Reconstructing the transport history of pebbles on Mars

Szabó, Tímea; Domokos, G.; Grotzinger, J. P.; Jerolmack, D. J.

doi:10.1038/ncomms9366

Cited by 81 publications

(114 citation statements)

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“…The underlying conglomerates of the Liga and Point_Coulomb members are also interpreted as being formed by migrating subaqueous bed forms or barforms in a fluvial environment, similar to the interpretation of conglomerates observed early in Curiosity's mission prior Yellowknife Bay [ Williams et al ., ]. The rounding of clasts within the conglomerates suggests transport distances of tens of kilometers [ Szabó et al ., ], which is consistent with deposition in an alluvial fan environment and transport from Gale crater's northern rim (section 4).…”

Section: Stratigraphy and Depositional Environments At The Kimberleysupporting

confidence: 79%

Geologic overview of the Mars Science Laboratory rover mission at the Kimberley, Gale crater, Mars

et al. 2017

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The Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Curiosity rover completed a detailed investigation at the Kimberley waypoint within Gale crater from sols 571–634 using its full science instrument payload. From orbital images examined early in the Curiosity mission, the Kimberley region had been identified as a high‐priority science target based on its clear stratigraphic relationships in a layered sedimentary sequence that had been exposed by differential erosion. Observations of the stratigraphic sequence at the Kimberley made by Curiosity are consistent with deposition in a prograding, fluvio‐deltaic system during the late Noachian to early Hesperian, prior to the existence of most of Mount Sharp. Geochemical and mineralogic analyses suggest that sediment deposition likely took place under cold conditions with relatively low water‐to‐rock ratios. Based on elevated K2O abundances throughout the Kimberley formation, an alkali feldspar protolith is likely one of several igneous sources from which the sediments were derived. After deposition, the rocks underwent multiple episodes of diagenetic alteration with different aqueous chemistries and redox conditions, as evidenced by the presence of Ca‐sulfate veins, Mn‐oxide fracture fills, and erosion‐resistant nodules. More recently, the Kimberley has been subject to significant aeolian abrasion and removal of sediments to create modern topography that slopes away from Mount Sharp, a process that has continued to the present day.

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Section: Stratigraphy and Depositional Environments At The Kimberleysupporting

confidence: 79%

Geologic overview of the Mars Science Laboratory rover mission at the Kimberley, Gale crater, Mars

et al. 2017

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“…Likewise, a glacial origin is discounted due to the lack of large boulders as well as striated pebbles usually typical of moraines [e.g., Leeder , ]. Based on their rounding, Szabo et al [] showed that the clasts of some of the conglomerate studied here are interpreted to have been carried tens of kilometers from their source, by bed load transport on an alluvial fan. This is consistent with an origin for the clasts within the conglomerates as being from the rim and wall of Gale Crater [ Palucis et al , ; Grotzinger et al , ].…”

Section: Geological Observationsmentioning

confidence: 96%

Composition of conglomerates analyzed by the Curiosity rover: Implications for Gale Crater crust and sediment sources

et al. 2016

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The Curiosity rover has analyzed various detrital sedimentary rocks at Gale Crater, among which fluvial and lacustrine rocks are predominant. Conglomerates correspond both to the coarsest sediments analyzed and the least modified by chemical alteration, enabling us to link their chemistry to that of source rocks on the Gale Crater rims. In this study, we report the results of six conglomerate targets analyzed by Alpha-Particle X-ray Spectrometer and 40 analyzed by ChemCam. The bulk chemistry derived by both instruments suggests two distinct end-members for the conglomerate compositions. The first group (Darwin type) is typical of conglomerates analyzed before sol 540; it has a felsic alkali-rich composition, with a Na 2 O/K 2 O > 5. The second group (Kimberley type) is typical of conglomerates analyzed between sols 540 and 670 in the vicinity of the Kimberley waypoint; it has an alkali-rich potassic composition with Na 2 O/K 2 O < 2. The variety of chemistry and igneous textures (when identifiable) of individual clasts suggest that each conglomerate type is a mixture of multiple source rocks. Conglomerate compositions are in agreement with most of the felsic alkali-rich float rock compositions analyzed in the hummocky plains. The average composition of conglomerates can be taken as a proxy of the average igneous crust composition at Gale Crater. Differences between the composition of conglomerates and that of finer-grained detrital sediments analyzed by the rover suggest modifications by diagenetic processes (especially for Mg enrichments in fine-grained rocks), physical sorting, and mixing with finer-grained material of different composition.

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“…Finegrained sediments are most readily formed by downstream fining in alluvial settings, and evidence for this is preserved in the Gale crater moat (74). The even and fine lamination observed in the Murray formation at Marias Pass is inconsistent with direct fallout of distal volcanic ash, even through a water column (1).…”

Section: Significance Of Tridymite In the Murray Formationmentioning

confidence: 97%

Silicic volcanism on Mars evidenced by tridymite in high-SiO ₂ sedimentary rock at Gale crater

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Vaniman

Blake

et al. 2016

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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Tridymite, a low-pressure, high-temperature (>870°C) SiO 2 polymorph, was detected in a drill sample of laminated mudstone (Buckskin) at Marias Pass in Gale crater, Mars, by the Chemistry and Mineralogy X-ray diffraction instrument onboard the Mars Science Laboratory rover Curiosity. The tridymitic mudstone has ∼40 wt.% crystalline and ∼60 wt.% X-ray amorphous material and a bulk composition with ∼74 wt.% SiO 2 (Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer analysis). Plagioclase (∼17 wt.% of bulk sample), tridymite (∼14 wt.%), sanidine (∼3 wt.%), cation-deficient magnetite (∼3 wt.%), cristobalite (∼2 wt.%), and anhydrite (∼1 wt.%) are the mudstone crystalline minerals. Amorphous material is silica-rich (∼39 wt.% opal-A and/or high-SiO 2 glass and opal-CT), volatile-bearing (16 wt.% mixed cation sulfates, phosphates, and chlorides−perchlorates−chlorates), and has minor TiO 2 and Fe 2 O 3 T oxides (∼5 wt.%). Rietveld refinement yielded a monoclinic structural model for a well-crystalline tridymite, consistent with high formation temperatures. Terrestrial tridymite is commonly associated with silicic volcanism, and detritus from such volcanism in a "Lake Gale" catchment environment can account for Buckskin's tridymite, cristobalite, feldspar, and any residual high-SiO 2 glass. These cogenetic detrital phases are possibly sourced from the Gale crater wall/rim/central peak. Opaline silica could form during diagenesis from high-SiO 2 glass, as amorphous precipitated silica, or as a residue of acidic leaching in the sediment source region or at Marias Pass. The amorphous mixed-cation salts and oxides and possibly the crystalline magnetite (otherwise detrital) are primary precipitates and/ or their diagenesis products derived from multiple infiltrations of aqueous solutions having variable compositions, temperatures, and acidities. Anhydrite is post lithification fracture/vein fill.Mars | tridymite | Gale crater | lake | volcanism T he Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) rover, Curiosity, has been exploring sedimentary rocks within Gale crater since landing in August 2012, and progressing upward through a sequence of strata exposed along the lower slopes of Aeolis Mons (informally known as Mount Sharp). This traverse has taken Curiosity through sequences of fluvial, deltaic, and lacustrine sediments (e.g., ref. 1). On sol 1057 (the number of martian days since landing), Curiosity began preparations for collecting drill powder from high-silica sedimentary rock at a location named Buckskin. We describe the geologic setting of the Buckskin sample location, the detection of significant amounts of the silica polymorph tridymite by the MSL Chemistry and Mineralogy (CheMin) X-ray diffraction instrument, and its implications for volcanism on Mars. Geologic SettingThe Buckskin outcrop is part of the Murray formation of lacustrine mudstones exposed in the Marias Pass area (SI Appendix, Figs. S1 and S2). The formation was previously studied in the Pahrump Hills (Fig. 1A). Here the laminae have a mean thickness of ∼0.5 mm and are characteristical...

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Reconstructing the transport history of pebbles on Mars

Cited by 81 publications

References 38 publications

Geologic overview of the Mars Science Laboratory rover mission at the Kimberley, Gale crater, Mars

Geologic overview of the Mars Science Laboratory rover mission at the Kimberley, Gale crater, Mars

Composition of conglomerates analyzed by the Curiosity rover: Implications for Gale Crater crust and sediment sources

Silicic volcanism on Mars evidenced by tridymite in high-SiO ₂ sedimentary rock at Gale crater

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Reconstructing the transport history of pebbles on Mars

Cited by 81 publications

References 38 publications

Geologic overview of the Mars Science Laboratory rover mission at the Kimberley, Gale crater, Mars

Geologic overview of the Mars Science Laboratory rover mission at the Kimberley, Gale crater, Mars

Composition of conglomerates analyzed by the Curiosity rover: Implications for Gale Crater crust and sediment sources

Silicic volcanism on Mars evidenced by tridymite in high-SiO 2 sedimentary rock at Gale crater

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Silicic volcanism on Mars evidenced by tridymite in high-SiO ₂ sedimentary rock at Gale crater