Seminar

Recent remote sensing exploration of Mars has revealed substantial geomorphological and mineralogical evidence for aqueous activity on ancient Mars (>3 billion years ago). However, models of the climate of early Mars generally failed to warm the surface above freezing, indicating limited liquid water activity. The nature of the early Martian climate is poorly understood, which requires more vigorous geologic constrains.  Among the most interesting results are the detection of mineralogical stratigraphy that could indicate weathering sequences that formed during climate excursions in the past. The southern highlands of Mars contain many exposures of Fe/Mg-clays overlain by Al-rich clays, which is interpreted as pedogenic leaching from precipitation and surface water under warm and wet climate. These weathering sequences are the most robust evidence of surface chemical weathering, recording environmental conditions during their formation that are vastly different from those observed today. This study will use hyperspectral infrared remote sensing to characterize the mineralogy and high-resolution imaging to map the geology, texture and contact relationships in weathering sequences on Mars, which will have significant implications for the climate of early Mars.