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Black BA, Manga M, Ojha L, Longpré M, Karunatillake S, Hlinka L. The History of Water in Martian Magmas From Thorium Maps. GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS 2022; 49:e2022GL098061. [PMID: 35859852 PMCID: PMC9285613 DOI: 10.1029/2022gl098061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2022] [Revised: 05/17/2022] [Accepted: 05/20/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Water inventories in Martian magmas are poorly constrained. Meteorite-based estimates range widely, from 102 to >104 ppm H2O, and are likely variably influenced by degassing. Orbital measurements of H primarily reflect water cycled and stored in the regolith. Like water, Th behaves incompatibly during mantle melting, but unlike water Th is not prone to degassing and is relatively immobile during aqueous alteration at low temperature. We employ Th as a proxy for original, mantle-derived H2O in Martian magmas. We use regional maps of Th from Mars Odyssey to assess variations in magmatic water across major volcanic provinces and through time. We infer that Hesperian and Amazonian magmas had ∼100-3,000 ppm H2O, in the lower range of previous estimates. The implied cumulative outgassing since the Hesperian, equivalent to a global H2O layer ∼1-40 m deep, agrees with Mars' present-day surface and near-surface water inventory and estimates of sequestration and loss rates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin A. Black
- Department of Earth and Planetary SciencesRutgers UniversityPiscatawayNJUSA
| | - Michael Manga
- Department of Earth and Planetary SciencesUniversity of California, BerkeleyBerkeleyCAUSA
| | - Lujendra Ojha
- Department of Earth and Planetary SciencesRutgers UniversityPiscatawayNJUSA
| | - Marc‐Antoine Longpré
- School of Earth and Environmental SciencesQueens College, City University of New YorkQueensNYUSA
- Earth and Environmental SciencesThe Graduate Center, City University of New YorkNew YorkNYUSA
| | | | - Lisa Hlinka
- School of Earth and Environmental SciencesQueens College, City University of New YorkQueensNYUSA
- Earth and Environmental SciencesThe Graduate Center, City University of New YorkNew YorkNYUSA
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Li C, Zheng Y, Wang X, Zhang J, Wang Y, Chen L, Zhang L, Zhao P, Liu Y, Lv W, Liu Y, Zhao X, Hao J, Sun W, Liu X, Jia B, Li J, Lan H, Fa W, Pan Y, Wu F. Layered subsurface in Utopia Basin of Mars revealed by Zhurong rover radar. Nature 2022; 610:308-312. [PMID: 36163288 PMCID: PMC9556330 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-05147-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2021] [Accepted: 07/26/2022] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Exploring the subsurface structure and stratification of Mars advances our understanding of Martian geology, hydrological evolution and palaeoclimatic changes, and has been a main task for past and continuing Mars exploration missions1-10. Utopia Planitia, the smooth plains of volcanic and sedimentary strata that infilled the Utopia impact crater, has been a prime target for such exploration as it is inferred to have hosted an ancient ocean on Mars11-13. However, 45 years have passed since Viking-2 provided ground-based detection results. Here we report an in situ ground-penetrating radar survey of Martian subsurface structure in a southern marginal area of Utopia Planitia conducted by the Zhurong rover of the Tianwen-1 mission. A detailed subsurface image profile is constructed along the roughly 1,171 m traverse of the rover, showing an approximately 70-m-thick, multi-layered structure below a less than 10-m-thick regolith. Although alternative models deserve further scrutiny, the new radar image suggests the occurrence of episodic hydraulic flooding sedimentation that is interpreted to represent the basin infilling of Utopia Planitia during the Late Hesperian to Amazonian. While no direct evidence for the existence of liquid water was found within the radar detection depth range, we cannot rule out the presence of saline ice in the subsurface of the landing area.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chao Li
- grid.9227.e0000000119573309Key Laboratory of Earth and Planetary Physics, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yikang Zheng
- grid.9227.e0000000119573309Key Laboratory of Petroleum Resource Research, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xin Wang
- grid.9227.e0000000119573309Key Laboratory of Earth and Planetary Physics, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jinhai Zhang
- grid.9227.e0000000119573309Key Laboratory of Earth and Planetary Physics, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yibo Wang
- grid.9227.e0000000119573309Key Laboratory of Petroleum Resource Research, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China ,grid.410726.60000 0004 1797 8419College of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Ling Chen
- grid.410726.60000 0004 1797 8419College of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China ,grid.458476.c0000 0004 0605 1722State Key Laboratory of Lithospheric Evolution, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Lei Zhang
- grid.9227.e0000000119573309Key Laboratory of Earth and Planetary Physics, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Pan Zhao
- grid.458476.c0000 0004 0605 1722State Key Laboratory of Lithospheric Evolution, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yike Liu
- grid.9227.e0000000119573309Key Laboratory of Petroleum Resource Research, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Wenmin Lv
- grid.9227.e0000000119573309Key Laboratory of Earth and Planetary Physics, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yang Liu
- grid.9227.e0000000119573309State Key Laboratory of Space Weather, National Space Science Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China ,grid.9227.e0000000119573309Center for Excellence in Comparative Planetology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, China
| | - Xu Zhao
- grid.9227.e0000000119573309Key Laboratory of Earth and Planetary Physics, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jinlai Hao
- grid.9227.e0000000119573309Key Laboratory of Earth and Planetary Physics, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Weijia Sun
- grid.9227.e0000000119573309Key Laboratory of Earth and Planetary Physics, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaofeng Liu
- grid.11135.370000 0001 2256 9319Institute of Remote Sensing and Geographical Information System, School of Earth and Space Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Bojun Jia
- grid.11135.370000 0001 2256 9319Institute of Remote Sensing and Geographical Information System, School of Earth and Space Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Juan Li
- grid.9227.e0000000119573309Key Laboratory of Earth and Planetary Physics, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China ,grid.410726.60000 0004 1797 8419College of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Haiqiang Lan
- grid.458476.c0000 0004 0605 1722State Key Laboratory of Lithospheric Evolution, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Wenzhe Fa
- grid.11135.370000 0001 2256 9319Institute of Remote Sensing and Geographical Information System, School of Earth and Space Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Yongxin Pan
- grid.9227.e0000000119573309Key Laboratory of Earth and Planetary Physics, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China ,grid.410726.60000 0004 1797 8419College of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Fuyuan Wu
- grid.410726.60000 0004 1797 8419College of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China ,grid.458476.c0000 0004 0605 1722State Key Laboratory of Lithospheric Evolution, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
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Ojha L, Karunatillake S, Karimi S, Buffo J. Amagmatic hydrothermal systems on Mars from radiogenic heat. Nat Commun 2021; 12:1754. [PMID: 33741920 PMCID: PMC7979869 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-21762-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2020] [Accepted: 02/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Long-lived hydrothermal systems are prime targets for astrobiological exploration on Mars. Unlike magmatic or impact settings, radiogenic hydrothermal systems can survive for >100 million years because of the Ga half-lives of key radioactive elements (e.g., U, Th, and K), but remain unknown on Mars. Here, we use geochemistry, gravity, topography data, and numerical models to find potential radiogenic hydrothermal systems on Mars. We show that the Eridania region, which once contained a vast inland sea, possibly exceeding the combined volume of all other Martian surface water, could have readily hosted a radiogenic hydrothermal system. Thus, radiogenic hydrothermalism in Eridania could have sustained clement conditions for life far longer than most other habitable sites on Mars. Water radiolysis by radiogenic heat could have produced H2, a key electron donor for microbial life. Furthermore, hydrothermal circulation may help explain the region's high crustal magnetic field and gravity anomaly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lujendra Ojha
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences. Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, USA.
| | - Suniti Karunatillake
- Department of Geology and Geophysics, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, USA
| | - Saman Karimi
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Jacob Buffo
- Thayer School of Engineering, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA
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Ojha L, Lewis K, Karunatillake S, Schmidt M. The Medusae Fossae Formation as the single largest source of dust on Mars. Nat Commun 2018; 9:2867. [PMID: 30030425 PMCID: PMC6054634 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-05291-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2017] [Accepted: 06/26/2018] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Transport of fine-grained dust is one of the most widespread sedimentary processes occurring on Mars today. In the present climate, eolian abrasion and deflation of rocks are likely the most pervasive and active dust-forming mechanism. Martian dust is globally enriched in S and Cl and has a distinct mean S:Cl ratio. Here we identify a potential source region for Martian dust based on analysis of elemental abundance data. We show that a large sedimentary unit called the Medusae Fossae Formation (MFF) has the highest abundance of S and Cl, and provides the best chemical match to surface measurements of Martian dust. Based on volume estimates of the eroded materials from the MFF, along with the enrichment of elemental S and Cl, and overall geochemical similarity, we propose that long-term deflation of the MFF has significantly contributed to the global Martian dust reservoir.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lujendra Ojha
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21218, USA.
| | - Kevin Lewis
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21218, USA
| | - Suniti Karunatillake
- Department of Geology and Geophysics, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, 70803, USA
| | - Mariek Schmidt
- Department of Earth Sciences, Brock University, St. Catharines, ON, L2S 3A1, Canada
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