Spectral and stratigraphic mapping of hydrated sulfate and phyllosilicate-bearing deposits in northern Sinus Meridiani, Mars

Details Spectral and stratigraphic mapping of hydrated sulfate and phyllosilicate-bearing deposits in northern Sinus Meridiani, Mars Spectral and stratigraphic mapping of hydrated sulfate and phyllosilicate-bearing deposits in northern Sinus Meridiani, Mars

Jul 2010

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2010jgre..11500d18w&link_type=abstract

Journal of Geophysical Research, Volume 115, Issue E12, CiteID E00D18

Mathematics

Logic

6

Planetary Sciences: Solid Surface Planets: Surface Materials And Properties, Planetary Sciences: Solid Surface Planets: Remote Sensing, Planetary Sciences: Solid Surface Planets: Physical Properties Of Materials, Planetary Sciences: Solid Surface Planets: General Or Miscellaneous

Scientific paper

We present detailed stratigraphic and spectral analyses that focus on a region in northern Sinus Meridiani located between 1°N to 5°N latitude and 3°W to 1°E longitude. Several stratigraphically distinct units are defined and mapped using morphologic expression, spectral properties, and superposition relationships. Previously unreported exposures of hydrated sulfates and Fe/Mg smectites are identified using MRO CRISM and MEX OMEGA near-infrared (1.0 to 2.5 μm) spectral reflectance observations. Layered deposits with monohydrated and polyhydrated sulfate spectral signatures that occur in association with a northeast-southwest trending valley are reexamined using high-resolution CRISM, HiRISE, and CTX images. Layers that are spectrally dominated by monohydrated and polyhydrated sulfates are intercalated. The observed compositional layering implies that multiple wetting events, brine recharge, or fluctuations in evaporation rate occurred. We infer that these hydrated sulfate-bearing layers were unconformably deposited following the extensive erosion of preexisting layered sedimentary rocks and may postdate the formation of the sulfate- and hematite-bearing unit analyzed by the MER Opportunity rover. Therefore, at least two episodes of deposition separated by an unconformity occurred. Fe/Mg phyllosilicates are detected in units that predate the sulfate- and hematite-bearing unit. The presence of Fe/Mg smectite in older units indicates that the relatively low pH formation conditions inferred for the younger sulfate- and hematite-bearing unit are not representative of the aqueous geochemical environment that prevailed during the formation and alteration of earlier materials. Sedimentary deposits indicative of a complex aqueous history that evolved over time are preserved in Sinus Meridiani, Mars.

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