Sedimentary Geology at Meridiani Planum, Mars

Sedimentary Geology at Meridiani Planum, Mars PDF

Author: S.W. Squyres

Publisher: Gulf Professional Publishing

Published: 2006-01-17

Total Pages: 178

ISBN-13: 9780444522504

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In January of 2004, twin robotic explorers, Spirit and Opportunity, landed on Mars. Expected to last for 90 days, the two rovers explored the Martian surface for nearly two years. Their objective was to search for evidence of ancient water on Mars, and to determine if Mars ever had conditions that would have been suitable for life. Opportunity, landed on Meridiani Planum, a smooth plateau near the Martian equator, coming to rest in a small impact feature named Eagle Crater. After leaving Eagle Crater, Opportunity drove eastward to Endurance Crater, a much larger carter that allowed access to deeper and older rocks. At these locations, Opportunity, found strong evidence for ancient water on Mars. This evidence includes "blueberries,” small concretions rich in hematite that precipitated from water. Other evidence includes rocks that ware made largely of sulphate salts, deposited when water evaporated, and rocks that preserve ancient ripples that formed billions of years ago as water flowed over sand on Mars. The conditions long ago at Meridiani Planum could have been suitable for some simple forms of life. Whether life could have developed there, however, is a more difficult question.

Sedimentary Geology of Mars

Sedimentary Geology of Mars PDF

Author: John P. Grotzinger

Publisher:

Published: 2012-01-01

Total Pages: 270

ISBN-13: 9781565763135

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Often thought of as a volcanically dominated planet, the last several decades of Mars exploration have revealed with increasing clarity the role of sedimentary processes on the Red Planet. Data from recent orbiters have highlighted the role of sedimentary processes throughout the geologic evolution of Mars by providing evidence that such processes are preserved in a rock record that spans a period of over four billion years.

The Atlas of Mars

The Atlas of Mars PDF

Author: Kenneth S. Coles

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2019-08-22

Total Pages:

ISBN-13: 1108641326

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Planetary scientist and educator Ken Coles has teamed up with Ken Tanaka from the United States Geological Survey's Astrogeology team, and Phil Christensen, Principal Investigator of the Mars Odyssey orbiter's THEMIS science team, to produce this all-purpose reference atlas, The Atlas of Mars. Each of the thirty standard charts includes: a full-page color topographic map at 1:10,000,000 scale, a THEMIS daytime infrared map at the same scale with features labeled, a simplified geologic map of the corresponding area, and a section describing prominent features of interest. The Atlas is rounded out with extensive material on Mars' global characteristics, regional geography and geology, a glossary of terms, and an indexed gazetteer of up-to-date Martian feature names and nomenclature. This is an essential guide for a broad readership of academics, students, amateur astronomers, and space enthusiasts, replacing the NASA atlas from the 1970s.

Treatise on Geochemistry

Treatise on Geochemistry PDF

Author:

Publisher: Newnes

Published: 2013-10-19

Total Pages: 17318

ISBN-13: 0080983006

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This extensively updated new edition of the widely acclaimed Treatise on Geochemistry has increased its coverage beyond the wide range of geochemical subject areas in the first edition, with five new volumes which include: the history of the atmosphere, geochemistry of mineral deposits, archaeology and anthropology, organic geochemistry and analytical geochemistry. In addition, the original Volume 1 on "Meteorites, Comets, and Planets" was expanded into two separate volumes dealing with meteorites and planets, respectively. These additions increased the number of volumes in the Treatise from 9 to 15 with the index/appendices volume remaining as the last volume (Volume 16). Each of the original volumes was scrutinized by the appropriate volume editors, with respect to necessary revisions as well as additions and deletions. As a result, 27% were republished without major changes, 66% were revised and 126 new chapters were added. In a many-faceted field such as Geochemistry, explaining and understanding how one sub-field relates to another is key. Instructors will find the complete overviews with extensive cross-referencing useful additions to their course packs and students will benefit from the contextual organization of the subject matter Six new volumes added and 66% updated from 1st edition. The Editors of this work have taken every measure to include the many suggestions received from readers and ensure comprehensiveness of coverage and added value in this 2nd edition The esteemed Board of Volume Editors and Editors-in-Chief worked cohesively to ensure a uniform and consistent approach to the content, which is an amazing accomplishment for a 15-volume work (16 volumes including index volume)!

3D Digital Geological Models

3D Digital Geological Models PDF

Author: Andrea Bistacchi

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2022-03-29

Total Pages: 243

ISBN-13: 1119313899

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3D DIGITAL GEOLOGICAL MODELS Discover the practical aspects of modeling techniques and their applicability on both terrestrial and extraterrestrial structures A wide overlap exists in the methodologies used by geoscientists working on the Earth and those focused on other planetary bodies in the Solar System. Over the course of a series of sessions at the General Assemblies of the European Geosciences Union in Vienna, the intersection found in 3D characterization and modeling of geological and geomorphological structures for all terrestrial bodies in our solar system revealed that there are similar datasets and common techniques for the study of all planets—Earth and beyond—from a geological point-of-view. By looking at Digital Outcrop Models (DOMs), Digital Elevation Models (DEMs), or Shape Models (SM), researchers may achieve digital representations of outcrops, topographic surfaces, or entire small bodies of the Solar System, like asteroids or comet nuclei. 3D Digital Geological Models: From Terrestrial Outcrops to Planetary Surfaces has two central objectives, to highlight the similarities that geological disciplines have in common when applied to entities in the Solar System, and to encourage interdisciplinary communication and collaboration between different scientific communities. The book particularly focuses on analytical techniques on DOMs, DEMs and SMs that allow for quantitative characterization of outcrops and geomorphological features. It also highlights innovative 3D interpretation and modeling strategies that allow scientists to gain new and more advanced quantitative results on terrestrial and extraterrestrial structures. 3D Digital Geological Models: From Terrestrial Outcrops to Planetary Surfaces readers will also find: The first volume dedicated to this subject matter that successfully integrates methodology and applications A series of methodological chapters that provide instruction on best practices involving DOMs, DEMs, and SMs A wide range of case studies, including small- to large-scale projects on Earth, Mars, the 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko comet, and the Moon Examples of how data collected at surface can help reconstruct 3D subsurface models 3D Digital Geological Models: From Terrestrial Outcrops to Planetary Surfaces is a useful reference for academic researchers in earth science, structural geology, geophysics, petroleum geology, remote sensing, geostatistics, and planetary scientists, and graduate students studying in these fields. It will also be of interest for professionals from industry, particularly those in the mining and hydrocarbon fields.

Comparative Climatology of Terrestrial Planets

Comparative Climatology of Terrestrial Planets PDF

Author: Stephen J. Mackwell

Publisher: University of Arizona Press

Published: 2014-01-25

Total Pages: 1699

ISBN-13: 0816599750

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The early development of life, a fundamental question for humankind, requires the presence of a suitable planetary climate. Our understanding of how habitable planets come to be begins with the worlds closest to home. Venus, Earth, and Mars differ only modestly in their mass and distance from the Sun, yet their current climates could scarcely be more divergent. Only Earth has abundant liquid water, Venus has a runaway greenhouse, and evidence for life-supporting conditions on Mars points to a bygone era. In addition, an Earth-like hydrologic cycle has been revealed in a surprising place: Saturn’s cloud-covered satellite Titan has liquid hydrocarbon rain, lakes, and river networks. Deducing the initial conditions for these diverse worlds and unraveling how and why they diverged to their current climates is a challenge at the forefront of planetary science. Through the contributions of more than sixty leading experts in the field, Comparative Climatology of Terrestrial Planets sets forth the foundations for this emerging new science and brings the reader to the forefront of our current understanding of atmospheric formation and climate evolution. Particular emphasis is given to surface-atmosphere interactions, evolving stellar flux, mantle processes, photochemistry, and interactions with the interplanetary environment, all of which influence the climatology of terrestrial planets. From this cornerstone, both current professionals and most especially new students are brought to the threshold, enabling the next generation of new advances in our own solar system and beyond. Contents Part I: Foundations Jim Hansen Mark Bullock Scot Rafkin Caitlin Griffith Shawn Domagal-Goldman and Antigona Segura Kevin Zahnle Part II: The Greenhouse Effect and Atmospheric Dynamics Curt Covey G. Schubert and J. Mitchell Tim Dowling Francois Forget and Sebastien Lebonnois Vladimir Krasnopolsky Adam Showman Part III: Clouds, Hazes, and Precipitation Larry Esposito A. Määttänen, K. Pérot, F. Montmessin, and A. Hauchecorne Nilton Renno Zibi Turtle Mark Marley Part IV: Surface-Atmosphere Interactions Colin Goldblatt Teresa Segura et al. John Grotzinger Adrian Lenardic D. A. Brain, F. Leblanc, J. G. Luhmann, T. E. Moore, and F. Tian Part V: Solar Influences on Planetary Climate Aaron Zent Jerry Harder F. Tian, E. Chassefiere, F. Leblanc, and D. Brain David Des Marais

Sand

Sand PDF

Author: Michael Welland

Publisher: Univ of California Press

Published: 2009

Total Pages: 360

ISBN-13: 0520265971

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"I have learned more about, and become more fascinated with sand from reading this book than I have from studying beaches for thirty-five years! An amazing story."—Reinhard E. Flick, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego "A masterful, entertaining and accessible treatise on the complex world of common sand."—Bruce M. Pavlik, author of The California Deserts "To do justice to this formidable and glorious subject, you need not only to be in love with it, but also to possess tremendous breadth of knowledge, have the eyes of a poet, scientist and geographer, and be intrepid enough to have seen the deserts of the world at first hand. Fortunately, Michael Welland fits the bill. It is hard to see how this paean to the wonders and mysteries of sand could be bettered."—Philip Ball, author of Critical Mass: How One Thing Leads to Another and Life's Matrix: A Biography of Water "A fascinating and colorfully written book filled with insights and wit about the magical material called sand."—Stephen P. Leatherman (aka Dr Beach), author of America's Best Beaches "Sand has given rise to commentary, both poetic and scientific, from the earliest human times. Michael Welland ably winnows this literature, making the subject of sand his base station for a journey around the whole earth system. An impressive achievement."—Andrew Alden, author/editor of About.com's Guide to Geology "Michael Welland offers a popular, imaginative, and scientific evocation of sand as the creator of the world we experience and seek to understand. Sand is a timely meditation on things both large and small that simultaneously opens the door to the oldest geology and our most recent history."—Joseph Amato, author of Dust: A History of the Small and the Invisible

Lakes on Mars

Lakes on Mars PDF

Author: Nathalie A. Cabrol

Publisher: Elsevier

Published: 2010-09-15

Total Pages: 410

ISBN-13: 9780080931623

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On Earth, lakes provide favorable environments for the development of life and its preservation as fossils. They are extremely sensitive to climate fluctuations and to conditions within their watersheds. As such, lakes are unique markers of the impact of environmental changes. Past and current missions have now demonstrated that water once flowed at the surface of Mars early in its history. Evidence of ancient ponding has been uncovered at scales ranging from a few kilometers to possibly that of the Arctic ocean. Whether life existed on Mars is still unknown; upcoming missions may find critical evidence to address this question in ancient lakebeds as clues about Mars’ climate evolution and its habitability potential are still preserved in their sedimentary record. Lakes on Mars is the first review on this subject. It is written by leading planetary scientists who have dedicated their careers to searching and exploring the questions of water, lakes, and oceans on Mars through their involvement in planetary exploration, and the analysis of orbital and ground data beginning with Viking up to the most recent missions. In thirteen chapters, Lakes on Mars critically discusses new data and explores the role that water played in the evolution of the surface of Mars, the past hydrological provinces of the planet, the possibility of heated lake habitats through enhanced geothermal flux associated with volcanic activity and impact cratering. The book also explores alternate hypotheses to explain the geological record. Topographic, morphologic, stratigraphic, and mineralogic evidence are presented that suggest successions of ancient lake environments in Valles Marineris and Hellas. The existence of large lakes and/or small oceans in Elysium and the Northern Plains is supported both by the global distribution of deltaic deposits and by equipotential surfaces that may reflect their past margins. Whether those environments were conducive to life has yet to be demonstrated but from comparison with our planet, their sedimentary deposits may provide the best opportunity to find its record, if any. The final chapters explore the impact of climate variability on declining lake habitats in one of the closest terrestrial analogs to Mars at the Noachian/Hesperian transition, identify the geologic, morphologic and mineralogic signatures of ancient lakes to be searched for on Mars, and present the case for landing the Mars Science Laboratory mission in such an environment. First review on the subject by worldwide leading authorities in the field New studies with most recent data, new images, figures, and maps Most recent results from research in terrestrial analogs

Volatiles in the Martian Crust

Volatiles in the Martian Crust PDF

Author: Justin Filiberto

Publisher: Elsevier

Published: 2018-08-30

Total Pages: 426

ISBN-13: 012804201X

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Volatiles in the Martian Crust is a vital reference for future missions - including ESA’s EXO Mars and NASA’s Mars2020 rover - looking for evidence of life on Mars and the potential for habitability and human exploration of the Martian crust. Mars science is a rapidly evolving topic with new data returned from the planet on a daily basis. The book presents chapters written by well-established experts who currently focus on the topic, providing the reader with a fresh, up-to-date and accurate view. Organized into two main sections, the first half of the book focuses on the Martian meteorites and specific volatile elements. The second half of the book explores processes and locations on the crust, including what we have learned about volatile mobility in the Martian crust. Coverage includes data from orbiter and in situ rovers and landers, geochemical and geophysical modeling, and combined data from the SNC meteorites. Presents information about the nature, relationship, and reactivity of chemical elements and compounds on Mars Explores the potential habitability of Mars Provides a comprehensive view of volatiles in the Martian crust from studies of actual samples as well as from the variety of landed missions, including the MER and Curiosity rovers Delivers a vital reference for ongoing and future missions to Mars while synthesizing large data sets and research on volatiles in the Martian atmosphere Concludes with an informative summary chapter that looks to future Mars missions and what might be learned