Short, Cold, and Mostly Dry Conditions in Nili Planum Leading to the
Olivine-Carbonate Unit Formation: Results from Reactive Transport
Modeling
Abstract
In Nili Planum, the olivine-bearing unit covering large portions of this
region is variably altered to produce the most expansive carbonate
detection on Mars. The mechanism of carbonation is unknown. Here we test
the conditions necessary to form the olivine-carbonate unit using the
reactive transport model (RTM), CruchFlow. The continued presence of
olivine requires a short duration of alteration, and/or limited
fluid-rock ratios. Furthermore, temperatures must have been low to form
a layer of the olivine-carbonate unit consistent with the observed
thicknesses. Water availability must have been insufficient to prevent
significant amounts of unobserved phases from forming, (e.g., talc,
serpentine, and brucite) which would be consistent with alteration
pathways on Earth that form carbonate from olivine. The Perseverance
rover can make measurements of this unit, providing the data necessary
to constrain its formation conditions further.