Paleohydrology on Mars constrained by mass balance and mineralogy of pre‐Amazonian sodium chloride lakes

Daswani, Mohit Melwani; Kite, Edwin S.

doi:10.1002/2017je005319

Cited by 10 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 110 publications

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“…If oxidizing surface water infiltrated the wetlands of semi−arid climates on early Mars, highly reactive oxychlorides (e.g., ClO 3 − ) would have oxidized the subsurface materials, as suggested previously [44,46]. Less reactive Cl − , Na + , and ClO 4 − in infiltrating surface water could have been transported into deep lakes through regional groundwater flows, as proposed by [8]. The previous study estimated a duration of hydrological cycles based on observed thickness of salt deposits, assuming Na + and Cl − were supplied by water-rock reactions using a reactive transport model [8].…”

Section: Implications For Hydrogeochemical Cycles Around Lakes On Earmentioning

confidence: 77%

“…Less reactive Cl − , Na + , and ClO 4 − in infiltrating surface water could have been transported into deep lakes through regional groundwater flows, as proposed by [8]. The previous study estimated a duration of hydrological cycles based on observed thickness of salt deposits, assuming Na + and Cl − were supplied by water-rock reactions using a reactive transport model [8]. The accumulation of pre−existing surface salts into lakes through regional flows, however, could affect the estimation of the duration [8].…”

Section: Implications For Hydrogeochemical Cycles Around Lakes On Earmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Early Mars is thought to have been warmer and wetter than today, evidenced by the widespread presence of valley networks, deltas, lake deposits, clay minerals, and evaporates on the surface across Noachian to early Hesperian crust (3.8-3.5 billion years ago (Ga)) (e.g., see a review by [1]). Formation models of valley networks, closed-basin lakes, and lake deposits on early Mars suggest (cold and) semi-arid climates at places when the surface temperatures were above the freezing point of liquid water, e.g., [2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11]. However, hydrogeochemical cycles that occurred in the semi-arid climates on early Mars remain poorly constrained.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Chemical and mineralogical compositions of evaporite deposits found within lake deposits on Mars can provide information on the hydrogeochemistry of paleolakes, which would have been controlled not only by inlet rivers, but also by interactions with groundwater if subsurface aquifers connected to the lakes. Chloride deposits are often found near crater floors and feeder valleys on late Noachian to Hesperian deposits, suggesting evaporation of water in lacustrine environments, e.g., [8,[12][13][14]. Theoretical studies suggest the possibility that chlorides in paleolakes would have been provided through inflow of groundwater that interacted with subsurface rocks [8]; however, an alternative possibility of accumulation of pre-existing salt deposits to paleolakes via near-surface water flows cannot be ruled out [8].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Chloride deposits are often found near crater floors and feeder valleys on late Noachian to Hesperian deposits, suggesting evaporation of water in lacustrine environments, e.g., [8,[12][13][14]. Theoretical studies suggest the possibility that chlorides in paleolakes would have been provided through inflow of groundwater that interacted with subsurface rocks [8]; however, an alternative possibility of accumulation of pre-existing salt deposits to paleolakes via near-surface water flows cannot be ruled out [8]. Chloride and sulfate salts have been also found in lacustrine sediments of Gale Crater [15,16].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Hydrogeochemical Study on Closed-Basin Lakes in Cold and Semi-Arid Climates of the Valley of the Gobi Lakes, Mongolia: Implications for Hydrology and Water Chemistry of Paleolakes on Mars

et al. 2020

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Previous studies suggested that, generally, the climate of early Mars would have been semi-arid when the surface temperatures were above freezing. On early Mars, closed-basin lakes would have been created; however, the hydrogeochemical cycles of the lake systems are poorly constrained. Here we report results of our field surveys to terrestrial analogs of closed-basin lake systems that developed in cold and semi-arid climates: The Valley of the Gobi Lakes of Mongolia. Our results show that groundwater plays a central role not only in hydrology, but also in geochemical cycles in the lake systems. We find that groundwater predominantly flows into the lakes through local seepage and regional flows in semi-arid climates. Through the interactions with calcite-containing soils, local groundwater seepage provides Ca2+ and HCO3− to the lakes. In the wetland located in between the lakes, high-salinity shallow pools would provide Cl− and Na+ to the groundwater through infiltration. If similar processes occurred on early Mars, local seepage of groundwater would have provided magnesium and alkalinity to the early Jezero lakes, possibly leading to authigenic precipitation of lacustrine carbonates. On early Mars, infiltration of surface brine may have transported salts and oxidants on the surface to lakes via regional groundwater flows. We suggest that inflows of multiple types of groundwater in semi-arid climates could have caused redox disequilibria in closed-basin lakes on early Mars.

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Section: Implications For Hydrogeochemical Cycles Around Lakes On Earmentioning

confidence: 77%

Section: Implications For Hydrogeochemical Cycles Around Lakes On Earmentioning

confidence: 98%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Hydrogeochemical Study on Closed-Basin Lakes in Cold and Semi-Arid Climates of the Valley of the Gobi Lakes, Mongolia: Implications for Hydrology and Water Chemistry of Paleolakes on Mars

et al. 2020

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Geologic Constraints on Early Mars Climate

Kite

2019

Space Sci Rev

Self Cite

117

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Early Mars climate research has well-defined goals (Mars Exploration Program Analysis Group 2018). Achieving these goals requires geologists and climate modelers to coordinate. Coordination is easier if results are expressed in terms of well-defined parameters. Key parameters include the following quantitative geologic constraints.(1) Cumulative post-3.4 Ga precipitation-sourced water runoff in some places exceeded 1 km column. (2) There is no single Early Mars climate problem: the traces of ≥2 riverforming periods are seen. Relative to rivers that formed earlier in Mars history, rivers that formed later in Mars history are found preferentially at lower elevations, and show a stronger dependence on latitude. (3) The duration of the longest individual river-forming climate was >(10 2 -10 3 ) yr, based on paleolake hydrology. (4) Peak runoff production was >0.1 mm/hr. However, (5) peak runoff production was intermittent, sustained (in a given catchment) for only <10% of the duration of river-forming climates. (6) The cumulative number of wet years during the valley-network-forming period was >10 5 yr. (7) Post-Noachian light-toned, layered sedimentary rocks took >10 7 yr to accumulate. However, (8) an "average" place on Mars saw water for <10 7 yr after the Noachian, suggesting that the river-forming climates were interspersed with long globally-dry intervals. (9) Geologic proxies for Early Mars atmospheric pressure indicate pressure was not less than 0.012 bar but not much more than 1 bar. A truth table of these geologic constraints versus currently published climate models shows that the late persistence of river-forming climates, combined with the long duration of individual lake-forming climates, is a challenge for most models. Kraal, Erin R.; Asphaug, Erik; Moore, Jeffery M.; Howard, Alan; Bredt, Adam, 2008a, Catalogue of large alluvial fans in martian impact craters, Icarus, 194, 1, 101-110. Kraal, Erin R.; van Dijk, Maurits; Postma, George; Kleinhans, Maarten G., 2008b, Martian stepped-delta formation by rapid water release, Nature, 451, 7181, 973-976.Kurahashi-Nakamura, Takasumi; Tajika, Eiichi, 2006, Atmospheric collapse and transport of carbon dioxide into the subsurface on early Mars, Geophys. Res. Lett., 33, L18205.

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Characterization of groundwater chemistry beneath Gale Crater on early Mars by hydrothermal experiments

Noda

Sekine

Tan

et al. 2022

Icarus

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Paleohydrology on Mars constrained by mass balance and mineralogy of pre‐Amazonian sodium chloride lakes

Cited by 10 publications

References 110 publications

Hydrogeochemical Study on Closed-Basin Lakes in Cold and Semi-Arid Climates of the Valley of the Gobi Lakes, Mongolia: Implications for Hydrology and Water Chemistry of Paleolakes on Mars

Hydrogeochemical Study on Closed-Basin Lakes in Cold and Semi-Arid Climates of the Valley of the Gobi Lakes, Mongolia: Implications for Hydrology and Water Chemistry of Paleolakes on Mars

Geologic Constraints on Early Mars Climate

Characterization of groundwater chemistry beneath Gale Crater on early Mars by hydrothermal experiments

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