Jarosite dissolution rates and maximum lifetimes in high salinity brines: Implications for Earth and Mars

Forsterite dissolution rates in Mg‐sulfate‐rich Mars‐analog brines and implications of the aqueous history of Mars

“…A few experiments have examined the effect of ionic strength on dissolution of various minerals, with implications for Mars, including jarosite [ Pritchett et al ., ], basaltic glass [ Hausrath and Brantley , ], nontronite [ Steiner et al ., ], and olivine [ Hausrath and Brantley , ]. However, none have examined the effect of Mg‐ and sulfate‐containing brines, likely important on Mars, on alteration of olivine, a widely detected mineral previously used for duration of liquid water mineral on Mars, and none have explored the effect of differences between ionic strength and activity of water on mechanisms of dissolution, broadly important to the interaction of brines with minerals on Mars.…”

Acid Experimental Evolution of the Extremely Halophilic Archaeon Halobacterium sp. NRC-1 Selects Mutations Affecting Arginine Transport and Catabolism

“…Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity discovered substantial deposits of an iron hydrous sulfate 55 mineral known as jarosite [KFe 3+ 3(OH)6(SO4)2] which on Earth forms in acidic and iron-rich 56 aqueous environments such as acid mine drainage and near volcanic vents. Opportunity's 57 discovery of jarosite on Mars was evidence of acidic, liquid water and an oxidizing atmosphere 58 in the Martian past (13,14). Acid and metals can amplify the stress associated with each 59 condition (15).…”

Assessing hydrodynamic effects on jarosite dissolution rates, reaction products, and preservation on Mars

“…Observations of both hematite and jarosite in outcrops in Meridiani Planum [ Klingelhöfer et al ., ] suggest a period of post‐jarosite aqueous diagenesis that halted prior to complete jarosite dissolution [ Elwood Madden et al ., ]. Therefore, jarosite dissolution rates can be used to constrain the duration and nature of aqueous diagenesis on Mars [ Elwood Madden et al ., , ; Pritchett et al ., ].…”

“…The objective of this study is to learn how different hydrologic conditions may affect jarosite dissolution to better constrain both the duration of diagenesis and the nature of near‐surface fluids during the transition from a likely wetter early Mars to the drier, colder Amazonian/Siderkian period [ Bibring et al ., ; Andrews‐Hanna and Lewis , ; Ehlmann et al ., ] as recorded by significant sulfate mineral deposits observed in late Noachian‐Hesperian/Theikian‐aged rocks, including abundant jarosite within the Burns formation at Meridiani Planum [ Klingelhöfer et al ., ; Christensen et al ., ]. We aim to test the hypothesis that jarosite dissolution rates increase with fluid flow rates due to shifts in the reaction mechanism from diffusion/ mass transport‐limited dissolution rates in batch reactors to surface reaction‐limited dissolution at higher flow rates in open flow‐through reactors by comparing jarosite flow‐through dissolution rates and reaction products in ultrapure water (UPW), pH 2 sulfuric acid, and saturated NaCl and CaCl 2 brines to rates measured in previous short‐term batch reactor experiments conducted using similar synthetic jarosite and solution chemistries [ Elwood Madden et al ., , ; Pritchett et al ., ]. K‐jarosite was selected as the jarosite end‐member investigated in these experiments for direct comparison with previous batch reactor studies in both dilute solutions and saturated brines [ Elwood Madden et al ., , ; Pritchett et al ., ].…”

“…We aim to test the hypothesis that jarosite dissolution rates increase with fluid flow rates due to shifts in the reaction mechanism from diffusion/ mass transport‐limited dissolution rates in batch reactors to surface reaction‐limited dissolution at higher flow rates in open flow‐through reactors by comparing jarosite flow‐through dissolution rates and reaction products in ultrapure water (UPW), pH 2 sulfuric acid, and saturated NaCl and CaCl 2 brines to rates measured in previous short‐term batch reactor experiments conducted using similar synthetic jarosite and solution chemistries [ Elwood Madden et al ., , ; Pritchett et al ., ]. K‐jarosite was selected as the jarosite end‐member investigated in these experiments for direct comparison with previous batch reactor studies in both dilute solutions and saturated brines [ Elwood Madden et al ., , ; Pritchett et al ., ].…”