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THE OVERARCHING GOAL OF THIS PROPOSAL IS TO ENHANCE UNDERSTANDING OF HOW THE SURFACE AND SUBSURFACE OF MARS MAY BE IN COMMUNICATION TO BRING WATERS OF DISTINCTIVE GEOCHEMISTRIES TO THE SURFACE. GLOBAL MINERAL MAPPING BY CRISM AT HIGH RESOLUTION SHOWS THAT THE SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION OF SULFATE CHLORIDE AND CARBONATE SALTS IS HIGHLY VARIABLE. REACTIVE TRANSPORT MODELING USING PLAUSIBLE MINERAL ASSEMBLAGES IN AND AROUND THE NILI FOSSAE REGION HAS SHOWN THAT ITS CARBONATE MAY RESULT FROM REACTION OF ATMOSPHERICALLY-DERIVED GROUNDWATERS WITH THE UPPER TENS OF METERS OF HIGH-OLIVINE BEARING BASALT TO PRODUCE CARBONATE. HOWEVER WHAT IS THE SOURCE INSTEAD FOR CHLORIDE AND SULFATE DEPOSITS INCLUDING THE ACID SULFATES? A SUBSURFACE SOURCE OF ANIONS MAY BE REQUIRED. HERE WE PROPOSE A MAPPING INVESTIGATION OF THE TERRA SIRENUM REGION ON MARS SITE OF PALEOLAKE DEPOSITS HOSTING ALUNITE AND JAROSITE AND BASINS HOSTING CHLORIDES. RECENTLY LARGE SCALE FAULTS IN THE REGION HAVE ALSO BEEN MAPPED. THESE SUGGEST A MEANS FOR WATERS CIRCULATING AT DEPTH TO REACH THE SUBSURFACE. WE WILL TEST THE HYPOTHESIS THAT THE PRESENCE AND SOURCE OF UPWELLING SUBSURFACE WATERS I.E. THE PLUMBING OF MARTIAN SHALLOW OR DEEP LAKES PLAYS A CRUCIAL ROLE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF MARTIAN PALEOLAKES WITH DISTINCTIVE GEOCHEMISTRIES AND THUS DISTINCTIVE MINERAL ASSEMBLAGES AND BIOLOGICAL POTENTIAL. OUR OBJECTIVES ARE (I) TO MAP THE DISTRIBUTIONS OF SECONDARY (WATER-RELATED) MINERALS IN THE TERRA SIRENUM REGION IN RELATION TO GEOLOGICAL FEATURES AND (II) TO CONSTRAIN THE SOURCES AND QUANTITIES OF S AND CL THAT FORM OBSERVED SALT-RICH DEPOSITS AND THUS CONTROL THE HABITABILITY AND BIOLOGICAL POTENTIAL OF WATERS. IN PARTICULAR USING OBSERVED MINERALOGY AND OBSERVED SPATIAL RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN GEOLOGIC UNITS WE WILL EXAMINE THE PLAUSIBILITY OF (1) ATMOSPHERICALLY-SOURCED VOLATILES INTERACTING WITH SURFACE ROCKS AND SOILS TO PROVIDE S AND CL (2) WEATHERING OF SULFIDES FROM IGNEOUS ROCK (3) REMOBILIZATION OF PRIOR GENERATIONS OF BURIED SALT DEPOSITS OR (4) INTERACTION WITH MAGMATIC GASES.

$410,289FY2020National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationNASA

California Institute Of Technology, Pasadena CA

Investigators

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THE OVERARCHING GOAL OF THIS PROPOSAL IS TO ENHANCE UNDERSTANDING OF HOW THE SURFACE AND SUBSURFACE OF MARS MAY BE IN COMMUNICATION TO BRING WATERS OF DISTINCTIVE GEOCHEMISTRIES TO THE SURFACE. GLOBAL MINERAL MAPPING BY CRISM AT HIGH RESOLUTION SHOWS THAT THE SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION OF SULFATE CHLORIDE AND CARBONATE SALTS IS HIGHLY VARIABLE. REACTIVE TRANSPORT MODELING USING PLAUSIBLE MINERAL ASSEMBLAGES IN AND AROUND THE NILI FOSSAE REGION HAS SHOWN THAT ITS CARBONATE MAY RESULT FROM REACTION OF ATMOSPHERICALLY-DERIVED GROUNDWATERS WITH THE UPPER TENS OF METERS OF HIGH-OLIVINE BEARING BASALT TO PRODUCE CARBONATE. HOWEVER WHAT IS THE SOURCE INSTEAD FOR CHLORIDE AND SULFATE DEPOSITS INCLUDING THE ACID SULFATES? A SUBSURFACE SOURCE OF ANIONS MAY BE REQUIRED. HERE WE PROPOSE A MAPPING INVESTIGATION OF THE TERRA SIRENUM REGION ON MARS SITE OF PALEOLAKE DEPOSITS HOSTING ALUNITE AND JAROSITE AND BASINS HOSTING CHLORIDES. RECENTLY LARGE SCALE FAULTS IN THE REGION HAVE ALSO BEEN MAPPED. THESE SUGGEST A MEANS FOR WATERS CIRCULATING AT DEPTH TO REACH THE SUBSURFACE. WE WILL TEST THE HYPOTHESIS THAT THE PRESENCE AND SOURCE OF UPWELLING SUBSURFACE WATERS I.E. THE PLUMBING OF MARTIAN SHALLOW OR DEEP LAKES PLAYS A CRUCIAL ROLE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF MARTIAN PALEOLAKES WITH DISTINCTIVE GEOCHEMISTRIES AND THUS DISTINCTIVE MINERAL ASSEMBLAGES AND BIOLOGICAL POTENTIAL. OUR OBJECTIVES ARE (I) TO MAP THE DISTRIBUTIONS OF SECONDARY (WATER-RELATED) MINERALS IN THE TERRA SIRENUM REGION IN RELATION TO GEOLOGICAL FEATURES AND (II) TO CONSTRAIN THE SOURCES AND QUANTITIES OF S AND CL THAT FORM OBSERVED SALT-RICH DEPOSITS AND THUS CONTROL THE HABITABILITY AND BIOLOGICAL POTENTIAL OF WATERS. IN PARTICULAR USING OBSERVED MINERALOGY AND OBSERVED SPATIAL RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN GEOLOGIC UNITS WE WILL EXAMINE THE PLAUSIBILITY OF (1) ATMOSPHERICALLY-SOURCED VOLATILES INTERACTING WITH SURFACE ROCKS AND SOILS TO PROVIDE S AND CL (2) WEATHERING OF SULFIDES FROM IGNEOUS ROCK (3) REMOBILIZATION OF PRIOR GENERATIONS OF BURIED SALT DEPOSITS OR (4) INTERACTION WITH MAGMATIC GASES. · GrantIndex