Mars Sedimentary Geology: Key Concepts and Outstanding Questions

Grotzinger, J. P.; Beaty, D. W.; Dromart, G.; Gupta, Sanjeev; Harris, Paul M.; Hurowitz, J. A.; Kocurek, Gary; McLennan, Scott M.; Milliken, R. E.; Ori, G. G.; Sumner, D. Y.

doi:10.1089/ast.2010.0571

Cited by 107 publications

(41 citation statements)

References 61 publications

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“…Besides, most of microbialites/stromatolites are carbonate in composition, but siliceous, phosphatic, iron, manganese and sulphate examples also occur: in recent view, stromatolites may be defined as microbialites, macroscopically layered authigenic microbial sediments, namely organosedimentary rocks [17]. In this frame, the outcroppings on Mars surface at Meridiani Planum (Opportunity Rover) or at Gusev Crater (Spirit Rover) represent an interesting field for microstructure/ textures investigations [4,37].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microbialites at Gusev Crater, Mars.

Bianciardi

Rizzo²,

Farı́as³

et al. 2015

Astrobiol Outreach

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The Mars Exploration Rover Spirit investigated plains at Gusev crater, where sedimentary rocks are present. The Spirit rover's Athena morphological investigation shows microstructures organized in intertwined filaments of microspherules: a texture we have also found on samples of terrestrial stromatolites and other microbialites. We performed a quantitative image analysis to compare 45 microbialites samplings with 50 rover's ones (approximately 25,000/20,000 microstructures). Contours were extracted and morphometric indexes obtained: geometric and algorithmic complexities, entropy, tortuosity, minimum and maximum diameters. Terrestrial and Martian textures resulted multifractals, while terrestrial abiogenic minerals showed a simple fractal structure. Mean values and confidence intervals from the Martian images overlapped perfectly with those from terrestrial samples. The probability of this occurring by chance was less than 1/2 8 , p<0.004. Our work show the presumptive evidence of microbialites in the Martian outcroppings explored by "Spirit", confirming our previous results concerning the Martian outcroppings explored by Opportunity at Meridiani Planum: unicellular life was widespread on the ancient Mars.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microbialites at Gusev Crater, Mars.

Bianciardi

Rizzo²,

Farı́as³

et al. 2015

Astrobiol Outreach

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“…This hypothesis would suggest that, on average, sediment availability for transport and deposition in terminal basins is higher towards regional topographic lows ( Figure 4B). Sediment should be produced across the martian surface from a variety of mechanisms, including eruption of volcaniclastic sediment (e.g., tephra) and emplacement of ejecta from the formation of impact craters (e.g., Grotzinger et al, 2011Grotzinger et al, , 2013. Therefore, the hypothesis that sediment availability is higher near the dichotomy boundary requires a mechanism to preferentially transport sediment towards these margins.…”

Section: Distribution Of Sedimentary Fan Depositsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Classification and analysis of candidate impact crater-hosted closed-basin lakes on Mars

Goudge

Aureli

Head

et al. 2015

Icarus

104

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“…Olympia Planitia and Noctis Labyrinthus are two of these candidate targets where gypsum has been identified (Langevin et al 2005;Weitz et al 2013). Sulfate, as a trace of acidic aqueous alterations, is considered to have formed from the late Noachian (4.5-3.7 Ga) to the Hesperian periods (3.7-3.2 Ga) in martian geological history (Bibring et al 2006;Grotzinger et al 2011;Arvidson et al 2014). On Mars, the lack of springs representing environments with liquid water is the strongest constraint on the planet's habitability for microbial life (Farmer and Des Marais 1999).…”

Section: Application To the Preservation Of Gypsum In Ancient Sedimenmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gypsum in modern Kamchatka volcanic hot springs and the Lower Cambrian black shale: Applied to the microbial-mediated precipitation of sulfates on Mars

Tang

Ehreiser

2014

American Mineralogist

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Gypsum is a mineral that commonly precipitates in hydrothermal environments. This study reports the electron microscopic analyses of gypsum morphologies and crystal sizes found in hot springs on the Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia, and compares these analyses with gypsum morphologies of hydrothermal genesis found in Lower Cambrian black shale. In sediments of the Kamchatka hot springs, we observed prismatic, prismatic pseudo-hexagonal, fibrous, tubular, lenticular and twinned gypsum crystals, with crystal sizes ranging from <200 nm to >200 mm. The coexistence of diverse crystal habits of gypsum implies a constant interaction between hot spring geochemistry and the metabolisms of the microbial community. The crystallization of Ca-and Ba-sulfates in the black shale of the Lower Cambrian, which shows similar but less varied morphology, was influenced by post-depositional hydrothermal fluids. The partial replacement of pyrite by sulfates in a situation coexisting with rich biomass deposits and animal fossils indicates limited modification of the sedimentary records by biological materials. If the gypsum precipitated on Mars underwent similar interactions between microbial communities and their geochemical environments, the resulting crystal habits could be preserved even better than those on Earth due to the weak geodynamics prevailing on Mars throughout its evolutionary history.

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Mars Sedimentary Geology: Key Concepts and Outstanding Questions

Cited by 107 publications

References 61 publications

Microbialites at Gusev Crater, Mars.

Microbialites at Gusev Crater, Mars.

Classification and analysis of candidate impact crater-hosted closed-basin lakes on Mars

Gypsum in modern Kamchatka volcanic hot springs and the Lower Cambrian black shale: Applied to the microbial-mediated precipitation of sulfates on Mars

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