Identification of the Ca-sulfate bassanite in Mawrth Vallis, Mars

نویسندگان

  • James J. Wray
  • Steven W. Squyres
  • Leah H. Roach
  • Janice L. Bishop
  • John F. Mustard
  • Eldar Z. Noe Dobrea
چکیده

0019-1035/$ see front matter 2010 Elsevier Inc. A doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2010.06.001 * Corresponding author. Address: 425 Space Science Ithaca, NY 14853, USA. E-mail address: [email protected] (J.J. Wray The region surrounding the Mawrth Vallis outflow channel on Mars hosts thick layered deposits containing diverse phyllosilicate minerals. Here we report detection of the Ca-sulfate bassanite on the outflow channel floor, requiring a more complex aqueous chemistry than previously inferred for this region. The sulfate-bearing materials underlie phyllosilicate-bearing strata, and provide an opportunity for testing proposed models of martian geochemical evolution with a future landed mission. 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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تاریخ انتشار 2010