Intense alteration on early Mars revealed by high-aluminum rocks at Jezero crater

The NASA <i>Perseverance</i> rover discovered light-toned float rocks scattered across the surface of Jezero crater that are particularly rich in alumina ( ~ 35 wt% Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>) and depleted in other major elements (except silica). These unique float rocks have heterogeneous mineralogy ranging from kaolinite/halloysite-bearing in hydrated samples, to spinel-bearing in dehydrated samples also containing a dehydrated Al-rich phase. Here we describe SuperCam and Mastcam-Z observations of the float rocks, including the first in situ identification of kaolinite or halloysite on another planet, and dehydrated phases including spinel and apparent partially dehydroxylated kaolinite. The presence of spinel in these samples is likely detrital in origin, surviving kaolinitization, pointing to an ultramafic origin. However, the association of low hydration with increased Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> abundances suggests heating-induced dehydration which could have occurred during the lithification or impact excavation of these rocks. Given the orbital context of kaolinite-bearing megabreccia in the Jezero crater rim, we propose an origin for these rocks involving intense aqueous alteration of the parent material, followed by dehydration/lithification potentially through impact processes, and dispersion into Jezero crater through flood or impact-related processes.

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Publication Details

Journal
Communications Earth & Environment
Published
2024-11-07
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-024-01837-2
Citations
11
Primary Topic
Planetary Science and Exploration
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
3.65

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article

Intense alteration on early Mars revealed by high-aluminum rocks at Jezero crater

E. A. Cloutis, E. Dehouck, Samuel Connell, Clément Royer et al.
11 citations
Communications Earth & Environment
Planetary Science and Exploration
3.65
article

Intense alteration on early Mars revealed by high-aluminum rocks at Jezero crater

E. A. Cloutis, E. Dehouck, Samuel Connell, Clément Royer, L. E. Mayhew, Juan Manuel Madariaga, Jorge Núñez, O. Beyssac, C. C. Bedford, S. Maurice, Susanne Schröder, Henry Manelski, Elise Clavé, Elisabeth M. Hausrath, Thierry Fouchet, Adrian Broz, Arya Udry, A. Ollila, Bradley Garczynski, L. Mandon, J. R. Johnson, S. M. Clegg, Briony H. N. Horgan, T. S. J. Gabriel, R. C. Wiens, O. Forni, Justin I. Simon, Kathryn M. Stack, Pierre Beck, A. Cousin, R. B. Anderson, Athanasios Klidaras, B. S. Kathir, U. Wolf
article en
11 citations

Abstract

The NASA <i>Perseverance</i> rover discovered light-toned float rocks scattered across the surface of Jezero crater that are particularly rich in alumina ( ~ 35 wt% Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>) and depleted in other major elements (except silica). These unique float rocks have heterogeneous mineralogy ranging from kaolinite/halloysite-bearing in hydrated samples, to spinel-bearing in dehydrated samples also containing a dehydrated Al-rich phase. Here we describe SuperCam and Mastcam-Z observations of the float rocks, including the first in situ identification of kaolinite or halloysite on another planet, and dehydrated phases including spinel and apparent partially dehydroxylated kaolinite. The presence of spinel in these samples is likely detrital in origin, surviving kaolinitization, pointing to an ultramafic origin. However, the association of low hydration with increased Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> abundances suggests heating-induced dehydration which could have occurred during the lithification or impact excavation of these rocks. Given the orbital context of kaolinite-bearing megabreccia in the Jezero crater rim, we propose an origin for these rocks involving intense aqueous alteration of the parent material, followed by dehydration/lithification potentially through impact processes, and dispersion into Jezero crater through flood or impact-related processes.

Communications Earth & EnvironmentVol. 5(1)
Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 (FR), California Institute of Technology (US), United States Geological Survey (US), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR), Jet Propulsion Laboratory (US), University of Nevada, Las Vegas (US), Los Alamos National Laboratory (US), Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (FR), University of the Basque Country (ES), Université Fédérale de Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées (FR), University of Colorado Boulder (US), Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (FR), Université Paris Cité (FR), Purdue University West Lafayette (US), Université Paris Sciences et Lettres (FR), Université Paris-Saclay (FR), Observatoire de Paris (FR), Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (US), Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e. V. (DLR) (DE), Sorbonne Université (FR), Astrogeology Science Center (US), Institut Pierre-Simon Laplace (FR), Laboratoire d’études spatiales et d’instrumentation en astrophysique (FR), Institut de minéralogie, de physique des matériaux et de cosmochimie (FR), Johnson Space Center (US), Laboratoire atmosphères, milieux, observations spatiales (FR), Laboratoire de Géologie de Lyon : Terre, Planètes et Environnement (FR), Western Washington University (US), The University of Winnipeg (CA), Université Grenoble Alpes (FR)
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Life below water
Openalex Percentile: Top 7%
Planetary Science and Exploration
3.65
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