Not always wet: an aridification sequence in the orbital clay-sulfate transition of aeolis mons
Résumé
On Mars, prominent thick-layered sulfate-bearing deposits are observed at a number of late Noachian to late Hesperian locations (~3.5 Ga) [1]. Their apparent absence in older strata has led to the hypothesis that they may represent ancient evaporites related to the global aridification [2]. In Gale crater, the Curiosity rover is exploring the sulfate-bearing unit, a regional package hundreds of meters thick of yet mostly undefined origin [3]. Curiosity’s investigations can test whether the formation processes of this unit are similar to a form of primary evaporation, such as early diagenetic salt crystallization, or later stage precipitations with different conditions.
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