Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Squyres, S. W.
• Grotzinger, J. P.
• Arvidson, R. E.
• Bell, J. F.
• Calvin, W.
• Christensen, P. R.
• Clark, B. C.
• Crisp, J. A.
• Farrand, W. H.
• Herkenhoff, K. E.
• Johnson, J. R.
• Klingelhöfer, G.
• Knoll, A. H.
• McLennan, S. M.
• McSween, H. Y.
• Morris, R. V.
• Rice, J. W.
• Rieder, R.
• Soderblom, L. A.

Titel

In Situ Evidence for an Ancient Aqueous Environment at Meridiani Planum, Mars

Ist Teil von

• Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science), 2004-12, Vol.306 (5702), p.1709-1714

Ort / Verlag

Johnson Space Center: American Association for the Advancement of Science

Erscheinungsjahr

2004

Link zum Volltext

Quelle

Science magazine suite

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• Sedimentary rocks at Eagle crater in Meridiani Planum are composed of fine-grained siliciclastic materials derived from weathering of basaltic rocks, sulfate minerals (including magnesium sulfate and jarosite) that constitute several tens of percent of the rock by weight, and hematite. Cross-stratification observed in rock outcrops indicates eolian and aqueous transport. Diagenetic features include hematite-rich concretions and crystal-mold vugs. We interpret the rocks to be a mixture of chemical and siliciclastic sediments with a complex diagenetic history. The environmental conditions that they record include episodic inundation by shallow surface water, evaporation, and desiccation. The geologic record at Meridiani Planum suggests that conditions were suitable for biological activity for a period of time in martian history.