Clay minerals on Mars: An up-to-date review with future perspectives

Du, Peixin; Yuan, Peng; Liu, Jiacheng; Ye, Binlong

doi:10.1016/j.earscirev.2023.104491

Cited by 12 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 300 publications

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“…However, experimental and field studies have demonstrated that Fe/Mg clays and zeolites can also form by direct precipitation or transformation of precursor minerals in near‐neutral to alkaline waters at ambient temperature (Bristow & Milliken, 2011; English, 2001; Pedro et al., 1978; Tosca et al., 2011). Talc‐like clays (talc, kerolite) can form at 25°C by direct precipitation from Mg‐rich alkaline brines with a pH >8.5 (Bristow & Milliken, 2011; Tosca et al., 2011; Tutolo & Tosca, 2018); nontronite can form from a ferrihydrite precursor or as secondary product of the reaction of silica with Fe‐oxides (Pedro et al., 1978), which are common and widespread on Mars (Du et al., 2023; Hazen et al., 2023; Rampe, Blake, et al., 2020); zeolites can crystallize from an authigenic amorphous aluminous smectite in saline Na‐rich brines (English, 2001; Hay & Sheppard, 2001; Langella et al., 2001; Remy & Ferrell, 1989), a scenario that is in agreement with model results in this study that predicted zeolites forming after smectites during evaporation of abiotically evolved fluids (Figure 4). Following these arguments, we suggest that water–basalt interaction may not be the only pathway that led to Fe/Mg clays and zeolites formation in Martian basins and neo‐formation of these minerals following evaporation of alkaline brines should not be entirely ruled out.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Geochemical biosignature formation in experimental Martian fluvio‐lacustrine and simulated evaporitic settings

Cogliati,

Macey

2024

Meteorit & Planetary Scien

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To assess whether life existed on Mars, it is crucial to identify geochemical biosignatures that are relevant to specific Martian environments. In this paper, thermochemical modeling was used to investigate fluid chemistries and secondary minerals that would have evolved biotically over geological time scales in Martian fluvio‐lacustrine and evaporitic settings, and that could be used as potential inorganic biosignatures for life detection on Mars. Modeling was performed using fluid and rock chemistries relevant to Gale crater aqueous environments. Potential inorganic biosignatures were identified investigating alteration deposits found at the surface of a simulant exposed to short‐term bio‐mediated weathering and comparing experimental and modeling results. In a fluvio‐lacustrine setting (water/rock of 2000–278), models suggest that less complex mineral assemblages form during biotic basalt dissolution and subsequent brine evaporation compared to what would happen in an abiotic system. Mainly nontronite, kaolinite, and quartz form under biotic conditions, whereas celadonite, talc, and goethite would also precipitate abiotically. Quartz, sepiolite, and gypsum would precipitate from the evaporation of fluids evolved biotically, whereas nontronite, talc, zeolite, and gypsum would form in an abiotic evaporitic environment. These results could be used to distinguish products of abiotic and biotic processes, aiding the interpretation of data from Mars exploration missions.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Geochemical biosignature formation in experimental Martian fluvio‐lacustrine and simulated evaporitic settings

Cogliati,

Macey

2024

Meteorit & Planetary Scien

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“…Various cationic clay minerals such as goethite, hematite, gibbsite, kaolinite, illite, vermiculite, montmorillonite, saponite, nontronite, or even Martian minerals and their anionic counterparts such as LDH and hydrotalcites were already found to exhibit affinity towards CO 2 [167][168][169]. In hydrotalcite-based sorbents, changes in the charge-compensating anion and/or incorporation of other metals than Mg and Al were found to play key roles in the CO 2 retention capacity (CRC) [170,171].…”

Section: Potential Co 2 Adsorbentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Innovative Strategy for Truly Reversible Capture of Polluting Gases—Application to Carbon Dioxide

Azzouz,

Roy

2023

IJMS

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This paper consists of a deep analysis and data comparison of the main strategies undertaken for achieving truly reversible capture of carbon dioxide involving optimized gas uptakes while affording weakest retention strength. So far, most strategies failed because the estimated amount of CO2 produced by equivalent energy was higher than that captured. A more viable and sustainable approach in the present context of a persistent fossil fuel-dependent economy should be based on a judicious compromise between effective CO2 capture with lowest energy for adsorbent regeneration. The most relevant example is that of so-called promising technologies based on amino adsorbents which unavoidably require thermal regeneration. In contrast, OH-functionalized adsorbents barely reach satisfactory CO2 uptakes but act as breathing surfaces affording easy gas release even under ambient conditions or in CO2-free atmospheres. Between these two opposite approaches, there should exist smart approaches to tailor CO2 retention strength even at the expense of the gas uptake. Among these, incorporation of zero-valent metal and/or OH-enriched amines or amine-enriched polyol species are probably the most promising. The main findings provided by the literature are herein deeply and systematically analysed for highlighting the main criteria that allow for designing ideal CO2 adsorbent properties.

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“…Hydrous minerals on the surface of Mars and their spatial and temporal distributions can be used to deduce the formation and evolution history of martian sediments, which is indicative of the environmental changes on Mars (Bishop & Rampe, 2016;Fraeman et al, 2013). Based on the visible and near-infrared spectroscopy (VNIR) data collected by the Observatoire pour la Minéralogie, l'Eau, les Glaces et l'Activité (OMEGA) onboard the European Space Agency's Mars Express mission and the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) onboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), NASA, the mineralogy of martian sediments at the global scale, including mainly the distribution of hydrous minerals such as clay minerals (Du et al, 2023;Poulet et al, 2005) and sulfates (Gendrin et al, 2005), have been documented, which indicates the presence of different aqueous geochemical environments such as surface runoff and subsurface hydrothermal systems (Ehlmann et al, 2011). In addition to these well-crystallized minerals, Mars orbital and in situ data show that poorly ordered (and even nearly amorphous) minerals are widely distributed on the martian surface, mainly including aluminosilicate nanominerals (e.g., allophane), amorphous silica (e.g., opal-A), and nanophase iron minerals (including all poorly ordered materials containing octahedral Fe 3+ , which can be any combination of superparamagnetic hematite, goethite, ferrihydrite, lepidocrocite, schwertmannite, akaganeite, and other Fe 3+ -rich phases) (Bish et al, 2013;Blake et al, 2013;Morris et al, 1989Morris et al, , 2004Smith et al, 2021;Vaniman et al, 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hydrolysis Products of Fe(III)‐Si Systems With Different Si/(Si + Fe) Molar Ratios: Implications to Detection of Ferrihydrite on Mars

Xiang,

Du,

et al. 2024

JGR Planets

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Ferrihydrite, a nanocrystalline iron (oxyhydr)oxide mineral, is widely distributed in soils and sediments on Earth and is probably an important component and/or precursor of widespread nanophase iron minerals on Mars. Terrestrial ferrihydrite often co‐occurs with amorphous silica and/or contains a certain amount of Si in its structure. However, it remains ambiguous how environmental Si concentration affects the formation‐evolution and structure‐spectral features of ferrihydrite in the Fe(III)‐Si systems. To this end, hydrolysis experiments were carried out for Fe‐Si systems at an unprecedentedly wide range of initial Si/(Fe + Si) molar ratios (0–0.80), followed by characterizing the products detailly. X‐ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, Mössbauer spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy results showed that at Si/(Fe + Si) molar ratios ≤0.30, the main phase of the products was ferrihydrite, of which the unit cells enlarged, the crystallinity decreased, and the existing state of Fe changed with increased Si contents; at Si/(Fe + Si) molar ratios ≥0.40, ferrihydrite was no longer formed and a novel amorphous Fe‐O‐Si phase was instead obtained, with the excess Si forming amorphous silica. The visible and near‐infrared spectroscopy, the most powerful tool to detect hydrous minerals on the surface of Mars at global or regional scales, showed weakness in identifying ferrihydrite‐like materials obtained in the Fe‐Si systems. Raman spectroscopy can identify ferrihydrite and Si‐containing ferrihydrite but cannot differentiate between them. Mössbauer spectroscopy showed great potential in both identifying and differentiating between ferrihydrite and Si‐containing ferrihydrite, and thus can be used to characterize the poorly ordered iron (oxyhydr)oxides on Mars.

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Clay minerals on Mars: An up-to-date review with future perspectives

Cited by 12 publications

References 300 publications

Geochemical biosignature formation in experimental Martian fluvio‐lacustrine and simulated evaporitic settings

Geochemical biosignature formation in experimental Martian fluvio‐lacustrine and simulated evaporitic settings

Innovative Strategy for Truly Reversible Capture of Polluting Gases—Application to Carbon Dioxide

Hydrolysis Products of Fe(III)‐Si Systems With Different Si/(Si + Fe) Molar Ratios: Implications to Detection of Ferrihydrite on Mars

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