Geomorphology of Gale Crater, Rock on! |
Geomorphology of Gale Crater, Rock on! |
Sep 26 2012, 10:22 PM
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 3516 Joined: 4-November 05 From: North Wales Member No.: 542 |
I'd like a discussion thread about the geology detatched from the time limits of current MSL threads. We had a 'Geomorphology of Cape York' thread that attracted a lot of interesting posts. How about 'Geomorphology of Gale Crater'? I have one or two ideas but many more questions, and I'd like to post them in a longer-running thread away from the day to day imaging discussion. Any other takers?
For starters, does anybody have a contour map of this place like the one at Meridiani with 5m intervals? ADMIN: You have your wishes fulfilled on UMSF (sometimes) |
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Jun 11 2019, 01:55 AM
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 1044 Joined: 17-February 09 Member No.: 4605 |
There is no indication that the northern ocean interacted directly with Gale crater and in any case it would be highly unlikely to be salty at its maximum extent. But jccwrt's point is germane regarding acidic alteration signatures in the underlying sedimentary Murray formation. All data indicates top down infiltration.
We know that Vera Rubin Ridge is part of the Murray formation and it would be safe to assume that the lake and hence the Murray formation extended to the central uplift, at a height pretty much commensurate with the top of VRR. So the problem is when and how did acidic water interact with a discrete , long and thin section of the formation. One critical data point we do not have and unfortunately cannot get is the length of the altered section because quite limited cover would hide the signature from orbit. Increased length would imply a stream because even the length of the visible portion would be unusual for a springline. |
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Jun 11 2019, 04:51 AM
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#3
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Member Group: Members Posts: 684 Joined: 24-July 15 Member No.: 7619 |
(snip) So the problem is when and how did acidic water interact with a discrete , long and thin section of the formation. Well, since AFAIK, Mars lack creeks or rivers that happen to run in a straight line for ~6.5 km, the most likely explanation would seem to be a fault in the area. TECTONIC FORMATION OF MOUNT SHARP, GALE CRATER, MARS. http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2013/pdf/3106.pdf Recent Mars grounwater level research https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi...29/2018JE005802 notes that early Mars had a groundwater network. Recent work on the Chesapeake bay impact crater https://pubs.usgs.gov/circ/2003/circ1262/#f...caption45212960 raises the interesting point that there would have been a "breccia aquifer" UNDER mount sharp. So, impact-heated breccia, interacting with a regional groundwater system, should give you plenty of hot, wet, altered rock under Mount sharp, as well as brines enriched in minerals, salts or perhaps acids. |
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