DOCSLIB.ORG

Sedimentary Evolution of the Eridania Paleolake in the Atlantis Chaos Basin, Terra Sirenum

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Sedimentary Evolution of the Eridania Paleolake in the Atlantis Chaos Basin, Terra Sirenum Third Conference on Early Mars (2012) 7047.pdf Sedimentary evolution of the Eridania paleolake in the Atlantis Chaos basin, Terra Sirenum. S. Adeli, E. Hauber, L. Le Deit, R. Jaumann. Institute of Planetary Research, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Ruther- fordstr. 2, 12489 Berlin, Germany ([email protected]). Introduction: The Terra Sirenum region on Mars, basin (elevation range: 1200 m to 400 m). It has been located in the cratered Noachian Southern Highlands, eroded by fluvial channels and displays wrinkle ridges. hosts a variety of enigmatic features, including large, The Mbt unit also displays faults (white arrows on degraded basins that have been proposed to form iso- Fig. 1-a) which may have facilitated the rise of lated paleolakes. These basins, probably of impact groundwater to the surface. origin [1], might have been part of the larger Eridania The knob characterizing the chaotic terrain (Unit I), paleolake, during the late Noachian and early Hesperi- are found from -500 m to 0 m (except for the north- an Epochs [2-4]. The basins floors are partly occupied eastern and southern part of the basin) and they cover a by knobs that are erosional remnants of a formerly large part of the basin floor. Chaotic terrains possibly contiguous unit, composed of light-toned materials, formed a continuous deposit once, which has been later where hydrated minerals such as phyllosilicates have eroded into isolated knobs that seem to be separated by been identified [5-7]. In this study we focus on the 260 fractures [3]. The knobs at higher elevation are smaller km diameter Atlantis Chaos basin, centered at 177°W- in size (~80 m height, 1.5 km width) than those ob- 34°S, which presents well preserved sedimentary infill served at lower elevation (~300 m height, 5 km width) and chaotic terrains. Our aim is to constrain the sedi- close to the center of the basin floor. At the southern mentary history of the former lake and the processes part of this unit, thin linear ridges, of different orienta- involved in the formation and erosion of the knob tion, are visible within the knobs (Fig. 3-a). The fea- fields. tures may be filled and cemented fractures resulting Data and Methods: HRSC and CTX images, as from fluid circulations in the subsurface. well as MOLA topographic data were used to analyze Unit II is stratigraphically above units Npl and Mbt the geological features of the Atlantis basin. In addi- and partly covers the basin rim. It is exposed between tion we used high-resolution HiRISE images to better 0 m and 400 m and may have been deposited during investigate the stratigraphic contacts between the dif- the existence of a lake in Atlantis basin. The sediments ferent units. We performed crater counting on CTX could have been transported into the Atlantis basin images to determine the age of certain units. from the basin rims and partly from an unnamed basin, Geologic mapping results: The elevated topo- situated to the south. The lowest point in the division graphic massifs constituting the rim of the basin corre- between the two basins is at an elevation of 350 m. spond to the Noachian cratered plateau unit (Npl) Atlantis is linked at a spillover (pour point) elevation (Fig. 1) [8]. This Npl unit outcrops at an elevation of 200 m to another basin to the south-west, which between 1200 m and 3100 m (Fig. 1-c). The Modified would have received the drainage from Atlantis. Mor- basement unit (Mbt) is located along the rim of the phologically, the two basins are connected by a small Fig. 1: a) Geological map of Atlantis Chaos basin, superposed on MOLA topographic map overlapping a CTX mosaic. Black arrow represents the depositional fan. White arrows represent the channels sourced at the tectonic features. AB line shows the localization of the cross-section of Fig. 2. b) Zoom on the intersection of knobs, showing that Ampl filled the depression between them. c) MOLA contour lines (400 m) overlapped on HRSC images. Third Conference on Early Mars (2012) 7047.pdf Fig. 3: a) Triangular facets (black arrows), Fig. 2: Schematic representation of layer’s stratigraphy in Atlantis basin using supposed to be related to the erosional a MOLA topographic profile. The units and the location of the cross-section phase. b) Linear structures (whit arrows) in are presented in Fig. 1. (Vertical exaggeration: 40x) the knobs, in southern part of Unit I. channel, which fed a depositional fan with ~50 m total desiccation of the Eridania Lake, an erosional height and 12 km width, where it entered an impact phase started. The existence of an ice-cover lake is also crater (black arrow in Fig. 1). The Unit II has been supposed by [3] before its total drying out. During the eroded by fluvial erosion and it displays triangular erosional phase, Unit II was entirely eroded by fluvial facets (Fig. 3-a) at the contact with the Mbt unit that and/or aeolian activities, and its remaining only crops may resulted by erosional processes. out along the rim of the basin. As the erosion rate de- The north-eastern and southern parts of Unit I are clined after early-Hesperian [11, 12], deposits of Unit I covered by a smooth material, in which we distin- have been modified by water or melted ice. The rem- guished two units according to their location in the nant materials might have been more resistant to ero- basin and their ages (according to our crater counting sion, because of their cementation by fluid circulation, result); the Hesperain plains (Hepl) to the north- displaying as linear features in the knobs. Aeolian eastern part of the basin and the Amazonian plains erosion also contributed to shape them in their current (Ampl) in the southern part. These units might be sed- form and to transport the eroded material out of the iments deposited by aeolian activity such as volcanic basin. The Hepl and Ampl plains deposited between the air-fall deposits. It could also be volcanic lava flows, knobs and may have contributed to their erosion. which would be consistent with reported volcanic The Atlantis basin and the other paleolakes, with activities [9]. Moreover, we observe scattered wrinkle their capacity of hosting a body of water during a cer- ridges that would be consistent with both, a sedimen- tain period of time, could be promising sites for host- tary and a volcanic, origin for the Unit I. The Hes- ing life and preserving its evidence, if it ever existed perain and Amazonian plains have filled the depres- during early Mars. sions between the knobs (Fig. 1-b, Fig. 3-b). Hence, Acknowledgment: This research has been partly they were deposited after Unit I. supported by the Helmholtz Association through the Hesperian Electris air-fall deposits described by research alliance “Planetary Evolution and Life”. [10] are found in high altitudes and have been eroded References: [1] DePablo M.A., et al. (2004) Intern. J. by fluvial activity. Regarding to its Hesperian age we of Astrobiology 3, 257-263. [2] Irwin III R.P., et al. (2002) propose that this layer is deposited after the desiccation Science 296, 2209-2212. [3] Howard A.D. and Moor J.M. of Atlantis Lake. (2004) Geophys. Res. Let. 31, L01702. [4] Irwin R.P. et al. Discussion and conclusion: The initial shape of (2004) J. Geophys. Res., 109, E12009. [5] Osterloo et al. the basin resulted by its impact origin, makes it a suit- (2010) J. Geophys. Res. 115, E10012. [6] Glotch T.D. et al. able place for deposition of sediments in a standing (2010) Geophys. Res. Let. 37, L16202. [7] Annex A.M. and water mass [2], where, the Unit I and II have been Howard A. D. (2011) LPSC XXXXII, Abstract # 1577. [8] deposited (Fig. 2). The gradual desiccation of the Scott D.H. (1985) Adv. Space Res 5, 71-82. [9] Scott D.H. Eridania Lake [2] caused the separation of individual and Tanaka K. L. (1986) U.S. Geological Surv. [10] Grant basins to smaller lakes. However it is not clear that the J.A. and Schultz P.H. (1990) Icarus 84, 166-195. [11] materials have been deposited either before/after, or Golombek M.P. et al. (2006) J. Geophys. Res. III, E12S10 during the existence of the Eridania Lake. After the [12] Mangold N. et al. (2012) J. Geophys. Res., in press. .
Load more

Recommended publications
  • A PRELIMINARY STUDY. MA De Pa
    Lunar and Planetary Science XXXIII (2002) 1032.pdf DESCRIPTION, ORIGIN AND EVOLUTION OF A BASIN IN SIRENUM TERRAE, MARS, INCLUDING ATLANTIS CHAOS: A PRELIMINARY STUDY. M. A. de Pablo and M. Druet. Seminar on Planetary Sciences. Fac- ultad de Ciencias Geológicas. Universidad Complutense de Madrid. 28040 Madrid. Spain. [email protected]. INTRODUCTION The volcanic activity of the area is reflected Atlantis is the name proposed in this pre- in the presence of two volcanic constructs. The first liminary study for the basin where (at 35ºS, 177ºW) one, fissural in character, closes the basin by its NE the chaotic terrain Atlantis Chaos is located. We pro- edge. The second one, an ancient massive volcanic pose that this basin harbored a lake during one of the building, is located at the SSW. These two constructs ‘humid Mars’ epochs [1, 2]. The main evidences for have already been portrayed in some thematic maps this hypothesis are the circular morphology, the bor- [4]. dering fracture and ridge systems, the volcanic con- The center of Atlantis is occupied by a cha- structs, and a variety of erosive and sedimentary otic terrain that gives its name to the basin. The chaos landforms associated. Cross-cutting relationship of is extensively eroded, and partially covered by detritic these features permits the partial reconstruction of the sediments which cover the whole basin area, as well history of this basin, which could be one of the few as an impact crater located in it. These epiclastic lay- such basins not clearly housed in an impact crater. ers are probably related with the run-off areas that cover most of the North, South and East edges of the METHODOLOGY basin.
    [Show full text]
  • Geologic History of Water on Mars
    GEOLOGIC HISTORY OF WATER ON MARS: REGIONAL EVOLUTION OF AQUEOUS AND GLACIAL PROCESSES IN THE SOUTHERN HIGHLANDS, THROUGH TIME Dissertation zur Erlangung des akademischen Grades eines Doktors der Naturwissenschaften (Dr. rer. nat) vorgelegt als kumulative Arbeit am Fachbereich Geowissenschaften der Freien Universität Berlin von SOLMAZ ADELI Berlin, 2016 Erstgutachter: Prof. Dr. Ralf Jaumann Freie Universität Berlin Institut für Geologische Wissenschaften Arbeitsbereich Planetologie sowie Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt Institut für Planetenforschung, Abteilung Planetengeologie Zweitgutachter: Prof. Dr. Michael Schneider Freie Universität Berlin Institut für Geologische Wissenschaften Arbeitsbereich Hydrogeologie Tag der Disputation: 22 July 2016 i To my mother and my grandmother, the two strong women who inspired me the most, to follow my dreams, and to never give up. تقديم به مادر و مادر بزرگم به دو زن قوى كه الهام دهنده ى من بودند تا آرزو هايم را دنبال كنم و هرگز تسليم نشوم ii iii EIDESSTATTLICHE ERKLAERUNG Hiermit versichere ich, die vorliegende Arbeit selbstständig angefertigt und keine anderen als die angeführten Quellen und Hilfsmittel benutzt zu haben. Solmaz Adeli Berlin, 2016 iv v Acknowledgement First of all, I would like to thank my supervisor Prof. Dr. Ralf Jaumann for giving me the opportunity of working at the Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR). I wish to thank him particularly for standing behind me in all the ups and downs. Herr Jaumann, I am so deeply grateful for your support and your trust. Danke schön! This work would have not been achieved without the support of Ernst Hauber, my second supervisor. I have also been most fortunate to be able to work with him, and I have greatly appreciated the countless hours of discussions, all his advice regarding scientific issues, his feedbacks on my manuscripts, and everything.
    [Show full text]
  • Cambridge University Press 978-1-107-03629-1 — the Atlas of Mars Kenneth S
    Cambridge University Press 978-1-107-03629-1 — The Atlas of Mars Kenneth S. Coles, Kenneth L. Tanaka, Philip R. Christensen Index More Information Index Note: page numbers in italic indicates figures or tables Acheron Fossae 76, 76–77 cuesta 167, 169 Hadriacus Cavi 183 orbit 1 Acidalia Mensa 86, 87 Curiosity 9, 32, 62, 195 Hadriacus Palus 183, 184–185 surface gravity 1, 13 aeolian, See wind; dunes Cyane Catena 82 Hecates Tholus 102, 103 Mars 3 spacecraft 6, 201–202 Aeolis Dorsa 197 Hellas 30, 30, 53 Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) 9 Aeolis Mons, See Mount Sharp Dao Vallis 227 Hellas Montes 225 Mars Chart 1 Alba Mons 80, 81 datum (zero elevation) 2 Hellas Planitia 220, 220, 226, 227 Mars Exploration Rovers (MER), See Spirit, Opportunity albedo 4, 5,6,10, 56, 139 deformation 220, See also contraction, extension, faults, hematite 61, 130, 173 Mars Express 9 alluvial deposits 62, 195, 197, See also fluvial deposits grabens spherules 61,61 Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) 9 Amazonian Period, history of 50–51, 59 Deimos 62, 246, 246 Henry crater 135, 135 Mars Odyssey (MO) 9 Amenthes Planum 143, 143 deltas 174, 175, 195 Herschel crater 188, 189 Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) 9 Apollinaris Mons 195, 195 dikes, igneous 82, 105, 155 Hesperia Planum 188–189 Mars Pathfinder 9, 31, 36, 60,60 Aram Chaos 130, 131 domical mound 135, 182, 195 Hesperian Period, history of 50, 188 Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) 9 Ares Vallis 129, 130 Dorsa Argentea 239, 240 Huygens crater 183, 185 massif 182, 224 Argyre Planitia 213 dunes 56, 57,69–70, 71, 168, 185,
    [Show full text]
  • The Surface of Mars Michael H. Carr Index More Information
    Cambridge University Press 978-0-521-87201-0 - The Surface of Mars Michael H. Carr Index More information Index Accretion 277 Areocentric longitude Sun 2, 3 Acheron Fossae 167 Ares Vallis 114, 116, 117, 231 Acid fogs 237 Argyre 5, 27, 159, 160, 181 Acidalia Planitia 116 floor elevation 158 part of low around Tharsis 85 floor Hesperian in age 158 Admittance 84 lake 156–8 African Rift Valleys 95 Arsia Mons 46–9, 188 Ages absolute 15, 23 summit caldera 46 Ages, relative, by remote sensing 14, 23 Dikes 47 Alases 176 magma supply rate 51 Alba Patera 2, 17, 48, 54–7, 92, 132, 136 Arsinoes Chaos 115, 117 low slopes 54 Ascreus Mons 46, 49, 51 flank fractures 54 summit caldera 49 fracture ring 54 flank vents 49 dikes 55 rounded terraces 50 pit craters 55, 56, 88 Asteroids 24 sheet flows 55, 56 Astronomical unit 1, 2 Tube-fed flows 55, 56 Athabasca Vallis 59, 65, 122, 125, 126 lava ridges 55 Atlantis Chaos 151 dilatational faults 55 Atmosphere collapse 262 channels 56, 57 Atmosphere, chemical composition 17 pyroclastic deposits 56 circulation 8 graben 56, 84, 86 convective boundary layer 9 profile 54 CO2 retention 260 Albedo 1, 9, 193 early Mars 263, 271 Albor Tholus 60 eddies 8 ALH84001 20, 21, 78, 267, 273–4, 277 isotopic composition 17 Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer 232 mass 16 Alpha Proton-ray Spectrometer 231 meridional flow 1 Alpheus Colles 160 pressure variations and range 5, 16 AlQahira 122 temperatures 6–8 Amazonian 277 scale height 5, 16 Amazonis Planitia 45, 64, 161, 195 water content 11 flows 66, 68 column water abundance 174 low
    [Show full text]
  • Water-Related Processes and Associated Landforms in Eastern Atlantis and Northern Gorgonum Basins, Mars R
    Geophysical Research Abstracts, Vol. 8, 01160, 2006 SRef-ID: 1607-7962/gra/EGU06-A-01160 © European Geosciences Union 2006 Water-related processes and associated landforms in Eastern Atlantis and Northern Gorgonum Basins, Mars R. D. Capitan (1,2) 1. Department of Geography, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada N6A 5C2, [email protected] , fax. 1-519-661 3750 2. Department of Geography and Geology, “Al. I. Cuza” University, Iasi, Romania, Blvd. Carol I, nr. 11 Martian water-related landforms developed in Atlantis and Gorgonum areas are re- lated to volcanic processes in the Tharsis area via long radial fracture zones. This is the only mechanism which could bring into the Martian system sufficient amounts of water and energy to create water-related processes at the surface. The uplift of the Tharsis area formed deep crustal fractures in the Martian megaregolith such as those located inside Gorgonum and Atlantis Chaos (e.g. Sirenum Fossae) [1]. We describe here the mechanism which made possible the formation of three distinct water-related landforms, by different processes, and relate them to the regional context of north- ern Gorgonum basin. Tectonic movements played an important role in defining the base-level for different fluvial basins, and the general dynamics of aqueous reservoirs inside the regolith. At the first site, water accumulated beneath the Magelhaens crater rim has been released catastrophically inside the crater, forming a fan-delta in a pre- existing crater lake. Later, due to tectonic movements, the outer rim collapsed toward the Atlantis Chaos, enabling the formation of fault-related stream channels. In north- ern Gorgonum Chaos the formation of outflow channels in the southern MEM-Vy crater first formed alluvial fans and a delta inside an unnamed pair of craters located at 169.94˚W, 34.35˚S, and then filled and partially eroded them, as a second outflow channel broke the neighbour’s crater rim.
    [Show full text]
  • Water and Martian Habitability Results of an Integrative Study Of
    Planetary and Space Science 98 (2014) 128–145 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Planetary and Space Science journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/pss Water and Martian habitability: Results of an integrative study of water related processes on Mars in context with an interdisciplinary Helmholtz research alliance “Planetary Evolution and Life” R. Jaumann a,b,n, D. Tirsch a, E. Hauber a, G. Erkeling c, H. Hiesinger c, L. Le Deit a,d, M. Sowe b, S. Adeli a, A. Petau a, D. Reiss c a DLR, Institute of Planetary Research, Berlin, Germany b Freie Universität Berlin, Institute of Geosciences, Berlin, Germany c Institut für Planetologie, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität, Münster, Germany d Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géodynamique, UMR 6112, CNRS, Université de Nantes, Nantes, France article info abstract Article history: A study in context with the Helmholtz Alliance ‘Planetary Evolution and Life’ focused on the (temporary) Received 11 March 2013 existence of liquid water, and the likelihood that Mars has been or even is a habitable planet. Both Received in revised form geomorphological and mineralogical evidence point to the episodic availability of liquid water at the 10 February 2014 surface of Mars, and physical modeling and small-scale observations suggest that this is also true for Accepted 21 February 2014 more recent periods. Habitable conditions, however, were not uniform over space and time. Several key Available online 5 March 2014 properties, such as the availability of standing bodies of water, surface runoff and the transportation of Keywords: nutrients, were not constant, resulting in an inhomogeneous nature of the parameter space that needs to Mars be considered in any habitability assessment.
    [Show full text]
  • Table 1: Classical Albedo Names from Ancient Geography
    Gangale & Dudley-Flores Proposed Additions to the Cartographic Database of Mars 18 Table 1: Classical Albedo Names From Ancient Geography Feature Name Type Latitude East Longitude Origin Usage Abalos Undae Undae 78.52 272.5 A district of Scandinavia, thought to be an island, noted for amber. Abalos Colles Colles 76.83 288.35 A district of Scandinavia, thought to be an island, noted for amber. Abalos Mensa Mensa 81.17 284.4 A district of Scandinavia, thought to be an island, noted for amber. Abalos Scopuli Scopuli 80.72 283.44 A district of Scandinavia, thought to be an island, noted for amber. Abus Vallis Vallis -5.49 212.8 Classical name for Humber River in England. Acheron Catena Catena 37.47 259.2 "Joyless" in Greek. 1) A river of Bithynia, falling into the Euxine near Heraclea. 2) A river of Bruttium, falling into the Crathis flume near Consentia. 3) A river of Epirus, falling into the Adriatic at Glykys portus. There was an oracle on its banks, where the dead were evoked. In Greek mythology, the son of Gaea and Demeter, turned into the river of woe in the underworld as a punishment for supplying the Titans with water in their struggle with Zeus. 4) a River of Triphylia, falling into the Alpheus near Typana. Gangale & Dudley-Flores Proposed Additions to the Cartographic Database of Mars 19 Feature Name Type Latitude East Longitude Origin Usage Acheron Fossae Fossae 38.27 224.98 "Joyless" in Greek. 1) A river of Bithynia, falling into the Euxine near Heraclea. 2) A river of Bruttium, falling into the Crathis flume near Consentia.
    [Show full text]
  • 1349, 7 De Agosto De 2015 No
    Boletín El Hijo de El Cronopio Museo de Historia de la Ciencia de San Luis Potosí Sociedad Científica Francisco Javier Estrada No. 1349, 7 de agosto de 2015 No. Acumulado de la serie: 1956 Boletín de información científica y tecnológica del Museo de Historia de la 60 Años Ciencia de San Luis Potosí, Casa de la Ciencia y el Juego Física Moderna en Publicación trisemanal San Luis Potosí Cronopio Dentiacutus Edición y textos ----------------------------- Fís. José Refugio Martínez Mendoza Parte de las notas de la sección Noticias de la Abrirán en Tlaxcala el Ciencia y la Tecnología han sido editadas por los españoles Manuel Montes y Jorge primer banco de Munnshe. (http://www.amazings.com/ciencia). La sección es un servicio de recopilación de maguey de México noticias e informaciones científicas, proporcionadas por los servicios de prensa de universidades, centros de investigación y otras publicaciones especializadas. Cualquier información, artículo o anuncio deberá enviarse al editor. El contenido será responsabilidad del autor correos electrónicos: [email protected] Consultas del Boletín y números anteriores http://galia.fc.uaslp.mx/museo Síguenos en Facebook www.facebook.com/SEstradaSLP ----------------------------------------------- año Carrillo 40 AÑOS 2015 El Hijo de El Cronopio No. 1349/1956 El Centro de Investigación en Matemáticas, A.C., y la Sección de Metodología y Teoría de la Ciencia del CINVESTAV convocan a las XII Jornadas “Juan José Rivaud Morayta” de Historia y Filosofía de las Matemáticas, que tendrán lugar en las instalaciones del CIMAT en la ciudad de Guanajuato los días 9, 10 y 11 de septiembre del presente año. La filosofía y la historia son disciplinas tan añejas, que evocarlas, escribir su nombre, parece decirlo todo.
    [Show full text]
  • Phyllosilicates and Sulfates on Mars
    Phyllosilicates and Sulfates on Mars Case Studies from Terra Cimmeria and Valles Marineris Inauguraldissertation zur Erlangung des Grades eines Doktors der Naturwissenschaften am Fachbereich Geowissenschaften der Freien Universität Berlin Vorgelegt von Lorenz Wendt Berlin, 2012 I Ersttgutachter: Prof. Dr. Ralf Jaumann Fachbereich Geowissenschaften Institut für Geologische Wissenschaften Fachrichtung Planetologie und Fernerkundung und Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt DLR Institut für Planetenforschung, Abteilung Planetologie Zweitgutachter: Prof. Dr. Stephan van Gasselt Freie Universität Berlin Fachbereich Geowissenschaften Institut für Geologische Wissenschaften Fachrichtung Planetologie und Fernerkundung Datum der Disputation: 13. Juli 2012 III Eidesstattliche Erklärung Hiermit erkläre ich, die vorliegende Arbeit selbständig und nur unter Verwendung der angegebenen Quellen und Hilfsmittel erstellt zu haben. Lorenz Wendt V Danksagung Ich möchte zuallererst Herrn Prof. Neukum meinen Dank aussprechen. Seine High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC), die er mit viel Durchhaltevermögen nach dem Absturz der Mars 96 Mission auf Mars Express auf die Reise schickte, gab mir überhaupt erst die Möglichkeit, mich an der Freien Universität Berlin mit der Geologie des Mars zu beschäftigen. Herr Prof. Neukum hat mir damit die Tür zur Planetenforschung geöffnet, und mir auch in vielerlei anderer Hinsicht Möglichkeiten zur wissenschaftlichen Weiterentwicklung eröffnet. Herrn Prof. van Gasselt danke ich für die Begutachtung der vorliegenden Arbeit, die fachlichen Diskussionen und die kritische Durchsicht meiner Manuskripte, sowie die menschliche Unterstützung an manch einem schwierigen Punkt, der sich im Lauf der Arbeit an dieser Dissertation ergab. Und natürlich danke ich ihm für die viele Mühe im Hintergrund, die er sich mit der Betreuung der wissenschaftlichen Anträge gemacht hat, aus denen viele meiner Kollegen und auch ich ihren Lebensunterhalt bestritten haben.
    [Show full text]
  • Ancient Hydrothermal Seafloor Deposits In
    ARTICLE Received 12 Oct 2016 | Accepted 18 May 2017 | Published 10 Jul 2017 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms15978 OPEN Ancient hydrothermal seafloor deposits in Eridania basin on Mars Joseph R. Michalski1, Eldar Z. Noe Dobrea2, Paul B. Niles3 & Javier Cuadros4 The Eridania region in the southern highlands of Mars once contained a vast inland sea with a volume of water greater than that of all other Martian lakes combined. Here we show that the most ancient materials within Eridania are thick (4400 m), massive (not bedded), mottled deposits containing saponite, talc-saponite, Fe-rich mica (for example, glauconite-non- tronite), Fe- and Mg-serpentine, Mg-Fe-Ca-carbonate and probable Fe-sulphide that likely formed in a deep water (500–1,500 m) hydrothermal setting. The Eridania basin occurs within some of the most ancient terrain on Mars where striking evidence for remnant magnetism might suggest an early phase of crustal spreading. The relatively well-preserved seafloor hydrothermal deposits in Eridania are contemporaneous with the earliest evidence for life on Earth in potentially similar environments 3.8 billion years ago, and might provide an invaluable window into the environmental conditions of early Earth. 1 Department of Earth Sciences and Laboratory for Space Research, University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China. 2 Planetary Science Institute, 1700 E. fort Lowell, Tucson, Arizona 85719, USA. 3 Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science, NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas, USA. 4 Department of Earth Sciences, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK. Correspondence and requests for materials should be addressed to J.R.M.
    [Show full text]
  • Latitude-Dependent Nature and Physical Characteristics of Transverse Aeolian Ridges on Mars Sharon A
    JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH, VOL. 109, E10003, doi:10.1029/2004JE002247, 2004 Latitude-dependent nature and physical characteristics of transverse aeolian ridges on Mars Sharon A. Wilson1 and James R. Zimbelman Center for Earth and Planetary Studies, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, USA Received 5 February 2004; revised 25 June 2004; accepted 6 August 2004; published 7 October 2004. [1] Narrow-angle images from the Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) have revealed the common occurrence of small-scale (<100 m wavelength) bright transverse aeolian ridges (TARs) on the surface of Mars. MOC images were used to assess the broad distribution of TARs from 90°Nto90°S between 180°E and 240°E to investigate their relationship to latitude, elevation, thermal inertia, geologic units, local slopes, and surface roughness. Out of 5112 examined images from the primary mission, 520 (10%) contain evidence of TARs, 92% of the images with TARs are located between ±50° latitude, and very few occur in the middle to upper latitudes or polar regions of either hemisphere. TARs are observed at elevations from À5 km to 3 km, with the highest frequency (26%) between À1 and 0 km. There is no systematic relationship between the distribution of TARs and global thermal inertia measurements. Most TARs occur in geologic units associated with the Channel System Materials (39%) and the Olympus Mons Aureole (33%). At a length scale of 1.85 km/pixel, the average local slopes for images with and without TARs are 1.92° and 1.36°, respectively. Of the parameters investigated, the latitudinal trend of TARs in both hemispheres appears to be predominantly related to surface roughness, with a positive linear correlation between the surface roughness of geologic units and frequency of TARs (R2 = 0.87).
    [Show full text]
  • Phyllosilcates in the Knob Fields Around Ariadnes Colles on Mars: Stratigraphy, Mineralogy and Morphology
    Geophysical Research Abstracts Vol. 14, EGU2012-9105, 2012 EGU General Assembly 2012 © Author(s) 2012 Phyllosilcates in the Knob Fields around Ariadnes Colles on Mars: Stratigraphy, Mineralogy and Morphology L. Wendt (1), J. L. Bishop (2), and G. Neukum (1) (1) Freie Universtät Berlin, Institute of Geological Sciences, Berlin, Germany ([email protected]), (2) SETI Institute & NASA Ames, Mountain View, CA The region between Terra Cimmeria and Terra Sirenum contains several fields of enigmatic knobs, in-cluding Ariadnes Colles, Atlantis Chaos and Gorgo-num Chaos. They have been mapped as Hesperian or Amazonian units [1,2] and are located within the shoreline of the Eridania Lake, which might have formed Ma’adim Vallis [3]. The knob fields contain Mg/Fe-rich and locally Al-rich phyllosilicates [5,6, this study]. Following the stratigraphic placement by [1,2], the knobs are younger than the Noachian, in a possible disagreement to [4]. The region also features chloride deposits [7] and valley networks younger than the Hesperian ridged plains (Hr unit [1,2]), named Mid-Latitude Valleys (MLV) by [8], and has been proposed as an MSL landing site by [9]. The knob fields have been mapped by [10] as "surface type 4" of a possible airfall deposit informally named "Electris deposit", which covers the Hesperian ridged plains and cratered uplands. A recent study by [6], suggested that the knob fields are not part of, but postdate the "Electris deposit", yet possibly contain reworked "Electris" material. Our geological mapping shows that the knob fields are indeed one morphological expression consistent with the "Electris deposit" model [10].
    [Show full text]