Layering of the Phyllosilicates in the Mawrth Vallis Region of Mars, as Seen by OMEGA and HRSC Colors and DTMs

Details Layering of the Phyllosilicates in the Mawrth Vallis Region of Mars, as Seen by OMEGA and HRSC Colors and DTMs Layering of the Phyllosilicates in the Mawrth Vallis Region of Mars, as Seen by OMEGA and HRSC Colors and DTMs

Dec 2007

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2007agufm.p12a..03l&link_type=abstract

American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2007, abstract #P12A-03

Physics

5464 Remote Sensing, 5470 Surface Materials And Properties, 6225 Mars

Scientific paper

OMEGA/Mars Express has discovered large outcrops rich in phyllosilicates in the region of the outflow channel Mawrth Vallis, Mars (around 20°W, 25°N), through the detection of absorption bands at 1.4 and 1.9 \micron, and at 2.2 or 2.3 \micron. Comparison with laboratory spectra reveals similarities with Al-OH smectites (with the presence of 2.2 \micron band) and Mg- or Fe-OH smectites (with the 2.3 \micron band). Those hydrated minerals are located exclusively on strongly eroded bright outcrops, exhumed from the Noachian plateaus, and cut by the outflow channel, as seen on HRSC/MEx and MOC/MGS narrow angle images. Several MOC and HiRISE/MRO images also reveal that those bright Noachian terrains display meter-scale layers, over more than 100 meter depth as seen on some crater walls. The horizontal extension of more than 300 km x 400 km of this thick phyllosilicate-rich unit implies an important volume of altered rocks, formed during the "phyllosian era". HRSC color images reveal redder terrains for the Mg- or Fe-OH smectites-rich outcrops as detected by OMEGA, whereas Al-OH smectites-rich outcrops correspond to whiter terrains on HRSC color imagery, helping to a finer mapping of those hydrated terrains. These colors reveal a color thick layering of the phyllosilicate-rich units that corresponds to the thin layers seen with MOC and HiRISE. This color layering, along with the use of high resolution HRSC DTMs, help us in the understanding of the geometry of the phyllosilicate-rich unit. From this analysis we observe that stack of layers of a given composition can be followed over tens of kilometers. We also observe that Fe-OH smectite-rich and Al-OH smectite-rich layers are not only found in different geographical location but also over vertical sections, with the same alternation of layers separated by many kilometers, an important geometry to understand the sedimentary origin of the layered deposits. Future lander missions could help to understand further the processes of formation of the unit.

Affiliated with

Also associated with

No associations

Rating

Layering of the Phyllosilicates in the Mawrth Vallis Region of Mars, as Seen by OMEGA and HRSC Colors and DTMs does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.

If you have personal experience with Layering of the Phyllosilicates in the Mawrth Vallis Region of Mars, as Seen by OMEGA and HRSC Colors and DTMs, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Layering of the Phyllosilicates in the Mawrth Vallis Region of Mars, as Seen by OMEGA and HRSC Colors and DTMs will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-1483842