Alison R. Santos

Inventory of H2O in the ancient Martian regolith from Northwest Africa 7034: The important role of Fe oxides

Water-rich Martian regolith breccia Northwest Africa (NWA) 7034 was analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy to determine the inventory and phase distribution of H2O (used herein to refer to both molecular H2O and OH− structural components in hydrous minerals). Hydrous Fe oxide phases (hydromaghemite and an unidentified nanocrystalline Fe-bearing oxide phase observed with hydromaghemite) and phyllosilicates (saponite) were identified as the primary mineralogic hosts for H2O with a minor contribution from Cl-rich apatite. Based on mass balance calculations and modal abundances of minerals constrained by powder X-ray diffraction and petrography, we can account for the entire 6000 ppm H2O measured in bulk rock analyses of NWA 7034. This H2O is distributed evenly between hydrous Fe-rich oxides and phyllosilicates, indicating that Fe oxides could be as important as phyllosilicates for H2O storage in Martian surface material.

Geologic history of Martian regolith breccia Northwest Africa 7034: Evidence for hydrothermal activity and lithologic diversity in the Martian crust

The timing and mode of deposition for Martian regolith breccia Northwest Africa (NWA) 7034 were determined by combining petrography, shape analysis, and thermochronology. NWA 7034 is composed of igneous, impact, and brecciated clasts within a thermally annealed submicron matrix of pulverized crustal rocks and devitrified impact/volcanic glass. The brecciated clasts are likely lithified portions of Martian regolith with some evidence of past hydrothermal activity. Represented lithologies are primarily ancient crustal materials with crystallization ages as old as 4.4 Ga. One ancient zircon was hosted by an alkali-rich basalt clast, confirming that alkalic volcanism occurred on Mars very early. NWA 7034 is composed of fragmented particles that do not exhibit evidence of having undergone bed load transport by wind or water. The clast size distribution is similar to terrestrial pyroclastic deposits. We infer that the clasts were deposited by atmospheric rainout subsequent to a pyroclastic eruption(s) and/or impact event(s), although the ancient ages of igneous components favor mobilization by impact(s). Despite ancient components, the breccia has undergone a single pervasive thermal event at 500–800°C, evident by groundmass texture and concordance of ~1.5 Ga dates for bulk rock K-Ar, U-Pb in apatite, and U-Pb in metamict zircons. The 1.5 Ga age is likely a thermal event that coincides with rainout/breccia lithification. We infer that the episodic process of regolith lithification dominated sedimentary processes during the Amazonian Epoch. The absence of pre-Amazonian high-temperature metamorphic events recorded in ancient zircons indicates source domains of static southern highland crust punctuated by episodic impact modification.