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Carbonates on Mars

Topic: Astronomy

 From HandWiki - Reading time: 7 min
Short description: Overview of the presence of carbonates on Mars
Estimating carbon in the Nili Fossae plains region of Mars from orbiters (2 September 2015).

Evidence for carbonates on Mars was first discovered in 2008. Carbonates were formed in the early history of Mars. Evidence shows Mars was once warmer and wet about 4 billion years ago, that is about 560 million years after the formation of Mars. [1][2] At this time span, the water on early Mars reacted with Mars' carbon dioxide, this reaction formed carbonic acid.[3] The carbonic acid joined into the water cycle on early Mars.[4] The carbonic acid in the water cycle produced carbonates. The carbonates removed (leached) greenhouse gases, water vapor, and carbon dioxide from Mars' atmosphere.[5][6][7]

Mars probes

Previously, most remote sensing instruments such as OMEGA and THEMIS—sensitive to infrared emissivity spectral features of carbonates—had not suggested the presence of carbonate outcrops,[8] at least at the 100 m or coarser spatial scales available from the returned data.[9]

Though ubiquitous, a 2003 study of carbonates on Mars showed that they are dominated by magnesite (MgCO3) in Martian dust, had mass fractions less than 5%, and could have formed under current atmospheric conditions.[10] Furthermore, with the exception of the surface dust component, by 2007 carbonates had not been detected by any in situ mission, even though mineralogic modeling did not preclude small amounts of calcium carbonate in Independence class rocks of Husband Hill in Gusev crater. [11][12] (note: An IAU naming convention within Gusev is not yet established).

Remote sensing data

The first successful identification of a strong infrared spectral signature from surficial carbonate minerals of local scale (< 10 km²) was made by the MRO-CRISM team in 2008.[13] Spectral modeling in 2007 identified a key deposit in Nili Fossae dominated by a single mineral phase that was spatially associated with olivine outcrops. The dominant mineral appeared to be magnesite, while morphology inferred with HiRISE and thermal properties suggested that the deposit was lithic. Stratigraphically, this layer appeared between phyllosilicates below and mafic cap rocks above, temporally between the Noachian and Hesperian eras. Even though infrared spectra are representative of minerals to less than ≈0.1 mm depths[14] (in contrast to gamma spectra which are sensitive to tens of cm depths),[15] stratigraphic,[clarification needed] morphologic,[clarification needed] and thermal properties are consistent with the existence of the carbonate as outcrop rather than alteration rinds.[clarification needed] Nevertheless, the morphology was distinct from typical terrestrial sedimentary carbonate layers suggesting formation from local aqueous alteration of olivine and other igneous minerals. However, key implications were that the alteration would have occurred under moderate pH and that the resulting carbonates were not exposed to sustained low pH aqueous conditions even as recently as the Hesperian.

Evidence for widespread presence of carbonates began to increase in 2009, when low levels (<10%) of Mg-rich carbonates were found across the Martian area of Syrtis Major, Margaritifer Terra, Lunae Planum, Elysium Planitia, as reported from analysis of data acquired by the Planetary Fourier Spectrometer (PFS) on board the Mars Express spacecraft.[16]

when the Thermal and Evolved Gas Analyzer (TEGA) and WCL experiments on the 2009 Phoenix Mars lander found between 3–5wt% calcite (CaCO3) and an alkaline soil.[17] In 2010 analyses by the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit, identified outcrops rich in magnesium-iron carbonate (16–34 wt%) in the Columbia Hills of Gusev crater, most likely precipitated from carbonate-bearing solutions under hydrothermal conditions at near-neutral pH in association with volcanic activity during the Noachian era.[18]

After Spirit Rover stopped working scientists studied old data from the Miniature Thermal Emission Spectrometer, or Mini-TES and confirmed the presence of large amounts of carbonate-rich rocks, which means that regions of the planet may have once harbored water. The carbonates were discovered in an outcrop of rocks called "Comanche."[19][20]

Carbonates (calcium or iron carbonates) were discovered in a crater on the rim of Huygens Crater, located in the Iapygia quadrangle. The impact on the rim exposed material that had been dug up from the impact that created Huygens. These minerals represent evidence that Mars once had a thicker carbon dioxide atmosphere with abundant moisture. These kind of carbonates only form when there is a lot of water. They were found with the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) instrument on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Earlier, the instrument had detected clay minerals. The carbonates were found near the clay minerals. Both of these minerals form in wet environments. It is supposed that billions of years age Mars was much warmer and wetter. At that time, carbonates would have formed from water and the carbon dioxide-rich atmosphere. Later the deposits of carbonate would have been buried. The double impact has now exposed the minerals. Earth has vast carbonate deposits in the form of limestone.[21]

Carbonates found on Mars
Name Mission
MgCO3 magnesite remote sensing, MRO-CRISM 2008
MgCO3 magnesite remote sensing Mars Express-PFS 2009
CaCO3 calcite Phoenix 2009
FeCO3 siderite Curiosity 2020

Gallery

  • Huygens Crater - circle shows location of carbonate deposit - representing a time when Mars had abundant liquid water on its surface (Scale bar = 259 km).

  • Nili Fossae on Mars - largest known carbonate deposit.

See also


References

  1. ↑ Mayo, Wally (December 27, 2022). "Argyre Basin on Mars". https://medium.com/@wmayo444/i-am-extremely-nervous-about-commenting-at-all-in-any-way-on-anything-written-by-such-a-stellar-33454dbe3a01. 
  2. ↑ "Scientists Find the Remains of a Catastrophe on Mars Scattered Across the Planet". July 4, 2023. https://www.inverse.com/science/mars-lacks-a-planet-wide-magnetosphere-but-it-does-have-pockets-of-magnetism. 
  3. ↑ Strazzulla, G.; Brucato, J. R.; Cimino, G.; Palumbo, M. E. (November 1, 1996). "Carbonic acid on Mars?". Planetary and Space Science 44 (11): 1447–1450. doi:10.1016/S0032-0633(96)00079-7. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0032063396000797. 
  4. ↑ Schaefer, M. W. (September 12, 1992). "The Martian ocean: First acid, then alkaline". Lunar and Planetary Inst., MSATT Workshop on Chemical Weathering on Mars. https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/19930022769. 
  5. ↑ "Buried lakes of liquid water discovered on Mars". September 29, 2020. https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-54337779. 
  6. ↑ Leask, Ellen K.; Ehlmann, Bethany L. (February 15, 2022). "Evidence for Deposition of Chloride on Mars From Small‐Volume Surface Water Events Into the Late Hesperian‐Early Amazonian". AGU Advances 3 (1). doi:10.1029/2021AV000534. https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2021AV000534. 
  7. ↑ "Comparing Mars to Earth: Catastrophe and history". https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/787526. 
  8. ↑ Bibring; Langevin, Y; Mustard, JF; Poulet, F; Arvidson, R; Gendrin, A; Gondet, B; Mangold, N et al. (2006). "Global Mineralogical and Aqueous Mars History Derived from OMEGA/Mars Express Data". Science 312 (5772): 400–404. doi:10.1126/science.1122659. PMID 16627738. Bibcode: 2006Sci...312..400B. 
  9. ↑ Catling (2007). "Mars: Ancient fingerprints in the clay". Nature 448 (7149): 31–32. doi:10.1038/448031a. PMID 17611529. Bibcode: 2007Natur.448...31C. 
  10. ↑ Bandfield et al. (2003). "Spectroscopic Identification of Carbonate Minerals in the Martian Dust". Science 301 (5636): 1084–1087. doi:10.1126/science.1088054. PMID 12934004. Bibcode: 2003Sci...301.1084B. 
  11. ↑ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8597593/
  12. ↑ Clark et al. (2007). "Evidence for montmorillonite or its compositional equivalent in Columbia Hills, Mars". Journal of Geophysical Research 112 (E6): E06S01. doi:10.1029/2006JE002756. Bibcode: 2007JGRE..112.6S01C. 
  13. ↑ Ehlmann; Mustard, JF; Murchie, SL; Poulet, F; Bishop, JL; Brown, AJ; Calvin, WM; Clark, RN et al. (2008). "Orbital identification of carbonate-bearing rocks on Mars". Science 322 (5909): 1828–1832. doi:10.1126/science.1164759. PMID 19095939. Bibcode: 2008Sci...322.1828E. https://authors.library.caltech.edu/34922/2/Ehlmann-SOM.pdf. 
  14. ↑ Poulet et al. (2007). "Martian surface mineralogy from Observatoire pour la Minéralogie, l'Eau, la Glace et l'Activité on board the Mars Express spacecraft (OMEGA/MEx): Global mineral maps". Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets 112 (E8): E08S02. doi:10.1029/2006JE002840. Bibcode: 2007JGRE..112.8S02P. 
  15. ↑ Boynton et al. (2007). "Concentration of H, Si, Cl, K, Fe, and Th in the low- and mid-latitude regions of Mars". Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets 112 (E12): E12S99. doi:10.1029/2007JE002887. Bibcode: 2007JGRE..11212S99B. 
  16. ↑ Palomba, Ernesto; Zinzi, Angelo; Cloutis, Edward A.; D’Amore, Mario; Grassi, Davide; Maturilli, Alessandro (September 2009). "Evidence for Mg-rich carbonates on Mars from a 3.9 μm absorption feature" (in en). Icarus 203 (1): 58–65. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2009.04.013. https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0019103509001845. 
  17. ↑ Boynton, WV; Ming, DW; Kounaves, SP; Young, SM; Arvidson, RE; Hecht, MH; Hoffman, J; Niles, PB et al. (2009). "Evidence for Calcium Carbonate at the Mars Phoenix Landing Site". Science 325 (5936): 61–64. doi:10.1126/science.1172768. PMID 19574384. Bibcode: 2009Sci...325...61B. http://planetary.chem.tufts.edu/Boynton%20etal%20Science%202009v325p61.pdf. 
  18. ↑ Morris, RV; Ruff, SW; Gellert, R; Ming, DW; Arvidson, RE; Clark, BC; Golden, DC; Siebach, K et al. (2010). "Identification of carbonate-rich outcrops on Mars by the Spirit rover". Science 329 (5990): 421–4. doi:10.1126/science.1189667. PMID 20522738. Bibcode: 2010Sci...329..421M. http://sciences.blogs.liberation.fr/files/carbonates-mars-spirit.pdf. 
  19. ↑ "Outcrop of long-sought rare rock on Mars found". https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100603140959.htm. 
  20. ↑ Morris, Richard V.; Ruff, Steven W.; Gellert, Ralf; Ming, Douglas W.; Arvidson, Raymond E.; Clark, Benton C.; Golden, D. C.; Siebach, Kirsten et al. (2010). "Identification of Carbonate-Rich Outcrops on Mars by the Spirit Rover". Science 329 (5990): 421–424. doi:10.1126/science.1189667. PMID 20522738. Bibcode: 2010Sci...329..421M. 
  21. ↑ "Some of Mars' Missing Carbon Dioxide May be Buried". http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2011-071. 



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