Identification of secondary minerals on Mars: Importance for water, chemical alteration and life

Details Identification of secondary minerals on Mars: Importance for water, chemical alteration and life Identification of secondary minerals on Mars: Importance for water, chemical alteration and life

Apr 2003

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2003eaeja.....8115b&link_type=abstract

EGS - AGU - EUG Joint Assembly, Abstracts from the meeting held in Nice, France, 6 - 11 April 2003, abstract #8115

Biology

Scientific paper

Determining the mineralogy of the Martian surface material provides information about the past and present environments on Mars which are an integral aspect of whether or not Mars was suitable for the origin of life. Mineral identification on Mars will most likely be achieved through orbital visible-infrared remote sensing in combination with other analyses on landed missions. Therefore, understanding the visible and infrared spectral properties of terrestrial samples formed via processes similar to those thought to have occurred on Mars is essential to this effort and will facilitate site selection for future geology and exobiology missions to Mars. Identifying regions on Mars where clays and many kinds of iron oxides/oxyhydroxides are present would imply the presence of water during alteration of the surface material. Volcanic tephra samples altered in the vicinity of cinder cones and steam vents contain higher abundances of clays, iron oxides, and sulfates. Hydrothermal rocks frequently also contain clays, iron oxides, and sulfates. Materials from such sites have been collected and analyzed as potential analog materials for sites of interest to exobiology on Mars. Remote spectral identification of these secondary minerals on Mars is expected to lead to locations where chemical alteration has taken place. This will be an indicator for water on Mars and may provide information about possible habitats for life there as well.

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