Loading...
Please wait, while we are loading the content...
Similar Documents
Classifying Terrestrial Volcanic Alteration Processes and Defining Alteration Processes they Represent on Mars
| Content Provider | Semantic Scholar |
|---|---|
| Author | Bishop, James Lord Schiffman, Peter Southard, Randal J. Drief, A. Verosub, Kenneth L. Smith, Daniel J. |
| Copyright Year | 2004 |
| Abstract | Characterizing alteration of the rocks on Mars is difficult, but some guidelines can be made through comparison with terrestrial volcanic altera- tion. Subaerial volcanic activity on the Hawaiian islands and subglacial volcanic activity on Iceland have led to the formation of a variety of silicate and iron oxide-rich alteration products that may serve as models for chemical alteration on Mars. Multiple samples have been collected from palagonitized tuffs, altered pillow lavas, altered tephra, and S-rich vents for study in the lab. Variations in the kinds of altera- tion products have been observed depending on the sample environment. We are defining associations between the alteration products and formation condi- tions that can be used to provide information about environmental conditions on Mars. In particular, we are providing definitions for palagonitic, pedogenic and solfataric alteration that can be used to characterize these alteration processes. Introduction: Direct evidence of liquid water on Mars has not been found; however, remote detection of alteration minerals may provide evidence of short- or long-term aqueous processes or hydrothermally active sites. The mineralogy of these alteration prod- ucts holds information about the climatic and geo- chemical record that can provide clues about the extent and duration of water. The rock compositions on Mars are basaltic to andesitic(1-3), and many of the rocks near the Pathfinder lander contain surface coatings(4). The soils contain elevated Fe and S levels compared to the rocks(5,6). Definitive identi- fication of specific minerals has been complicated by |
| File Format | PDF HTM / HTML |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | https://www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2004/pdf/1780.pdf |
| Language | English |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Article |
