Early diagenesis at and below Vera Rubin ridge, Gale crater, Mars

S. M.R. Turner; S. P. Schwenzer; J. C. Bridges; E. B. Rampe; C. C. Bedford; C. N. Achilles; A. C. McAdam; N. Mangold; L. J. Hicks; J. Parnell; A. A. Fraeman; M. H. Reed

doi:10.1111/maps.13748

Early diagenesis at and below Vera Rubin ridge, Gale crater, Mars

S. M.R. Turner^* (Corresponding Author), S. P. Schwenzer, J. C. Bridges, E. B. Rampe, C. C. Bedford, C. N. Achilles, A. C. McAdam, N. Mangold, L. J. Hicks, J. Parnell, A. A. Fraeman, M. H. Reed

^*Corresponding author for this work

Geology and Geophysics

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Abstract

Data returned by NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover showed evidence for abundant secondary materials, including Fe-oxides, phyllosilicates, and an amorphous component on and below Vera Rubin ridge in the Murray formation. We used equilibrium thermochemical modeling to test the hypothesis that altered sediments were deposited as detrital igneous grains and subsequently underwent diagenesis. Chemical compositions of the Murray formations’ altered components were calculated using data returned by the chemistry and mineralogy X-ray diffraction instrument and the alpha particle X-ray spectrometer on board Curiosity. Reaction of these alteration compositions with a CO₂-poor and oxidizing dilute aqueous solution was modeled at 25–100 °C, with 10–50% Fe³⁺/Fe_tot of the host rock. The modeled alteration assemblages included abundant phyllosilicates and Fe-oxides at water-to-rock ratios >100. Modeled alteration abundances were directly comparable to observed abundances of hematite and clay minerals at a water-to-rock ratio of 10,000, for system temperatures of 50–100 °C with fluid pH ranging from 7.9 to 9.3. Modeling results suggest that the hematite–clay mineral assemblage is primarily the result of enhanced groundwater flow compared to the Sheepbed mudstone observed at Yellowknife Bay, and underwent further, localized alteration to produce the mineralogy observed by Curiosity.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	1905-1932
Number of pages	28
Journal	Meteoritics and Planetary Science
Volume	56
Issue number	10
Early online date	26 Sept 2021
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1111/maps.13748
Publication status	Published - 1 Oct 2021

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
SMRT, SPS, and JCB were funded by UK Space Agency grant ST/S001522/1. CCB was funded through the STFC doctoral training grant to the OU. ACM acknowledges funding support from the NASA ROSES MSL Participating Scientist Program. Unless stated otherwise, mineralogical and chemical data used in the modeling from the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover are from the NASA PDS. The authors would like to thank Jim Palandri for CHIM‐XPT access and support. Support from the scientists, engineers, colleagues in operations roles, and staff of NASA Mars Science Laboratory Mission is gratefully acknowledged. SMRT would like to thank Nisha Ramkissoon for thermochemical modeling discussions. This manuscript benefitted from reviews by Patrick Gasda, Allan Treiman, and Gordon Osinski. Previous versions of this manuscript benefitted from reviews by Benjamin Tutolo, Jake Crandall, and three anonymous reviewers.

Data Availability Statement

As per funding requirements, data necessary to reproduce the thermochemical modeling results shown in this paper are available on The Open University data repository (https://doi.org/10.21954/ou.rd.14892132).

Additional supporting information may be found in the online version of this article.

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10.1111/maps.13748Licence: Unspecified

Turner_etal_MPS_Early_digenesis_at_AAM
This is the accepted peer-reviewed version of: Turner, S.M.R., Schwenzer, S.P., Bridges, J.C., Rampe, E.B., Bedford, C.C., Achilles, C.N., McAdam, A.C., Mangold, N., Hicks, L.J., Parnell, J., Fraeman, A.A. and Reed, M.H. (2021), Early diagenesis at and below Vera Rubin ridge, Gale crater, Mars. Meteorit Planet Sci. https://doi.org/10.1111/maps.13748
Accepted author manuscript, 4.32 MBLicence: Unspecified

Cite this

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title = "Early diagenesis at and below Vera Rubin ridge, Gale crater, Mars",

abstract = "Data returned by NASA{\textquoteright}s Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover showed evidence for abundant secondary materials, including Fe-oxides, phyllosilicates, and an amorphous component on and below Vera Rubin ridge in the Murray formation. We used equilibrium thermochemical modeling to test the hypothesis that altered sediments were deposited as detrital igneous grains and subsequently underwent diagenesis. Chemical compositions of the Murray formations{\textquoteright} altered components were calculated using data returned by the chemistry and mineralogy X-ray diffraction instrument and the alpha particle X-ray spectrometer on board Curiosity. Reaction of these alteration compositions with a CO2-poor and oxidizing dilute aqueous solution was modeled at 25–100 °C, with 10–50% Fe3+/Fetot of the host rock. The modeled alteration assemblages included abundant phyllosilicates and Fe-oxides at water-to-rock ratios >100. Modeled alteration abundances were directly comparable to observed abundances of hematite and clay minerals at a water-to-rock ratio of 10,000, for system temperatures of 50–100 °C with fluid pH ranging from 7.9 to 9.3. Modeling results suggest that the hematite–clay mineral assemblage is primarily the result of enhanced groundwater flow compared to the Sheepbed mudstone observed at Yellowknife Bay, and underwent further, localized alteration to produce the mineralogy observed by Curiosity.",

author = "Turner, {S. M.R.} and Schwenzer, {S. P.} and Bridges, {J. C.} and Rampe, {E. B.} and Bedford, {C. C.} and Achilles, {C. N.} and McAdam, {A. C.} and N. Mangold and Hicks, {L. J.} and J. Parnell and Fraeman, {A. A.} and Reed, {M. H.}",

note = "Funding Information: SMRT, SPS, and JCB were funded by UK Space Agency grant ST/S001522/1. CCB was funded through the STFC doctoral training grant to the OU. ACM acknowledges funding support from the NASA ROSES MSL Participating Scientist Program. Unless stated otherwise, mineralogical and chemical data used in the modeling from the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover are from the NASA PDS. The authors would like to thank Jim Palandri for CHIM‐XPT access and support. Support from the scientists, engineers, colleagues in operations roles, and staff of NASA Mars Science Laboratory Mission is gratefully acknowledged. SMRT would like to thank Nisha Ramkissoon for thermochemical modeling discussions. This manuscript benefitted from reviews by Patrick Gasda, Allan Treiman, and Gordon Osinski. Previous versions of this manuscript benefitted from reviews by Benjamin Tutolo, Jake Crandall, and three anonymous reviewers. ",

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AU - Rampe, E. B.

AU - Bedford, C. C.

AU - Achilles, C. N.

AU - McAdam, A. C.

AU - Mangold, N.

AU - Hicks, L. J.

AU - Parnell, J.

AU - Fraeman, A. A.

AU - Reed, M. H.

N1 - Funding Information: SMRT, SPS, and JCB were funded by UK Space Agency grant ST/S001522/1. CCB was funded through the STFC doctoral training grant to the OU. ACM acknowledges funding support from the NASA ROSES MSL Participating Scientist Program. Unless stated otherwise, mineralogical and chemical data used in the modeling from the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover are from the NASA PDS. The authors would like to thank Jim Palandri for CHIM‐XPT access and support. Support from the scientists, engineers, colleagues in operations roles, and staff of NASA Mars Science Laboratory Mission is gratefully acknowledged. SMRT would like to thank Nisha Ramkissoon for thermochemical modeling discussions. This manuscript benefitted from reviews by Patrick Gasda, Allan Treiman, and Gordon Osinski. Previous versions of this manuscript benefitted from reviews by Benjamin Tutolo, Jake Crandall, and three anonymous reviewers.

PY - 2021/10/1

Y1 - 2021/10/1

N2 - Data returned by NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover showed evidence for abundant secondary materials, including Fe-oxides, phyllosilicates, and an amorphous component on and below Vera Rubin ridge in the Murray formation. We used equilibrium thermochemical modeling to test the hypothesis that altered sediments were deposited as detrital igneous grains and subsequently underwent diagenesis. Chemical compositions of the Murray formations’ altered components were calculated using data returned by the chemistry and mineralogy X-ray diffraction instrument and the alpha particle X-ray spectrometer on board Curiosity. Reaction of these alteration compositions with a CO2-poor and oxidizing dilute aqueous solution was modeled at 25–100 °C, with 10–50% Fe3+/Fetot of the host rock. The modeled alteration assemblages included abundant phyllosilicates and Fe-oxides at water-to-rock ratios >100. Modeled alteration abundances were directly comparable to observed abundances of hematite and clay minerals at a water-to-rock ratio of 10,000, for system temperatures of 50–100 °C with fluid pH ranging from 7.9 to 9.3. Modeling results suggest that the hematite–clay mineral assemblage is primarily the result of enhanced groundwater flow compared to the Sheepbed mudstone observed at Yellowknife Bay, and underwent further, localized alteration to produce the mineralogy observed by Curiosity.

AB - Data returned by NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover showed evidence for abundant secondary materials, including Fe-oxides, phyllosilicates, and an amorphous component on and below Vera Rubin ridge in the Murray formation. We used equilibrium thermochemical modeling to test the hypothesis that altered sediments were deposited as detrital igneous grains and subsequently underwent diagenesis. Chemical compositions of the Murray formations’ altered components were calculated using data returned by the chemistry and mineralogy X-ray diffraction instrument and the alpha particle X-ray spectrometer on board Curiosity. Reaction of these alteration compositions with a CO2-poor and oxidizing dilute aqueous solution was modeled at 25–100 °C, with 10–50% Fe3+/Fetot of the host rock. The modeled alteration assemblages included abundant phyllosilicates and Fe-oxides at water-to-rock ratios >100. Modeled alteration abundances were directly comparable to observed abundances of hematite and clay minerals at a water-to-rock ratio of 10,000, for system temperatures of 50–100 °C with fluid pH ranging from 7.9 to 9.3. Modeling results suggest that the hematite–clay mineral assemblage is primarily the result of enhanced groundwater flow compared to the Sheepbed mudstone observed at Yellowknife Bay, and underwent further, localized alteration to produce the mineralogy observed by Curiosity.

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EP - 1932

JO - Meteoritics and Planetary Science

JF - Meteoritics and Planetary Science

IS - 10

ER -

Early diagenesis at and below Vera Rubin ridge, Gale crater, Mars

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Data Availability Statement

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