Geomorphology of Serpentine and Carbonate-Bearing Terrains in Nili
Fossae, Jezero Crater, and Gusev Crater
Abstract
Carbonates have been detected in several locations on Mars, including
Nili Fossae, Jezero Crater, and the Comanche outcrops of the Columbia
Hills. Carbonates are intriguing for what they could reveal about
potential habitability of past environments; however, their exact
formation mechanisms remain ambiguous. Observations support a range of
formation mechanisms, such as meteoric alteration of hot olivine tephra,
hydrothermal alteration or serpentinization, near-surface weathering of
serpentinized material, or aqueous alteration via ephemeral lakes. The
associated mineralogy of carbonate-bearing terrain, such as the
serpentine deposits detected in Nili Fossae and Jezero, can help
constrain the origins of the carbonates. This study examines CRISM and
HiRISE images of serpentine and carbonate deposits in Nili Fossae and
Jezero Crater to identify common characteristics of serpentine-carbonate
terrains. The morphologies of serpentine and carbonate-bearing terrains
in Nili Fossae and Jezero are then compared to carbonate deposits in the
Columbia Hills. By combining these analyses, this study explores the
extent to which the carbonates’ histories are analogous and probes into
previous serpentine detections in Jezero and Nili Fossae.