Spectroscopic Identification of Carbonate Minerals in the Martian Dust

Bandfield, J. L.; Glotch, T. D.; Christensen, P. R.

doi:10.1126/science.1088054

Cited by 340 publications

(248 citation statements)

References 25 publications

(53 reference statements)

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“…Different cations within the carbonates, typically Mg 2+ , Ca 2+ , or Fe 2+ , affect the bond lengths and vibrational frequency of the C-O bonds. The position of the emissivity peak at 6.5 µm in TES spectra of martian dust is most consistent with the presence of Mgcarbonates (Bandfield et al 2003). Although the abundance of carbonate in martian dust appears low, the ubiquity and uniformity of dust across Mars suggest that it may represent a sink as large as 1-3 bars for atmospheric CO 2 (Bandfield et al 2003) (see Sect.…”

Section: Carbonates In Martian Dustmentioning

confidence: 59%

“…TIR measurements of this dust from orbit and by the two Miniature Thermal Emission Spectrometers (Mini-TES) onboard the Mars Exploration Rovers (MER) have demonstrated a common spectral character that suggests uniform mineralogy and particle size wherever the dust is observed (Christensen et al 2004;Yen et al 2005). Bandfield et al (2003) measured TIR spectra of physical mixtures of labradorite as a proxy for martian dust combined with various carbonate minerals and found that a small amount (∼2 to 5 weight %) of fine-particulate magnesite (<10 micron) provided the best fit to distinctive features above 1300 cm −1 in TES spectra of dust. Typically such a small abundance of carbonate would not be detectable, but silicates are relatively transparent at high wavenumbers where carbonates exhibit an emissivity peak near 1500 cm −1 (∼6.5 µm) that arises due to intense volume reflections at the frequency of C-O stretching vibrations.…”

Section: Carbonates In Martian Dustmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Geochemistry of Carbonates on Mars: Implications for Climate History and Nature of Aqueous Environments

et al. 2012

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Ongoing research on martian meteorites and a new set of observations of carbonate minerals provided by an unprecedented series of robotic missions to Mars in the past 15 years help define new constraints on the history of martian climate with important cross- cutting themes including: the CO 2 budget of Mars, the role of Mg-, Fe-rich fluids on Mars, and the interplay between carbonate formation and acidity.Carbonate minerals have now been identified in a wide range of localities on Mars as well as in several martian meteorites. The martian meteorites contain carbonates in low abundances (<1 vol.%) and with a wide range of chemistries. Carbonates have also been identified by remote sensing instruments on orbiting spacecraft in several surface locations as well as in low concentrations (2-5 wt.%) in the martian dust. The Spirit rover also identified an outcrop with 16 to 34 wt.% carbonate material in the Columbia Hills of Gusev Crater that strongly resembled the composition of carbonate found in martian meteorite ALH 84001. Finally, the Phoenix lander identified concentrations of 3-6 wt.% carbonate in the soils of the northern plains.The carbonates discovered to date do not clearly indicate the past presence of a dense Noachian atmosphere, but instead suggest localized hydrothermal aqueous environments with limited water availability that existed primarily in the early to mid-Noachian followed by low levels of carbonate formation from thin films of transient water from the late Noachian to the present. The prevalence of carbonate along with evidence for active carbonate precipitation suggests that a global acidic chemistry is unlikely and a more complex relationship between acidity and carbonate formation is present.

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Section: Carbonates In Martian Dustmentioning

confidence: 59%

Section: Carbonates In Martian Dustmentioning

confidence: 99%

Geochemistry of Carbonates on Mars: Implications for Climate History and Nature of Aqueous Environments

et al. 2012

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“…Provided the existence of an alternative source of anions, mainly derived from volcanic volatiles [ Halevy and Head , 2014], it is expected that these ions would have bonded in evaporites (i.e., sulfates). However, in most localities on Mars, evaporites are commonly absent in clay‐dominated sediments [ Bandfield et al ., 2003; Bishop et al ., 2008; Ehlmann et al ., 2008; Osterloo et al ., 2008]. As a particular example, evaporites in Gale crater are the result of postdepositional fluid migration, in different late‐stage episodes of fluid flow; therefore, clays and evaporites at Gale have very different depositional histories, occurring spatially closely but with deposition times separated by hundreds of millions of years [ Nachon et al ., 2014; Rapin et al ., 2016].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mineral paragenesis on Mars: The roles of reactive surface area and diffusion

et al. 2017

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Geochemical models of secondary mineral precipitation on Mars generally assume semiopen systems (open to the atmosphere but closed at the water‐sediment interface) and equilibrium conditions. However, in natural multicomponent systems, the reactive surface area of primary minerals controls the dissolution rate and affects the precipitation sequences of secondary phases, and simultaneously, the transport of dissolved species may occur through the atmosphere‐water and water‐sediment interfaces. Here we present a suite of geochemical models designed to analyze the formation of secondary minerals in basaltic sediments on Mars, evaluating the role of (i) reactive surface areas and (ii) the transport of ions through a basalt sediment column. We consider fully open conditions, both to the atmosphere and to the sediment, and a kinetic approach for mineral dissolution and precipitation. Our models consider a geochemical scenario constituted by a basin (i.e., a shallow lake) where supersaturation is generated by evaporation/cooling and the starting point is a solution in equilibrium with basaltic sediments. Our results show that cation removal by diffusion, along with the input of atmospheric volatiles and the influence of the reactive surface area of primary minerals, plays a central role in the evolution of the secondary mineral sequences formed. We conclude that precipitation of evaporites finds more restrictions in basaltic sediments of small grain size than in basaltic sediments of greater grain size.

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“…Carbonates are widely predicted to occur because the main constituent of Mars' atmosphere is CO 2 and this dissolves readily in water, giving a solution from which carbonate can precipitate (Equation (1)). However, apart from in minor abundances in Martian meteorites (Bridges et al 2001), and in dust (Bandfield et al 2003), carbonates have not been observed in quantity at the Martian surface. Carbonate precipitation is highly dependent on the pH of the fluid in which CO 2 is dissolved.…”

Section: The Scientific Objectives Of Watsenmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Such secondary alteration products have been identified by thermal emission spectroscopy from orbit (Bandfield et al 2003;Bibring et al 2005). All the most recent missions to Mars have carried spectrometers capable of analysing the planet's surface at a variety of resolutions, and across a range of wavelengths, mainly from the near to mid-IR.…”

Section: Water On Mars : Evidence From Spectroscopic Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

WatSen: searching for clues for water (and life) on Mars

Grady

2006

International Journal of Astrobiology

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: There is plenty of evidence for fluid on Mars : large-scale (planet-wide) features have been captured over four decades by a procession of orbiting satellites equipped with cameras with increasingly higher spatial resolutions. Imagery of the surface shows channels, valleys, ice-caps, etc. Small-scale, more local evidence for fluid has come from images obtained by rovers on the Martian surface. Images that water produced many of the features are supported by spectroscopic measurements (again both planet-wide and local) over a range of wavelengths, which show the presence of minerals generally only produced in the presence of water (haemetite, jarosite, etc.). Results from meteorites continue this picture of fluid activity taking place over significant periods of Mars' history. Despite all these indicators of water, direct detection of water has never been performed. We have reviewed the evidence for water on Mars' surface, and have described WatSen, a combined humidity sensor and infrared IR detector, which can be employed to search for water at and below Mars' surface. WatSen is designed to be part of the suite of instruments on the mole that will be deployed as part of the Geophysics and Environment Package on ExoMars. The objectives of the package are as follows : (i) to detect water within Martian soil by measuring humidity and IR spectral characteristics of the substrate at surface and at depth ; (ii) to determine the mineralogy and mineral chemistry of surface soils (this measurement will provide the mineralogical context for the elemental results that come from other instruments mounted on the landing platform); (iii) to determine how mineralogy changes with depth. The utility of WatSen is that it will not only detect the presence of water, but will also be able to record which minerals are present and their chemistry ; it is also sensitive to many organic species. WatSen is a new instrument concept specifically designed to search for clues of the presence of water, and to look for evidence of life on Mars.

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Spectroscopic Identification of Carbonate Minerals in the Martian Dust

Cited by 340 publications

References 25 publications

Geochemistry of Carbonates on Mars: Implications for Climate History and Nature of Aqueous Environments

Geochemistry of Carbonates on Mars: Implications for Climate History and Nature of Aqueous Environments

Mineral paragenesis on Mars: The roles of reactive surface area and diffusion

WatSen: searching for clues for water (and life) on Mars

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