Salts on Mars: New perspectives in planetary geomorphology and astrobiological implications
- Paper number
IAC-08.A1.6.12
- Author
Mr. Sanjoy Som, University of Washington, United States
- Coauthor
Mr. R. Eric Collins, University of Washington, United States
- Coauthor
Prof. B. Charlotte Schreiber, University of Washington, United States
- Coauthor
Dr. David R. Montgomery, University of Washington, United States
- Year
2008
- Abstract
The positive detection of large hydrated sulfate deposits on the surface on Mars by the OMEGA instrument onboard Mars Express, the CRISM instrument onboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, as well as by in-situ excavation by the Mars Exploration Rovers has led to a re-evaluation of the role of salts in the evolution of Martian topography and its potential habitability. The ability of salts to deform viscously under moderate stress and temperature regimes has been proposed to explain, under a unifying theory, previously perplexing features such as the Thaumasia highlands, the linearity and scale of Valles Marineris, the wrinkle ridges of the Thaumasia plateau and the Juventae, Echus and Coprates outflow channels. Other valley networks interpreted as having been incised by aqueous precipitation and viscous flow features previously interpreted as water-ice are being investigated as having a probable salt-tectonic origin. Furthermore, the propensity of hydrated salts to dewater in the presence of heat could present opportunities for microbial life to be sustained in the resulting brines. Based on the seasonal persistence of non-halophilic microorganisms in sea ice brines and the recovery of living microorganisms from the remnants of ancient salty environments on Earth, including gypsum crystals and permafrost, even geologically infrequent cyles of heating could potentially sustain biological activity in saline environments on Mars. In this paper, a fresh comparative planetology discussion will be presented, illustrated with terrestrial analogies of salt mineralogy and tectonics found around the world, and with implications from recent studies of cold-adapted bacteria and archaea in Arctic sea ice brines.
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
IAC-08.A1.6.12.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).
To get the manuscript, please contact IAF Secretariat.