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

Authors :: Knoll, Andrew
Soderblom, Larry A.
Rieder, Renate
Rice, John W.
Morris, Richard V.
McSween, Harry Y.
McLennan, Scott M.
Klingelhofer, Gostar
Johnson, Jeffrey R.
Herkenhoff, Ken E.
Farrand, William H.
Crisp, Jeffrey
Clark, Benton C.
Christensen, Philip R.
Calvin, Wendy
Bell, James F. III
Arvidson, Raymond E.
Grotzinger, John P.
Squyres, Steven W.
Source :: Squyres, Steven W., John P. Grotzinger, Raymond E. Arvidson, James F. Bell, Wendy Calvin, Philip R. Christensen, Benton C. Clark, Jeffrey A. Crisp, William H. Farrand, Ken E. Herkenhoff, Jeffrey R. Johnson, Gostar Klingelhofer, Andrew H. Knoll, Scott M. McLennan, Harry Y. McSween, Richard V. Morris, John W. Rice, Renate Rieder, and Larry A. Soderblom. 2004. In situ evidence for an ancient aqueous environment at Meridiani Planum, Mars. Science 306, no. 5702: 1709-1714.
Publication Year :: 2004
Publisher :: American Association for the Advancement of Science, 2004.
Abstract: 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 siliciciastic 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.<br />Organismic and Evolutionary Biology

Details

Language :: English
ISSN :: 10959203 and 00368075
Database :: Digital Access to Scholarship at Harvard (DASH)
Journal :: Squyres, Steven W., John P. Grotzinger, Raymond E. Arvidson, James F. Bell, Wendy Calvin, Philip R. Christensen, Benton C. Clark, Jeffrey A. Crisp, William H. Farrand, Ken E. Herkenhoff, Jeffrey R. Johnson, Gostar Klingelhofer, Andrew H. Knoll, Scott M. McLennan, Harry Y. McSween, Richard V. Morris, John W. Rice, Renate Rieder, and Larry A. Soderblom. 2004. In situ evidence for an ancient aqueous environment at Meridiani Planum, Mars. Science 306, no. 5702: 1709-1714.
Accession number :: edshld.1.3119538
Full Text :: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1104559