A hypersaline spring analogue in Manitoba, Canada for potential ancient spring deposits on Mars / Genevieve Berard, Daniel Applin, Edward Cloutis, Jessica Stromberg, Raven Sharma, Paul Mann, Stephen Grasby, Ruth Bezys, Briony Horgan, Kathleen Londry, Melissa Rice, Bill Last, Fawn Last, Pascal Badiou, Gordon Goldsborough, and James Bell III.
Material type:
TextSeries: Icarus. 224(2) 399-412 Publication details: 2013Description: colour illustrations ; 28 cmOnline resources: Summary: This study explores the possible applications of a spring complex, East German Creek (EGC), Manitoba,
Canada, as a terrestrial analogue for similar environments on Mars. Potential ancient spring deposits have
been identified by Allen and Oehler (Allen, C.C., Oehler, D.Z. [2008]. Astrobiology 8, 1093–1112) in Vernal
Crater, Arabia Terra, as well as in the intercrater plains of Terra Sirenum by Wray et al. (Wray et al. [2011].
J. Geophys. Res., 116, 1–41). EGC can provide guidance in the search for fossil spring deposits on Mars by
using comparative mineralogy to contrast mineral identification from field studies to that available from
remote sensing instruments such as the CRISM instrument aboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The
formation processes of EGC are also useful for finding spring-like environments on Mars. A variety of
techniques were employed (X-ray diffractometry, reflectance spectra, water chemistry analysis) to analyze
mineralogical changes in spring water precipitates with distance from the main springs at EGC,
which were compared with concentrations of dissolved species in outflow water. Biosignatures in outflow
stream sediments as well as the effect of surficial Fe oxyhydroxide coatings on the detection of
underlying carbonate absorption features have also been spectrally characterized.
Halite is the main mineral precipitated at EGC, followed by gypsum, and calcite. The presence of gypsum
is readily detected in surficial precipitate spectra while halite does not have a diagnostic spectral signature
in the 0.35–2.5 lm region. An absorption feature indicative of chlorophyll a is present in stream
sediment spectra from most sampling stations and on outwash plain sediments. Carbonates appear to be
spectrally detectable through a coating of ferric minerals, such as goethite by a characteristic absorption
band near 2.3 lm.
We attempted to detect significant spectral changes over an area of potential spring features in Vernal
Crater on Mars using CRISM data over the 1.0–3.92 lm interval, but results were inconclusive.
Analysis of the surficial geology, geomorphology, biology, and water chemistry of EGC provides a number
of insights into the possible nature of low-temperature spring deposits on Mars, while highlighting
the limitations of spectroscopy without the cooperation of X-ray diffractometry.
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Includes bibliographical references (pages 411-412).
This study explores the possible applications of a spring complex, East German Creek (EGC), Manitoba,
Canada, as a terrestrial analogue for similar environments on Mars. Potential ancient spring deposits have
been identified by Allen and Oehler (Allen, C.C., Oehler, D.Z. [2008]. Astrobiology 8, 1093–1112) in Vernal
Crater, Arabia Terra, as well as in the intercrater plains of Terra Sirenum by Wray et al. (Wray et al. [2011].
J. Geophys. Res., 116, 1–41). EGC can provide guidance in the search for fossil spring deposits on Mars by
using comparative mineralogy to contrast mineral identification from field studies to that available from
remote sensing instruments such as the CRISM instrument aboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The
formation processes of EGC are also useful for finding spring-like environments on Mars. A variety of
techniques were employed (X-ray diffractometry, reflectance spectra, water chemistry analysis) to analyze
mineralogical changes in spring water precipitates with distance from the main springs at EGC,
which were compared with concentrations of dissolved species in outflow water. Biosignatures in outflow
stream sediments as well as the effect of surficial Fe oxyhydroxide coatings on the detection of
underlying carbonate absorption features have also been spectrally characterized.
Halite is the main mineral precipitated at EGC, followed by gypsum, and calcite. The presence of gypsum
is readily detected in surficial precipitate spectra while halite does not have a diagnostic spectral signature
in the 0.35–2.5 lm region. An absorption feature indicative of chlorophyll a is present in stream
sediment spectra from most sampling stations and on outwash plain sediments. Carbonates appear to be
spectrally detectable through a coating of ferric minerals, such as goethite by a characteristic absorption
band near 2.3 lm.
We attempted to detect significant spectral changes over an area of potential spring features in Vernal
Crater on Mars using CRISM data over the 1.0–3.92 lm interval, but results were inconclusive.
Analysis of the surficial geology, geomorphology, biology, and water chemistry of EGC provides a number
of insights into the possible nature of low-temperature spring deposits on Mars, while highlighting
the limitations of spectroscopy without the cooperation of X-ray diffractometry.