Sequestration of volatiles in the martian crust through hydrated minerals

Details Sequestration of volatiles in the martian crust through hydrated minerals Sequestration of volatiles in the martian crust through hydrated minerals

Dec 2011

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2011agufm.p33h..05m&link_type=abstract

American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2011, abstract #P33H-05

Mathematics

Logic

[5410] Planetary Sciences: Solid Surface Planets / Composition, [5464] Planetary Sciences: Solid Surface Planets / Remote Sensing, [5749] Planetary Sciences: Fluid Planets / Origin And Evolution, [6225] Planetary Sciences: Solar System Objects / Mars

Scientific paper

The magnitude and history of volatile reservoirs is a key question in understanding Mars' evolution. The volumes of reservoirs for water through time have been estimated on the basis of morphology (e.g. Carr 1996) and modeling while the volume of active identifiable modern reservoirs such as the polar caps, the near-surface cryosphere, and the atmosphere are reasonably well known. One reservoir that has been hypothesized but not examined is the crust where water would be in the form of hydrous minerals. The OMEGA and CRISM experiments on Mars Express and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter respectively, have shown that phyllosilicate minerals are commonly observed in the Noachian crust of Mars. Modeling has shown that depending on the location the abundance of clays and phyllosilicates can exceed 50% but more typically is less or absent, particularly in the Hesperian and younger terrains (Poulet 2007). Phyllosilicate-bearing outcrops have been observed in the deepest wall exposures of Valles Marineris (8 km below the rim) and in the central peaks of impact craters as large of 100 km. Modeling suggests that the porosity of the crust in maintained to approximate 8-10 km depth permitting the circulation of water to this depth and formation of phyllosilicate and other hydrated minerals. Based on these and other observations it is evident that at least the top 10 km of the crust can be considered to contain hydrated silicate minerals. These observations also show that phyllosilicates are globally present in Noachian crust. We use altered oceanic crust as an analog for the amount of alteration on Mars. Analyses show that the average volume fraction of hydrous phases in the lower oceanic crust is 10%. Simple calculations show this results in a water content of between 1 - 3%. If the upper 10 km of the martian crust is altered to this extent then a global equivalent thickness (GET) of water of 0.3 to 0.9 km is stored in the crust due to alteration minerals. This is comparable to the GET derived from geologic evidence (Carr, 1996). We will expand on these calculations and their implications for the meeting.

Affiliated with

Also associated with

No associations

Rating

Sequestration of volatiles in the martian crust through hydrated minerals 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 Sequestration of volatiles in the martian crust through hydrated minerals, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Sequestration of volatiles in the martian crust through hydrated minerals will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-871142