Are there carbonate deposits in the Valles Marineris, Mars?
The precipitation of 30 mbar of Martian atmosphere CO2 as carbonates in lakes is suggested to be the source of thick sequences of layered deposits found in the Valles Marineris. Support is adduced for this scenario from processes occurring in the perennially frozen dry valley lakes of Antarctica, wh...
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Other/Unknown Material |
| Language: | unknown |
| Published: |
1988
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19880037745 |
| Summary: | The precipitation of 30 mbar of Martian atmosphere CO2 as carbonates in lakes is suggested to be the source of thick sequences of layered deposits found in the Valles Marineris. Support is adduced for this scenario from processes occurring in the perennially frozen dry valley lakes of Antarctica, where the lake water is supersaturated with atmospheric gases. Atmospheric CO2 would have accumulated in such Martian lakes as temperatures fell, and the presence of an insulating ice cover would have allowed liquid water to exist. |
|---|