acid solutions and distilled water. Ferrous iron in olivine and glass phase can be oxidized to ferric iron by reaction with sulfuric acid in the low temperature hydrothermal conditions in anoxic conditions. Hematite particles produced in this study are small enough to be blown up by the Martian winds to disperse from alteration sites in volcanic regions to the whole planet. The iron oxide minerals which brought reddish color of the Martian dust may be products of sulfuric acid-bearing hydrothermal alteration with volcanic activities rather than a low temperature weathering related to the ancient Martian climate.

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Incipient hydrothermal alteration of basalts and the origin of martian soil

Cited by 17 publications

References 47 publications

The Potential for Biologically Catalyzed Anaerobic Methane Oxidation on Ancient Mars

The Potential for Biologically Catalyzed Anaerobic Methane Oxidation on Ancient Mars

Key Science Questions from the Second Conference on Early Mars: Geologic, Hydrologic, and Climatic Evolution and the Implications for Life

Formation of iron mineral fine particles by acidic hydrothermal alteration experiments of synthetic martian basalt

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