Published in Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets
Carbonates are key minerals for understanding ancient Martian environments because they are indicators of potentially habitable, neutral-to-alkaline water and may be an important reservoir for paleoatmospheric CO 2. Previous remote sensing studies have identified mostly Mg-rich carbonates, both in Martian dust and in a Late Noachian rock unit circu...
Published in Icarus
Ammonium-bearing minerals have been suggested to be present on Mars, Ceres, and various asteroids and comets. We undertook a systematic study of the spectral reflectance properties of ammonium-bearing minerals and compounds that have possible planetary relevance (ie, ammonium carbonates, chlorides, nitrates, oxalates, phosphates, silicates, and sul...
Published in Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets
We investigate the morphology, mineralogy, and stratigraphy of light-toned layered deposits within a trough of Coprates Catena, centered at− 15 N, 300 E. One of the deposits in the eastern portion of the trough contains numerous hydrated minerals, including Al- phyllosilicates, Fe/Mg-phyllosilicates, hydrated silica, hydrated sulfates, jarosite and...
Published in American Mineralogist
Published in Icarus
Published in Geochemistry Geophysics Geosystems
Rock and fluid samples were collected from three hydrothermal chimneys at the Endeavour Segment, Juan de Fuca Ridge to evaluate linkages among mineralogy, fluid chemistry, and microbial community composition within the chimneys. Mössbauer, mid- infrared thermal emission, and visible-near infrared spectroscopies were utilized for the first time to c...
The identification and characterization of hydrated minerals within ancient aqueous environments on Mars are high priorities for determining the past habitability of the red planet. Few studies, however, have focused on characterizing the entire mineral assemblage, even though it could aide our understanding of past environments. In this study we u...
The investigated sample was dredged in the Kahouanne basin during the research cruise SO-154 (RV Sonne) in the Lesser Antilles Island Arc between the islands of Guadeloupe and Montserrat (Halbach et al., 2002). The Kahouanne basin represents the southern extension of the large Kallinago intra-arc basin and has a length of approximately 40 km and a ...
Sub-surface mafic-ultramafic crustal and hydrothermal environments on early Earth and Mars may have been very similar [1]. Hydrogen production from low-temperature alteration of ultramafic and basaltic rocks has been proposed to support early microbial life in Earth s earliest subsurface environments [1]. Similarly, evidence for microbial sulphate ...
Hydrothermal and/or acidic alteration of basaltic ash on Mars may have produced the sulfates and hydrated silica observed in many aqueous outcrops. This study considers solfataric alteration as a potential formation mechanism for opal, sulfate and clays on Mars. Alteration via fumaroles in the Kilauea caldera, HI, have created a light-toned solfata...
Published in Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets
The Mawrth Vallis region is covered by some of the largest phyllosilicate-rich outcrops on Mars, making it a unique window into the past history of Mars in terms of water alteration, potential habitability, and the search for past life. A landing ellipse had been proposed for the Curiosity rover. This area has been extensively observed by the High ...
Published in Earth and Planetary Science Letters
Near-infrared remote sensing data of Mars have revealed thousands of ancient deposits of Fe/Mg-rich smectitic clay minerals within the crust with relevance to past habitability. Diagnostic metal–OH infrared spectroscopic absorptions used to interpret the mineralogy of these phyllosilicates occur at wavelengths of 2.27–2.32 μm, indicating variable F...
