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Transition Metals in Gale Crater, Mars: Perspectives on Global Abundances and Future Exploration
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  • Valérie Payré,
  • Marion Nachon,
  • Roger C. Wiens,
  • Jérémie Lasue,
  • Mark Salvatore,
  • Ann M. Ollila,
  • Nina L. Lanza,
  • Pierre-Yves Meslin
Valérie Payré
Northern Arizona University

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Marion Nachon
Texas A&M University
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Roger C. Wiens
Los Alamos National Laboratory (DOE)
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Jérémie Lasue
IRAP-OMP
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Mark Salvatore
Northern Arizona University
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Ann M. Ollila
Los Alamos National Laboratory
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Nina L. Lanza
Los Alamos National Laboratory (DOE)
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Pierre-Yves Meslin
IRAP-OMP
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Abstract

Through rover missions and martian meteorites received on Earth, the surface of Mars has showed unexpectedly elevated concentrations of transition metals usually measured in minor and trace concentrations in silicate rocks compared to the average crust. Gale crater presents one of the most diverse geological records in terms of its complex fluid and magmatic history described through the sedimentary and igneous records, respectively. Transition metals, such as Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, and Zn, are highly concentrated within various sedimentary rocks and diagenetic features, suggesting their mobilization through fluid circulation. This paper presents the first compilation of elevated concentrations of transition metals measured by the Curiosity rover and reviews the origin of such metals in Gale crater, highlighting the existence of a hydrothermal or magmatic-hydrothermal deposit in its vicinity. The discovery of felsic magmatism on Mars opens up to novel perspectives in terms of the type of metal deposits that current and future exploration could evidence at the surface of Mars and raise questions about the global abundance of such metals. Constraining the abundance of transition metals is also a central question for exobiology purposes. Because on Earth living organisms use transition metals for their survival and functioning, should live have arisen on Mars, the availability of such chemical elements at the surface could have been essential for its development. An accurate assessment of in situ metal resources and potential risks for health will be key for the preparation of human exploration of Mars as recently announced by NASA.