Possible ancient oceans on Mars: evidence from Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter data

A large paleolake basin at the head of Ma'adim Vallis, Mars

At 8 to 15 kilometers wide, Ma'adim Vallis is one of the largest valleys in the martian highlands. Although a groundwater source was previously suggested, the channel originates at a spillway in the divide of a approximately 3,000,000-square-kilometer closed drainage basin. The interior morphology of this source basin, including likely shoreline features following topographic contours, suggests that Ma'adim Vallis was created through catastrophic overflow of a approximately 1,100,000-square-kilometer highland lake. The size, constant levels, and interior morphology of three regional paleolake basins require a warmer paleoclimate and a long-term, recharged, stable highland water table more than approximately 3.5 billion years ago.

Near-infrared spectroscopic study of nontronites and ferruginous smectite

The existence of life on planets such as Mars depend upon the presence of water. This water may not necessarily be as liquid or crystalline water but may be as interlayer water such as is found in smectitic clays. One group of smectites, relevant to the search for interplanetary life are those which have a high iron content, known as nontronites. Near-IR reflectance spectroscopy has been used to show the presence of water and hydroxyl units in these minerals. Three near-IR spectral regions are identified, (a) the high frequency region between 6400 and 7400 cm(-1) attributed to the first overtone of the hydroxyl stretching mode; (b) the 4800-5400 cm(-1) region attributed to water combination modes; and (c) the 4000-4800 cm(-1) region attributed to the combination of the stretching and deformation modes of the FeFeOH units of nontronite. Two types of hydroxyl groups were identified using near-IR spectroscopy, hydroxyl units coordinated to the iron, and hydroxyl groups from water in the nontronite structure. The first hydroxyls are characterised by several bands, firstly in the 7055-7098 cm(-1) region assigned to the first overtone of the AlFeOH stretching unit, secondly in the 6958-6878 cm(-1) region attributed to the FeFeOH unit. The overtone of the hydroxyl stretching frequency of water was observed at around 6800 cm(-1). These observations show that nontronites can be a source of water that may support life.

Spectral evidence for weathered basalt as an alternative to andesite in the northern lowlands of Mars

Mineral abundances derived from the analysis of remotely sensed thermal emission data from Mars have been interpreted to indicate that the surface is composed of basalt (Surface Type 1) and andesite (Surface Type 2). The global distribution of these rock types is divided roughly along the planetary dichotomy which separates ancient, heavily cratered crust in the southern hemisphere (basalt) from younger lowland plains in the north (andesite). But the existence of such a large volume of andesite is difficult to reconcile with our present understanding of the geological evolution of Mars. Here we reinterpret martian surface rock lithologies using mineral abundances from previous work and new mineralogies derived from a spectral end-member set representing minerals common in unaltered and low-temperature aqueously altered basalts. Our results continue to indicate the dominance of unaltered basalt in the southern highlands, but reveal that the northern lowlands can be interpreted as weathered basalt as an alternative to andesite. The coincidence between locations of such altered basalt and a suggested northern ocean basin implies that lowland plains material may be composed of basalts weathered under submarine conditions or weathered basaltic sediments transported into this depocentre.

Spectroscopic and geochemical analyses of ferrihydrite from springs in Iceland and applications to Mars

Ferrihydrite samples were collected from a thermal spring and a cold stream in the Landmannalaugar region of Iceland. Chemical and spectroscopic analyses have been performed on the air-dried and fine-grained fractions of these samples. The ferrihydrite from the cold stream is a pure sample, containing small amounts of Ca, P and Si. The ferrihydrite from the thermal spring is a less pure sample, containing larger amounts of amorphous Si and P with some of the Si incorporated in the ferrihydrite structure. The spectral character of these Icelandic ferrihydrites is compared with those of synthetic ferrihydrites and other iron oxide/oxyhydroxide minerals. Ferrihydrite is characterized by a broad Fe3+ excitation band near 10 900 cm−1 (c. 0.92 μm), a strong Fe-O vibrational feature near 475 cm−1 (c. 21 μm), and multiple bands due to H2O and OH. Highly pure ferrihydrite has a pair of spectral bands near 1400 and 1500 cm−1 (c. 7 μm). Natural ferrihydrites frequently exhibit an extra band near 950–1050 cm−1 (c. 10 μm) that is attributed to Si-O bonds. Hydrothermal springs may have been present at one time on Mars in association with volcanic activity. Ferrihydrite formation in such an environment may have contributed to the ferric oxide-rich surface material on Mars.

Water and the martian landscape

Over the past 30 years, the water-generated landforms and landscapes of Mars have been revealed in increasing detail by a succession of spacecraft missions. Recent data from the Mars Global Surveyor mission confirm the view that brief episodes of water-related activity, including glaciation, punctuated the geological history of Mars. The most recent of these episodes seems to have occurred within the past 10 million years. These new results are anomalous in regard to the prevailing view that the martian surface has been continuously extremely cold and dry, much as it is today, for the past 3.9 billion years. Interpretations of the new data are controversial, but explaining the anomalies in a consistent manner leads to potentially fruitful hypotheses for understanding the evolution of Mars in relation to Earth.

Mars' volatile and climate history

There is substantial evidence that the martian volatile inventory and climate have changed markedly throughout the planet's history. Clues come from areas as disparate as the history and properties of the deep interior, the composition of the crust and regolith, the morphology of the surface, composition of the present-day atmosphere, and the nature of the interactions between the upper atmosphere and the solar wind. We piece together the relevant observations into a coherent view of the evolution of the martian climate, focusing in particular on the observations that provide the strongest constraints.

Geochemical evidence for magmatic water within Mars from pyroxenes in the Shergotty meteorite

Observations of martian surface morphology have been used to argue that an ancient ocean once existed on Mars. It has been thought that significant quantities of such water could have been supplied to the martian surface through volcanic outgassing, but this suggestion is contradicted by the low magmatic water content that is generally inferred from chemical analyses of igneous martian meteorites. Here, however, we report the distributions of trace elements within pyroxenes of the Shergotty meteorite--a basalt body ejected 175 million years ago from Mars--as well as hydrous and anhydrous crystallization experiments that, together, imply that water contents of pre-eruptive magma on Mars could have been up to 1.8%. We found that in the Shergotty meteorite, the inner cores of pyroxene minerals (which formed at depth in the martian crust) are enriched in soluble trace elements when compared to the outer rims (which crystallized on or near to the martian surface). This implies that water was present in pyroxenes at depth but was largely lost as pyroxenes were carried to the surface during magma ascent. We conclude that ascending magmas possibly delivered significant quantities of water to the martian surface in recent times, reconciling geologic and petrologic constraints on the outgassing history of Mars.

The physics, biology, and environmental ethics of making mars habitable

The considerable evidence that Mars once had a wetter, more clement, environment motivates the search for past or present life on that planet. This evidence also suggests the possibility of restoring habitable conditions on Mars. While the total amounts of the key molecules--carbon dioxide, water, and nitrogen--needed for creating a biosphere on Mars are unknown, estimates suggest that there may be enough in the subsurface. Super greenhouse gases, in particular, perfluorocarbons, are currently the most effective and practical way to warm Mars and thicken its atmosphere so that liquid water is stable on the surface. This process could take approximately 100 years. If enough carbon dioxide is frozen in the South Polar Cap and absorbed in the regolith, the resulting thick and warm carbon dioxide atmosphere could support many types of microorganisms, plants, and invertebrates. If a planet-wide martian biosphere converted carbon dioxide into oxygen with an average efficiency equal to that for Earth's biosphere, it would take > 100,000 years to create Earth-like oxygen levels. Ethical issues associated with bringing life to Mars center on the possibility of indigenous martian life and the relative value of a planet with or without a global biosphere.

Brines in seepage channels as eluants for subsurface relict biomolecules on Mars?

Water, vital for life, not only maintains the integrity of structural and metabolic biomolecules, it also transports them in solution or colloidal suspension. Any flow of water through a dormant or fossilized microbial community elutes molecules that are potentially recognizable as biomarkers. We hypothesize that the surface seepage channels emanating from crater walls and cliffs in Mars Orbiter Camera images results from fluvial erosion of the regolith as low-temperature hypersaline brines. We propose that, if such flows passed through extensive subsurface catchments containing buried and fossilized remains of microbial communities from the wet Hesperian period of early Mars (approximately 3.5 Ga ago), they would have eluted and concentrated relict biomolecules and delivered them to the surface. Life-supporting low-temperature hypersaline brines in Antarctic desert habitats provide a terrestrial analog for such a scenario. As in the Antarctic, salts would likely have accumulated in water-filled depressions on Mars by seasonal influx and evaporation. Liquid water in the Antarctic cold desert analogs occurs at -80 degrees C in the interstices of shallow hypersaline soils and at -50 degrees C in salt-saturated ponds. Similarly, hypersaline brines on Mars could have freezing points depressed below -50 degrees C. The presence of hypersaline brines on Mars would have extended the amount of time during which life might have evolved. Phototrophic communities are especially important for the search for life because the distinctive structures and longevity of their pigments make excellent biomarkers. The surface seepage channels are therefore not only of geomorphological significance, but also provide potential repositories for biomolecules that could be accessed by landers.

Internal structure and early thermal evolution of Mars from Mars Global Surveyor topography and gravity

Topography and gravity measured by the Mars Global Surveyor have enabled determination of the global crust and upper mantle structure of Mars. The planet displays two distinct crustal zones that do not correlate globally with the geologic dichotomy: a region of crust that thins progressively from south to north and encompasses much of the southern highlands and Tharsis province and a region of approximately uniform crustal thickness that includes the northern lowlands and Arabia Terra. The strength of the lithosphere beneath the ancient southern highlands suggests that the northern hemisphere was a locus of high heat flow early in martian history. The thickness of the elastic lithosphere increases with time of loading in the northern plains and Tharsis. The northern lowlands contain structures interpreted as large buried channels that are consistent with northward transport of water and sediment to the lowlands before the end of northern hemisphere resurfacing.