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<p>Aluminum-rich clay minerals are detected across the ancient surface of Mars and record intervals of intense alteration by liquid water. On Earth, these clay minerals can form from hydrothermal alteration or rainfall-driven chemical weathering over thousands to millions of years, but how they formed on Mars remains a mystery. The Perseverance rover discovered light-toned, cobble-sized, aluminum-rich (30-45 wt% Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>) “float” rocks (rock fragments), with some exhibiting spectral signatures of kaolinite, an&#xa0;aluminum-rich clay mineral. These rocks now enable an investigation into the ancient kaolinite-bearing terrains of Mars. To interpret their formation, we use data from the SuperCam and Mastcam-Z instruments onboard the rover to compare the chemistry and reflectance spectra of the float rocks with deeply weathered paleosols and hydrothermal kaolin deposits from Earth’s geological record. Aluminum and titanium enrichments coupled with depletion of iron and magnesium are unlike hydrothermal deposits and instead comparable to bleached horizons of paleosols that formed under high rainfall during past greenhouse climates on Earth. These rocks therefore likely represent some of the wettest intervals of Mars’ history.</p>

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Alteration history of aluminum-rich rocks at Jezero crater, Mars

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

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  • 发表日期：

    2025年12月1日

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  • A. P. Broz,
  • B. H. N. Horgan,
  • C. Bedford,
  • C. Royer,
  • H. Manelski,
  • S. Connell,
  • R. C. Wiens,
  • E. C. Cardarelli,
  • J. M. Madariaga,
  • L. Mandon,
  • A. Klidaras,
  • M. Bramble,
  • B. Kathir,
  • O. Forni,
  • John Carter,
  • E. Dehouck,
  • C. Quantin-Nataf,
  • J. R. Johnson,
  • J. I. Nuñez,
  • E. Hausrath,
  • U. Wolf,
  • E. A. Cloutis,
  • P. Beck,
  • J. F. Bell,
  • J. I. Simon,
  • A. Cousin

摘要

Aluminum-rich clay minerals are detected across the ancient surface of Mars and record intervals of intense alteration by liquid water. On Earth, these clay minerals can form from hydrothermal alteration or rainfall-driven chemical weathering over thousands to millions of years, but how they formed on Mars remains a mystery. The Perseverance rover discovered light-toned, cobble-sized, aluminum-rich (30-45 wt% Al2O3) “float” rocks (rock fragments), with some exhibiting spectral signatures of kaolinite, an aluminum-rich clay mineral. These rocks now enable an investigation into the ancient kaolinite-bearing terrains of Mars. To interpret their formation, we use data from the SuperCam and Mastcam-Z instruments onboard the rover to compare the chemistry and reflectance spectra of the float rocks with deeply weathered paleosols and hydrothermal kaolin deposits from Earth’s geological record. Aluminum and titanium enrichments coupled with depletion of iron and magnesium are unlike hydrothermal deposits and instead comparable to bleached horizons of paleosols that formed under high rainfall during past greenhouse climates on Earth. These rocks therefore likely represent some of the wettest intervals of Mars’ history.