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At least 55 records · Page 3
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1999

Alkaline Hypersaline Lakes as Analogs for Ancient Microbial Habitats on Mars

As the climate of ancient Mars became colder and drier with time, open bodies of water would have entered a regime in which evaporation exceeded input from precipitation or runoff. This would have resulted in increases in salinity and perhaps pH. The last open water on Mars was most likely found in alkaline hypersaline lakes, and these lakes would have been the last surface aquatic habitats for life on Mars. It follows, then, that the biomarkers most likely to be found in ancient sedimentary basins on Mars are those left by organisms adapted to high salt and high pH environments. We have begun to investigate the nature of biological diversity and adaptation to these environments, and the potential for biomarker preservation in them, using Mono Lake as a terrestrial analog environment. Additional information is contained in the original extended abstract.

McDonald, G. D.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Beagle 2: Seeking the Signatures of Life on Mars

Beagle 2 is a 60 kg probe (with a 30 kg lander) developed in the United Kingdom for inclusion on the European Space Agency s 2003 Mars Express. Beagle 2 will deliver to the Martian surface a payload which consists of a high percentage of science instruments to landed spacecraft mass. Beagle 2 will be launched in June 2003 with Mars Express on a Soyuz-Fregat rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Beagle 2 will land on Mars in December 2003 in Isidis Planitia (approx. 11.5 deg.N and 275 deg.W), a large sedimentary basin that overlies the boundary between ancient highlands and northern plains. Isidis Planitia, the third largest basin on Mars, which is possibly filled with sediment deposited at the bottom of long-standing lakes or seas, offers an ideal environment for preserving traces of life. Beagle 2 is completed and undergoing integration with the Mars Express orbiter prior to launch.

Everette K Gibson Jr.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Beagle 2: Mission to Mars - Current Status

Beagle 2 is a 72 kg probe (with a 32 kg lander) developed in the United Kingdom for inclusion on the European Space Agency's 2003 Mars Express. Beagle 2 was launched on June 2, 2003 with Mars Express on a Soyuz-Fregat rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Beagle 2 landed on Mars on December 25th, 2003 in Isidis Planitia (approx. 10.7 N and 268.6 W), a large sedimentary basin that overlies the boundary between ancient highlands and northern plains. Isidis Planitia, the third largest impact basin on Mars, which is possibly filled with sediment deposited at the bottom of long-standing lakes or seas, offers an ideal environment for preserving traces of life. The team is awaiting signals from the Beagle 2 lander at the time when this abstract was written. Current status of the mission will be reported. Beagle 2 was developed to search for organic material and other volatiles on and below the surface of Mars in addition to the study of the inorganic chemistry and mineralogy. Several fundamental properties can be used to determine the existence of an active or past biology on any planet, Earth or Mars. Beagle 2's targets for investigation included: (a) The presence of water, or the existence of minerals deposited from water to show that water was present, even if only transiently; (b) The detection of carbonaceous debris, the remains of organisms that might have lived in water or were washed to a final resting place by the action of water; (c) The structure of organic matter, to demonstrate that it might have been synthesized for a biological purpose; (d) The recognition of isotopic fractionation between carbonaceous phases (organic vs inorganic carbon phases), a condition which on Earth suggests that life emerged nearly 4 billion years ago.

Gibson, E. K., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Regional Mapping and Spectral Analysis of Mounds in Acidalia Planitia, Mars

Acidalia Planitia is a approx.3000 km diameter planum located in the northern plains of Mars. It is believed to be a sedimentary basin containing an accumulation of sediments brought by Hesperian outflow channels that drained the Highlands. A large number of high-albedo mounds have been identified across this basin [1-2] and understanding the process that formed them should help us understand the history of this region. Farrand et al. [2] showed that the mounds are dark in THEMIS (Thermal Emission Imaging System) nighttime IR (infrared) image data. This implies that the mounds have a lower thermal inertia than the surrounding plains (Fig. 1), suggesting that the material of the mounds is fine-grained or unconsolidated. Farrand et al. [2] also reviewed potential analogs for the mounds and concluded that a combination of mud volcanoes with evaporites around geysers or springs is most consistent with all the data. We have built on this work by creating regional maps of the features and analyzing CRISM (Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars) data to see if there are mineralogical differences between the mounds and surrounding plains.

Amador, E. S.↗
NASA NTRS2015

Insights into the Martian Regolith from Martian Meteorite Northwest Africa 7034

Everything we know about sedimentary processes on Mars is gleaned from remote sensing observations. Here we report insights from meteorite Northwest Africa (NWA) 7034, which is a water-rich martian regolith breccia that hosts both igneous and sedimentary clasts. The sedimentary clasts in NWA 7034 are poorly-sorted clastic siltstones that we refer to as protobreccia clasts. These protobreccia clasts record aqueous alteration process that occurred prior to breccia formation. The aqueous alteration appears to have occurred at relatively low Eh, high pH conditions based on the co-precipitation of pyrite and magnetite, and the concomitant loss of SiO2 from the system. To determine the origin of the NWA 7034 breccia, we examined the textures and grain-shape characteristics of NWA 7034 clasts. The shapes of the clasts are consistent with rock fragmentation in the absence of transport. Coupled with the clast size distribution, we interpret the protolith of NWA 7034 to have been deposited by atmospheric rainout resulting from pyroclastic eruptions and/or asteroid impacts. Cross-cutting and inclusion relationships and U-Pb data from zircon, baddelleyite, and apatite indicate NWA 7034 lithification occurred at 1.4-1.5 Ga, during a short-lived hydrothermal event at 600-700 C that was texturally imprinted upon the submicron groundmass. The hydrothermal event caused Pb-loss from apatite and U-rich metamict zircons, and it caused partial transformation of pyrite to submicron mixtures of magnetite and maghemite, indicating the fluid had higher Eh than the fluid that caused pyrite-magnetite precipitation in the protobreccia clasts. NWA 7034 also hosts ancient 4.4 Ga crustal materials in the form of baddelleyites and zircons, providing up to a 2.9 Ga record of martian geologic history. This work demonstrates the incredible value of sedimentary basins as scientific targets for Mars sample return missions, but it also highlights the importance of targeting samples that have not been overprinted by metamorphic processes, which is the case for NWA 7034.

McCubbin, Francis M.↗
NASA NTRS2005

The Rio Tinto Basin, Spain: Mineralogy, Sedimentary Geobiology, and Implications for Interpretation of Outcrop Rocks at Meridiani Planum, Mars

Exploration by the NASA rover Opportunity has revealed sulfate- and hematite-rich sedimentary rocks exposed in craters and other surface features of Meridiani Planum, Mars. Modern, Holocene, and Plio-Pleistocene deposits of the Rio Tinto, southwestern Spain, provide at least a partial environmental analog to Meridiani Planum rocks, facilitating our understanding of Meridiani mineral precipitation and diagenesis, while informing considerations of martian astrobiology. Oxidation, thought to be biologically mediated, of pyritic ore bodies by groundwaters in the source area of the Rio Tinto generates headwaters enriched in sulfuric acid and ferric iron. Seasonal evaporation of river water drives precipitation of hydronium jarosite and schwertmannite, while (Mg,Al,Fe(sup 3+))-copiapite, coquimbite, gypsum, and other sulfate minerals precipitate nearby as efflorescences where locally variable source waters are brought to the surface by capillary action. During the wet season, hydrolysis of sulfate salts results in the precipitation of nanophase goethite. Holocene and Plio-Pleistocene terraces show increasing goethite crystallinity and then replacement of goethite with hematite through time. Hematite in Meridiani spherules also formed during diagenesis, although whether these replaced precursor goethite or precipitated directly from groundwaters is not known. The retention of jarosite and other soluble sulfate salts suggests that water limited the diagenesis of Meridiani rocks. Diverse prokaryotic and eukaryotic microorganisms inhabit acidic and seasonally dry Rio Tinto environments. Organic matter does not persist in Rio Tinto sediments, but biosignatures imparted to sedimentary rocks as macroscopic textures of coated microbial streamers, surface blisters formed by biogenic gas, and microfossils preserved as casts and molds in iron oxides help to shape strategies for astrobiological investigation of Meridiani outcrops.

Fernandez-Remolar, David C.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Laboratory simulated hydrothermal alteration of sedimentary organic matter from Guaymas Basin, Gulf of California

High temperature alteration of sedimentary organic matter associated with marine hydrothermal systems involves complex physical and chemical processes that are not easily measured in most natural systems. Many of these processes can be evaluated indirectly by examining the geochemistry of the hydrothermal system in the laboratory. In this investigation, an experimental organic geochemical approach to studying pyrolysis of sedimentary organic matter is applied to the hydrothermal system in the Guaymas Basin, Gulf of California. A general survey of hydrothermal oils and extractable organic matter (bitumen) in hydrothermally altered sediments identified several homologous series of alkanones associated with a high temperature hydrothermal origin. The alkanones range in carbon number from C11 to C30 with no carbon number preference. Alkan-2-ones are in highest concentrations, with lower amounts of 3-, 4-, 5- (and higher) homologs. The alkanones appear to be pyrolysis products synthesized under extreme hydrothermal conditions. Hydrous pyrolysis and confinement pyrolysis experiments were performed to simulate thermally enhanced diagenetic and catagenetic changes in the immature sedimentary organic matter. The extent of alteration was measured by monitoring the n-alkanes, acyclic isoprenoids, steroid and triterpenoid biomarkers, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and alkanones. The results were compared to bitumen extracts from sediments which have been naturally altered by a sill intrusion and accompanied hydrothermal fluid flow. These pyrolysis experiments duplicated many of the organic matter transformations observed in the natural system. Full hopane and sterane maturation occurred after 48 hr in experiments at 330 deg C with low water/rock mass ratios (0.29). A variety of radical and ionic reactions are responsible for the organic compound conversions which occur under extreme hydrothermal conditions. Short duration pyrolysis experiments revealed that a portion of the hydrocarbons generated from kerogen was observed to go through alkene intermediates, and the rate of alkene isomerization was influenced by the ionic strength and catalytic mineral phases. Confinement of the organic pyrolysate to the bulk sediment accelerated the rates of the biomarker epimerization reactions, suggesting that these reactions are influenced strongly by the association of the inorganic matrix, and that the relative rates of some ionic and radical reactions can be influenced by the water/rock ratio during the pyrolysis experiments.

Leif, Roald N.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Potassium metasomatism of volcanic and sedimentary rocks in rift basins, calderas and detachment terranes

The chemical, mineralogical, and oxygen-isotopic changes accompanying K-metasomatism are described. The similarities with diagenetic reactions in both deep marine and alkaline, saline-lake environments are noted. The common occurrence of K-metasomatism in upper-plate rocks of detachment terranes indicates that the early stage of severe regional extension causes crustal downwarping and, in arid to semi-arid regions, development of closed hydrographic basins.

Chapin, C. E.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Exploration of A Magma-Sediment Hydrothermal System on Earth: Constraints on the Habitability Potential of Martian Noachian Hydrothermal Systems

The martian crust is predominantly composed of basalt [1] and hosts a large variety of alteration materials caused by wide-ranging processes from volcanic hydrothermal processes to sedimentary and post-magmatic (e.g., see [2] and reference within). Specifically, there is an abundance of evidence that water previously flowed on Mars, ranging from ancient stream beds [3], lake basins [4], sedimentary fans in Jezero crater [5, 6], and clay minerals [7]. These secondary minerals have been observed by landers and rovers [2], from orbit [8], and in martian meteorites [9-11]. Along with low temperature alteration, high temperature hydrothermal systems from volcanic processes, as well as meteorite impacts, should have been present [12,13]. However, finding evidence of high-temperature hydrothermal activity has been challenging. To better understand these processes on Mars, Earth analogs can be used and then compared to potential scenarios and locations on Mars. Therefore, here we investigate a mafic dike and the surrounding metamorphic contact zone that has been hydrothermally altered from contact with ground water as it was emplaced. We will also compare our results to previous work on Robbers Roost Dike, an older mafic dike near our field location that intruded a similar protolith causing a potentially habitable hydrothermal system [14. 15].

R A Slank↗
NASA NTRS1990

Flexural deformation of the continental lithosphere

Prior work focused primarily on the Adriatic and northern Ionian regions. The results of these studies have been summarized previously, and so are only briefly discussed. More recent work focuses on two different topics: (1) analysis of foredeep basin geometry, sedimentary style, and thrust belt structure in light of the kinematics at the associated plate boundary and subduction zone dynamics; and (2) the evolution and plate strength of early Proterozoic lithosphere.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1994

A molecular and isotopic study of the organic matter from the Paris Basin, France

Thirteen Liassic sedimentary rocks of increasing depth and three petroleums from the Paris Basin were studied for 13C/12C isotopic compositions and biological markers, including steranes, sterenes, methylphenanthrenes, methylanthracenes, and triaromatic steroids. The isotopic compositions of n-alkanes from mature sedimentary rocks and petroleums fall in a narrow range (2%), except for the deepest Hettangian rock and the Trias petroleum, for which the short-chain n-alkanes are enriched and depleted in 13C, respectively. Most of the molecular parameters increase over the 2000-2500 m depth range, reflecting the transformation of the organic matter at the onset of petroleum generation. In this zone, carbonate content and carbon isotopic composition of carbonates, as well as molecular parameters, are distinct for the Toarcian and Hettangian source rocks and suggest a migration of organic matter from these two formations. Two novel molecular parameters were defined for this task: one using methyltriaromatic steroids from organic extracts; the other using 1-methylphenanthrene and 2-methylanthracene from kerogen pyrolysates. The anomalous high maturity of the Dogger petroleum relative to the maturity-depth trend of the source rocks is used to estimate the minimal vertical distance of migration of the organic matter from the source rock to the reservoir.

Non-NASA Center↗
NASA NTRS1987

Early cratering rates and the nature of the Martian cratered uplands

The cratered uplands of Mars represent a complex sequence of reworked crater ejecta, distant basin ejecta deposits, sedimentary (aeolian and fluvial) deposits, and possible volcanic plains. The heritage of the early period of impact bombardment is documented in the preserved cratering record where the aereal density of large craters (greater than 20 km) exceeds that of the moon and subtle relicts of large impact basins remain. The cratering record provides a means to estimate the early impact flux on Mars, to constrain the direct and indirect effects of the impact process over various scales, and to evaluate the nature of the cratered upland surface materials. Four issues are addressed: the early Martian cratering rate; the role of late-stage atmospheric accretion of volatiles; the relative effects of craters and basins on the global redistribution of crustal materials; and the indirect longer term effects of basin formation.

Schultz, P. H.↗
NASA NTRS1981

An investigation of MAGSAT and complementary data emphasizing precambrian shields and adjacent areas of West Africa and South America

Accomplishments with regard to the mapping and analysis of MAGSAT data for the investigation of correlations between the magnetic field characteristics of South American and African shields are reported. Significant results in the interpretation of the global total-field anomalies and the anomaly patterns of Africa and South America are discussed. The central position of the Brazilian shield tends to form a negative total-field anomaly, consistent with findings for shields in equatorial Africa. Sedimentary sequences in the Amazon basin and in the Rio de Janeiro-Sao Paolo areas exhibit positive anomalies, also consistent with equatorial Africa. Results for the Caribbean Sea and Guyana regions are also described.

Hastings, D. A.↗
NASA NTRS2004

A Gravity Analysis of the Subsurface Structure of the Utopia Impact Basin

The large, shallow, circular depression in Utopia Planitia has been identified as a huge impact basin, based on both geological evidence and detailed analysis of MOLA topography. Its diameter (approximately 3000 km) is equivalent to that of the Hellas basin, as is its inferred age (early Noachian). However, there the similarity ends. Their appearance, both surficially and geophysically, are virtually polar opposites. Whereas Hellas is extremely deep with rough terrain and large slopes, high-precision MOLA measurements were required to unambiguously define the smooth, shallow, almost imperceptible bowl of the Utopia basin. Conversely, Utopia displays one of the largest (non-Tharsis-related) positive geoid anomalies on Mars, in contrast to a more subdued negative anomaly over Hellas. As these two features presumably formed roughly contemporaneously by similar mechanisms, it is reasonable to assume that they were originally quite similar, and that their differences are due largely to different paths of subsequent modification. The obvious source for these differences is in their elevations: Hellas is located in the southern highlands at a rim elevation of about 3km, whereas Utopia is in the lowlying northern plains, at an average elevation of 4 km. Thus Utopia has been in an especially gravitationally favorable position to be subjected to infilling, for example, by lava flows, sedimentation, or water. In fact, its floor was almost certainly the lowest point on the planet at one time, and it would have been the termination point for down-slope drainage from over two-thirds of Mars. Thus the nature of the material filling this basin has strong connections to the sedimentary and/or volcanic processes acting on Mars in the Noachian and Early Hesperian periods. In particular, it may be able to shed some light on amount and persistence of water on early Mars in general and in the Utopia basin in particular. In this study I will use the inferred early correspondence between Hellas and Utopia to investigate Utopia's subsurface structure.

Barnerdt, W. B.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Geological remote sensing of Palaeogene rocks in the Wind River Basin, Wyoming, USA

Remote sensing studies of Palaeogene sediments in the Wind River Basin (Wyoming) were used for mapping stratigraphic units, sedimentary features and facies, and structural patterns. Thematic Mapper principal component images for the central and eastern Wind River Basin along with geological investigations and spectral analyses allowed: mapping of the Fort Union, Wind River, and Wagon Bed formations (Fm) and their subunits; recognition of two subunits in the Wind River Fm, one of which can be traced for 75 km; determination of sediment source and depositional environment of units within the Wind River Fm; correlation of the Wagon Bed Fm across the basin; and apparent confirmation of different sources of volcanic debris in the western and southeastern exposures of the Wagon Bed Fm.

Krishtalka, L.↗
NASA NTRS2008

The Origin of the Terra Meridiani Sediments: Volatile Transport and the Formation of Sulfate Bearing Layered Deposits on Mars

The chemistry, sedimentology, and geology of the Meridiani sedimentary deposits are best explained by eolian reworking of the sublimation residue of a large scale ice/dust deposit. This large ice deposit was located in close proximity to Terra Meridiani and incorporated large amounts of dust, sand, and SO2 aerosols generated by impacts and volcanism during early martian history. Sulfate formation and chemical weathering of the initial igneous material is hypothesized to have occurred inside of the ice when the darker mineral grains were heated by solar radiant energy. This created conditions in which small films of liquid water were created in and around the mineral grains. This water dissolved the SO2 and reacted with the mineral grains forming an acidic environment under low water/rock conditions. Subsequent sublimation of this ice deposit left behind large amounts of weathered sublimation residue which became the source material for the eolian process that deposited the Terra Meridiani deposit. The following features of the Meridiani sediments are best explained by this model: The large scale of the deposit, its mineralogic similarity across large distances, the cation-conservative nature of the weathering processes, the presence of acidic groundwaters on a basaltic planet, the accumulation of a thick sedimentary sequence outside of a topographic basin, and the low water/rock ratio needed to explain the presence of very soluble minerals and elements in the deposit. Remote sensing studies have linked the Meridiani deposits to a number of other martian surface features through mineralogic similarities, geomorphic similarities, and regional associations. These include layered deposits in Arabia Terra, interior layered deposits in the Valles Marineris system, southern Elysium/Aeolis, Amazonis Planitia, and the Hellas basin, Aram Chaos, Aureum Chaos, and Ioni Chaos. The common properties shared by these deposits suggest that all of these deposits share a common formation process which must have acted over a large area of Mars. The results of this study suggest a mechanism for volatile transport on Mars without invoking an early greenhouse. They also imply a common formation mechanism for most of the sulfate minerals and layered deposits on Mars, which explains their common occurrence.

Niles, P.B.↗
NASA NTRS2009

Geologic Mapping of Holden Crater and the Uzboi-Ladon-Morava Outflow System

Geologic mapping in Margaritifer Terra (Fig. 1) yields important new information regarding the inventory, sources, and sinks of water during the Noachian and early Hesperian on Mars [1-7]. Drainage in southwest Margaritifer Terra is dominated by the segmented Uzboi-Ladon-Morava (ULM) meso-scale outflow system that traverses northward along the southwestern flank of the Chryse trough [4-9]. Mapping of lower Uzboi Vallis through Ladon basin highlights the extent and complexity of sedimentary deposits associated with the ULM system [5-13].

Grant, J. A.↗