Abstract
Martian dust, which likely formed by non-aqueous chemical weathering
[Huguenin, 1976] following broad-based support from recent Mars
mission data, is susceptible to rapid diagenesis when exposed to
macro-seepage from the sub-permafrost aqueous aquifer system on Mars .
The modeled silicate components of the dust, derived from the
non-aqueous weathering of primarily olivine and pyroxene, are
Mg2HSiO4(OH) and
Mg(HSiO3)(OH). These are M-S-H compounds, counterparts
to the C-H-S compounds that form the commercial binder in concrete,
forming an
Mg3Si2O5(OH)4
counterpart binder on Mars upon exposure to liquid H2O
macro-seepage from the aquifer below. Macro-seepage, triggered largely
by geothermally heated water near impact sites, magmatic intrusions and
volcanoes, is proposed to rapidly cement layers of regolith dust and
fines into layers of M-S-H counterpart “concrete.” The matrix binder
on Mars is predicted to be a member of the serpentine family (Mg/Si =
5), possibly having disordered Antigorite T structure. Layered
sedimentary rock formations could have formed throughout geologic
history up to the present time. Materials from the aquifer, transported
by and introduced from the macro-seepage, including organic matter, may
be contemporary rather than ancient. This contradicts the prevailing
assumption that the sedimentary rocks were formed early in the planet’s
history.