Aqueous Alteration of Pyroxene in Sulfate, Chloride, and Perchlorate Brines: Implications for Post-Noachian Aqueous Alteration on Mars
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Available online at www.sciencedirect.com ScienceDirect Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 257 (2019) 336–353 www.elsevier.com/locate/gca Aqueous alteration of pyroxene in sulfate, chloride, and perchlorate brines: Implications for post-Noachian aqueous alteration on Mars Charity M. Phillips-Lander a, Andrew S. Elwood Madden a, Elisabeth M. Hausrath b, Megan E. Elwood Madden a a School of Geology and Geophysics, University of Oklahoma, 100 E. Boyd Street, Norman, OK 73069, USA b Department of Geoscience, University of Nevada, Las Vegas 4505 S. Maryland Ave., Las Vegas, NV 89154, USA Received 14 August 2018; accepted in revised form 6 May 2019; available online 11 May 2019 Abstract Both high and low calcium pyroxene minerals have been detected over large portions of the martian surface in addition to widespread salts in martian soils and dust. Calcium pyroxenes in martian meteorites are associated with secondary evaporite phases, including sulfates, chlorides, and perchlorates, suggesting the pyroxene may have been altered in saline solutions. Therefore, understanding pyroxene mineral weathering in high salinity brines may provide insight into past aqueous alter- ation on Mars. This study examines both solute-based dissolution rates and qualitative assessments of weathering textures developed during pyroxene-brine alteration experiments to link dissolution rates and textures and aid in interpreting weath- ering features observed in Mars meteorites and future pyroxene samples returned from Mars. Batch reactor dissolution exper- iments were conducted at 298 K to compare diopside (a high Ca-pyroxene) dissolution rates in water (18 MO cmÀ1 ultrapure À1 À1 water (UPW); activity of water (ɑH2O) = 1.0), 0.35 mol kg NaCl (ɑH2O = 0.99), 0.35 mol kg Na2SO4 (ɑH2O = 0.98), À1 À1 À1 À1 2 mol kg NaClO4 (ɑH2O = 0.90), 2.5 mol kg Na2SO4 (ɑH2O = 0.95), 5.7 mol kg NaCl (ɑH2O = 0.75), and 9 mol kg CaCl2 (ɑH2O = 0.35) brines at pH 5–6.6 to determine how changing solution chemistry and activity of water influence pyroxene dissolution. Aqueous Si release rates and qualitative textural analyses indicate diopside dissolution rates are influ- enced by both solution chemistry and activity of water, with diopside weathering increasing along a trend from: 9 mol kgÀ1 À2 À1 À1 À1 À1 CaCl2 < UPW (À9.82 ± 0.03 log mol m s ) 2 mol kg NaClO4 0.35 mol kg Na2SO4 (À9.80 ± 0.07) 5.7 mol kg À1 À1 NaCl (À9.69 ± 0.04) < 0.35 mol kg NaCl (À9.45 ± 0.34) < 2.5 mol kg Na2SO4 (À8.99 ± 0.09). Dissolution rates increase in sodium sulfate brines with increasing salinity. In contrast, Si-based dissolution rates in 0.35 mol kgÀ1 NaCl are faster than those measured in 5.7 mol kgÀ1 NaCl and UPW. However, all of the Si-based rates measured in the chloride and sulfate salt solutions are likely affected by precipitation of Si-rich secondary clay minerals, which removed Si from solu- tion. Qualitative textural analyses indicate similar degrees of dissolution occurred in UPW and 2 M NaClO4; however, no aqueous rate determinations could be made in perchlorate brines due to explosion hazards. Aqueous Si was below detection À1 limits in the 9 mol kg CaCl2 experiments, but textural analysis suggests limited diopside dissolution occurred. Therefore, despite low water activity, diopside dissolution proceeds in both dilute to high salinity brines, readily forming clay minerals under a wide range of conditions. This suggests that outcrops on Mars containing pyroxene preserved with sulfate, chloride, perchlorate, and/or clay minerals likely record relatively short periods (<1 million years) of aqueous alteration. Si-rich spher- E-mail address: [email protected] (M.E. Elwood Madden) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2019.05.006 0016-7037/Ó 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. C.M. Phillips-Lander et al. / Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 257 (2019) 336–353 337 ules similar to those observed in SNC meteorites were also observed in the 5.7 mol kgÀ1 NaCl brine experiments, indicating that silicate mineral alteration in chloride brines may lead to Si-rich alteration products and coatings. Ó 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Keywords: Pyroxene; Weathering; Mars; Chloride; Sulfate; Perchlorate 1. INTRODUCTION 2002). Shergottites consist primarily of pyroxene and pla- gioclase minerals, reflecting their basaltic and lherzolitic Pyroxene minerals have been detected on Mars by both compositions (McSween, 1994; Harvey et al., 1993). The orbital and rover observations (e.g. Christensen et al., 1998; nakhalites are clinopyroxenite meteorites consisting primar- Mustard et al., 2005; Bibring et al., 2006; Mustard et al., ily augite and pigeonite (Gooding et al., 1991; Bridges and 2007; McSween et al., 2008; Blake et al., 2013; Vaniman Grady, 2000; Treiman, 2005; Bridges and Warren, 2006). In et al., 2013) and within SNC meteorites (e.g. Treiman, contrast, Chassigny meteorites consist primarily of olivine 2005; Velbel and Losiak, 2010; Velbel, 2012). Compact with minor (5%) pyroxene (Floran et al., 1978). Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM), ALH84001 is significantly different than the rest of the Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES), and Observatoire SNC meteorites as it contains approximately 96% orthopy- pour la Mineralogie, l’Eau, les Glaces et l’Activite´ roxene (Mittlefehldt, 1994). (OMEGA) data indicate pyroxenes are present in ancient In addition to pyroxene minerals, chloride and sulfate and volcanic terrains in the southern highlands as well as salts have been detected in several Mars meteorites. Sulfate in polar dune fields on Mars (Bandfield et al., 2000; and chloride salts occur as coatings on fracture surfaces and Bibring et al., 2005, 2006). Pyroxene was inferred from geo- as discontinuous veins in primary minerals, including chemical measurements of basalts by Pathfinder’s Alpha pyroxene, in Chassigny (Wentworth and Gooding, 1994) Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS, McSween et al., and MIL 03346 (Ling and Wang, 2015) meteorites. While 2004) and identified in rocks and soils by the Mo¨ssbauer some salts may be of terrestrial origin, sulfate salts are Spectrometer on Spirit and Opportunity (Morris et al., intergrown with smectite in Nakhla and have been inter- 2004, 2006, 2008). Opportunity also detected 5–15% pyrox- preted to represent water-rock interactions on Mars enes in weathered soils at Meridiani Planum by mini-TES (Gooding et al., 1991) and S and Cl are adsorbed to sec- (Christensen et al., 2004; Klingelho¨fer et al., 2004). Pyrox- ondary clay minerals and Fe-oxides in Lafayette (Treiman ene minerals have also been detected in both modern eolian et al., 1993). These data suggest, in some instances, episodic sediments and ancient sedimentary rocks in Gale crater by weathering of pyroxene minerals in circum-neutral to high the CheMin X-ray diffraction instrument on the Mars pH saline waters on or near Mars’ surface (Lee et al., Science Laboratory rover (Blake et al., 2013; Bish et al., 2015; Velbel, 2012; Treiman et al., 1993; McSween, 1994). 2013; Vaniman et al., 2013; Treiman et al., 2016; Achilles Chloride and sulfate salts have also been observed in et al., 2017; Rampe et al., 2017; Yen et al., 2017; Bristow association with pyroxenes in a variety of different terrains et al., 2018; Rampe et al., 2018). on the surface of Mars. For example, martian soils are com- Martian pyroxenes have diverse chemical compositions posed of loose silicate-salt matrices, with variable chloride (Mustard et al., 2005); from orbit low-calcium pyroxenes and sulfate enrichments (Archer et al., 2014; Amundson (LCP) are primarily associated with Noachian-aged expo- et al., 2008). In many instances pyroxenes have been sures; however, high-calcium pyroxenes (HCP) are typically observed with salts, including LCP associated with sulfate detected and are common in Hesperian-aged terrains where salts in Meridiani Planum (Squyres et al., 2004) and HCP both LCP and HCP are observed in 40:60 mixtures associated with sulfate minerals observed in drill powders (Mustard et al., 2005). High-calcium pyroxenes are collected from John Klein and Cumberland in Gale crater enriched in martian dune features (Mustard et al., 2005; (Vaniman et al., 2013). In addition, weathered basalts are Langevin et al., 2005), Syrtis Major, upper layers of Juven- associated with high concentrations of sulfate and chlorine tae Chasma and Coprates Chasma (Mustard et al., 2005), in Gusev Crater (Haskin et al., 2005). OMEGA data indi- and the southern highland regions (Bandfield, 2002). Active cate pyroxene is associated with sulfate salts in dunes in eolian sands in the Bagnold Dune Field in Gale crater con- the north polar region (Bibring et al., 2006). XRD analyses tain variable amounts of augite and pigeonite (Achilles of Murray mudstone samples in Gale Crater also show et al., 2017; Rampe et al., 2018), and augite, pigeonite, both pyroxene and secondary weathering products (primar- and orthopyroxene have been reported in drilled sedimen- ily hematite, calcium sulfates, and clay minerals, as well as tary rock samples from Gale crater (Blake et al., 2013; halite in Quela), but the presence of mafic primary minerals Bish et al., 2013; Vaniman et al., 2013; Treiman et al., appears to be anticorrelated with the secondary products, 2016; Achilles et al., 2017; Rampe et al., 2017; Yen et al., suggesting chemical weathering occurred (Bristow, 2018). 2017; Bristow et al., 2018; Rampe et al., 2018). Chloride salts appear to be associated with phyllosilicates The SNC meteorites represent basaltic and ultramafic (Osterloo et al., 2008, 2010) in Noachian terrains, and have composition igneous rocks derived from Mars, and all con- been observed in several martian meteorites. tain pyroxene (e.g. Nyquist et al., 2001). Similar LCP:HCP The abundance of salt deposits combined with the low- ratios are also common in SNC meteorites (McSween, atmospheric pressure and low temperature conditions at or 338 C.M.