Evidence for Unconformable Deposition of Hydrated Sulfate-bearing Evaporitic Deposits in Northern Sinus Meridiani, Mars

Details Evidence for Unconformable Deposition of Hydrated Sulfate-bearing Evaporitic Deposits in Northern Sinus Meridiani, Mars Evidence for Unconformable Deposition of Hydrated Sulfate-bearing Evaporitic Deposits in Northern Sinus Meridiani, Mars

Dec 2009

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2009agufm.p13a1268w&link_type=abstract

American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2009, abstract #P13A-1268

Physics

[5470] Planetary Sciences: Solid Surface Planets / Surface Materials And Properties

Scientific paper

Previous analyses of OMEGA NIR spectral reflectance observations revealed mono- and poly- hydrated sulfates within layered deposits associated with a 120km long northwest-southeast trending valley located in northern Sinus Meridiani [Gendrin et al., 2005; Arvidson et al., 2005; Griffes et al., 2007]. These hydrated sulfate-bearing deposits, referred to as layered hydrated sulfate (LHS) deposits, occur in both low elevation areas on the valley floor and within higher elevation exposures near the northeastern margin of the valley that are up to 150m thick. A 200m section of sedimentary rock is exposed in a scarp wall along the southern valley margin. Hydrated sulfate spectral signatures are not detected in the scarp wall. The hydrated sulfate-bearing layers within high elevation exposures near the northeastern margin of the LHS deposits do not correspond to layers exposed in the southern scarp wall. Based on detailed stratigraphic analyses, we infer that the LHS deposits associated with the valley were unconformably deposited following the erosion of older sedimentary rocks in Sinus Meridiani. LHS deposits are spectrally and texturally distinct from the sulfate and hematite bearing unit explored by the Opportunity rover. Polyhydrated sulfates are spectrally dominant over a large area of the valley floor and monohydrated sulfates occur mainly in higher elevation portions of the LHS deposits. Analyses of high resolution CRISM, CTX, and HiRISE images reveal that layers containing monohydrated sulfates are intercalated with polyhydrated sulfate layers in these exposures. The occurrence of a thick sequence of layered deposits with hydrated sulfate spectral signatures within the valley is indicative of deposition in an evaporitic setting. Compositional layering in the LHS deposits, specifically intercalated layers of mono- and poly- hydrated sulfates, implies that multiple wetting events and/or brine recharge occurred to produce depositional layering, although diagenetic processes may have modified the initial layering. Sedimentary deposits indicative of a complex aqueous history that evolved over time are preserved in Sinus Meridiani, Mars.

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