Experimental hydrothermal alteration of basaltic glass with relevance to Mars

Through the Basaltic Looking Glass : Paired Remote Sensing and Experimental Studies of Glass on Mars

Introduction: Glasses on Mars, formed by impact melting and volcanism, likely make up a significant fraction of the regolith because they accumulate over time and there have been few processes operating in the last ~3.5 Ga to destroy them [1]. These glasses have exciting astrobiological implications because they can host microbial colonies and preserve biosignatures [2-5]; they may have also se...

Spectroscopic examinations of hydro- and glaciovolcanic basaltic tuffs: Modes of alteration and relevance for Mars

Hydroand glaciovolcanism are processes that have taken place on both Earth and Mars. The amount of materials produced by these processes that are present in the martian surface layer is unknown, but may be substantial. We have used Mars rover analogue analysis techniques to examine altered tuff samples collected from multiple hydrovolcanic features, tuff rings and tuff cones, in the American we...

Inferred Impact-generated Hydrothermal Mineral Assemblages in Basaltic Regions of Mars

Laboratory Hydrothermal Alteration of Basaltic Tephra by Acid Sulfate Solutions: an Analog Process for Martian Weathering

Introduction: Sulfur is a major chemical component of the Martian surface materials and is thought to have a volcanic origin. Pathfinder and Viking chemical analyses revealed SO3 compositions of “soils” and dust from about 4 to over 7 wt. % [1,2]. Although we know that S is chemically important, we do not know its speciation. Small amounts of sulfates (e.g., Ca and Mg sulfates) and sulfides (e....

Hydrothermal Alteration of the Martian Crust: an Experimental Approach

Introduction: On Mars, the geomorphology of numerous surface features has been attributed to the interaction of magmatic and impact heat sources with an H 2 O-rich Martian crust/megaregolith [1-3]. In addition , geochemical analyses of soil at the Pathfinder and Viking landing sites indicate high concentrations of SO 3 and Cl [4-6], consistent with interaction between a basaltic protolith and f...