Search Menu
DOE PAGES title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information
Search Scholarly Publications

Title: Oxidation of manganese in an ancient aquifer, Kimberley formation, Gale crater, Mars

Abstract

We report that the Curiosity rover observed high Mn abundances (>25 wt % MnO) in fracture-filling materials that crosscut sandstones in the Kimberley region of Gale crater, Mars. The correlation between Mn and trace metal abundances plus the lack of correlation between Mn and elements such as S, Cl, and C, reveals that these deposits are Mn oxides rather than evaporites or other salts. On Earth, environments that concentrate Mn and deposit Mn minerals require water and highly oxidizing conditions; hence, these findings suggest that similar processes occurred on Mars. In conclusion, based on the strong association between Mn-oxide deposition and evolving atmospheric dioxygen levels on Earth, the presence of these Mn phases on Mars suggests that there was more abundant molecular oxygen within the atmosphere and some groundwaters of ancient Mars than in the present day.

Authors:
 [1];  [1];  [2];  [3];  [4];  [5];  [4];  [6];  [6];  [7];  [8];  [9];  [10];  [11];  [12];  [11];  [5];  [1];  [13];  [14] more »;  [15];  [16];  [13];  [17];  [18];  [9];  [12];  [13];  [19];  [14];  [19];  [20];  [13];  [21];  [7];  [22];  [1];  [23];  [13];  [24];  [25];  [5];  [26];  [27] « less
+ Show Author Affiliations
  1. Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
  2. Washington Univ., St. Louis, MO (United States). Dept. of Earth and Planetary Sciences
  3. Space Science Inst., Boulder, CO (United States)
  4. California Inst. of Technology (CalTech), Pasadena, CA (United States)
  5. Univ. of Guelph, ON (Canada)
  6. Stony Brook Univ., NY (United States). Dept. of Geosciences
  7. NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX (United States)
  8. Western Washington Univ., Bellingham, WA (United States). Geology Dept.
  9. Arizona State Univ., Tempe, AZ (United States). School of Earth and Space Exploration
  10. Univ. of Western Ontario, London, ON (Canada). Dept. of Earth Sciences
  11. California Inst. of Technology (CalTech), La Canada Flintridge, CA (United States). Jet Propulsion Lab.
  12. Johns Hopkins Univ., Baltimore, MD (United States). Applied Physics Lab.
  13. Univ. Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UPS), Toulouse (France). Observatoire Midi-Pyrenees (OMP), Inst. for Research in Astrophysics and Planetology (IRAP)
  14. Malin Space Science Systems, San Diego, CA (United States)
  15. Univ. de Lorraine, Nancy (France). GeoRessources Lab.
  16. Oregon State Univ., Corvallis, OR (United States). College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences
  17. Univ. of Copenhagen (Denmark). The Niels Bohr Inst.
  18. U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis Maryland (United States). Aerospace Engineering
  19. Univ. de Nantes, Nantes (France)
  20. Lulea Univ. of Technology, Kiruna (Sweden). Dept. of Computer Science, Electrical and Space Engineering; Univ. of Granada (Spain). Andalusian Inst. of Earth Sciences (CSIC-UGR)
  21. Purdue Univ., West Lafayette, IN (United States). Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Science
  22. Univ. of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM (United States). Inst. of Meteoritics
  23. Natural History Museum ( IMPMC), Paris (France).
  24. Univ. of New Brunswick, Fredericton NB (Canada). Planetary and Space Science Centre
  25. Lunar and Planetary Inst., Houston Texas (United States)
  26. Planetary Science Inst., Tucson, AZ (United States)
  27. Lulea Univ. of Technology, Kiruna (Sweden). Dept. of Computer Science, Electrical and Space Engineering; Centro de Astrobiologia (CAB), Madrid (Spain)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA); USDOE
OSTI Identifier:
1304809
Report Number(s):
LA-UR-15-20086
Journal ID: ISSN 0094-8276
Grant/Contract Number:  
AC52-06NA25396
Resource Type:
Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Geophysical Research Letters
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 43; Journal Issue: 14; Journal ID: ISSN 0094-8276
Publisher:
American Geophysical Union
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE; 79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS; Planetary Sciences; Mars, ChemCam, manganese, oxygen, MSL

Citation Formats

Lanza, Nina L., Wiens, Roger C., Arvidson, Raymond E., Clark, Benton C., Fischer, Woodward W., Gellert, Ralf, Grotzinger, John P., Hurowitz, Joel A., McLennan, Scott M., Morris, Richard V., Rice, Melissa S., Bell, III, James F., Berger, Jeffrey A., Blaney, Diana L., Bridges, Nathan T., Calef, III, Fred, Campbell, John L., Clegg, Samuel M., Cousin, Agnes, Edgett, Kenneth S., Fabre, Cécile, Fisk, Martin R., Forni, Olivier, Frydenvang, Jens, Hardy, Keian R., Hardgrove, Craig, Johnson, Jeffrey R., Lasue, Jeremie, Le Mouélic, Stéphane, Malin, Michael C., Mangold, Nicolas, Martìn-Torres, Javier, Maurice, Sylvestre, McBride, Marie J., Ming, Douglas W., Newsom, Horton E., Ollila, Ann M., Sautter, Violaine, Schröder, Susanne, Thompson, Lucy M., Treiman, Allan H., VanBommel, Scott, Vaniman, David T., and Zorzano, Marìa-Paz. Oxidation of manganese in an ancient aquifer, Kimberley formation, Gale crater, Mars. United States: N. p., 2016. Web. doi:10.1002/2016GL069109.
Copy to clipboard
Lanza, Nina L., Wiens, Roger C., Arvidson, Raymond E., Clark, Benton C., Fischer, Woodward W., Gellert, Ralf, Grotzinger, John P., Hurowitz, Joel A., McLennan, Scott M., Morris, Richard V., Rice, Melissa S., Bell, III, James F., Berger, Jeffrey A., Blaney, Diana L., Bridges, Nathan T., Calef, III, Fred, Campbell, John L., Clegg, Samuel M., Cousin, Agnes, Edgett, Kenneth S., Fabre, Cécile, Fisk, Martin R., Forni, Olivier, Frydenvang, Jens, Hardy, Keian R., Hardgrove, Craig, Johnson, Jeffrey R., Lasue, Jeremie, Le Mouélic, Stéphane, Malin, Michael C., Mangold, Nicolas, Martìn-Torres, Javier, Maurice, Sylvestre, McBride, Marie J., Ming, Douglas W., Newsom, Horton E., Ollila, Ann M., Sautter, Violaine, Schröder, Susanne, Thompson, Lucy M., Treiman, Allan H., VanBommel, Scott, Vaniman, David T., & Zorzano, Marìa-Paz. Oxidation of manganese in an ancient aquifer, Kimberley formation, Gale crater, Mars. United States. https://doi.org/10.1002/2016GL069109
Copy to clipboard
Lanza, Nina L., Wiens, Roger C., Arvidson, Raymond E., Clark, Benton C., Fischer, Woodward W., Gellert, Ralf, Grotzinger, John P., Hurowitz, Joel A., McLennan, Scott M., Morris, Richard V., Rice, Melissa S., Bell, III, James F., Berger, Jeffrey A., Blaney, Diana L., Bridges, Nathan T., Calef, III, Fred, Campbell, John L., Clegg, Samuel M., Cousin, Agnes, Edgett, Kenneth S., Fabre, Cécile, Fisk, Martin R., Forni, Olivier, Frydenvang, Jens, Hardy, Keian R., Hardgrove, Craig, Johnson, Jeffrey R., Lasue, Jeremie, Le Mouélic, Stéphane, Malin, Michael C., Mangold, Nicolas, Martìn-Torres, Javier, Maurice, Sylvestre, McBride, Marie J., Ming, Douglas W., Newsom, Horton E., Ollila, Ann M., Sautter, Violaine, Schröder, Susanne, Thompson, Lucy M., Treiman, Allan H., VanBommel, Scott, Vaniman, David T., and Zorzano, Marìa-Paz. Thu . "Oxidation of manganese in an ancient aquifer, Kimberley formation, Gale crater, Mars". United States. https://doi.org/10.1002/2016GL069109. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1304809.
Copy to clipboard
@article{osti_1304809,
title = {Oxidation of manganese in an ancient aquifer, Kimberley formation, Gale crater, Mars},
author = {Lanza, Nina L. and Wiens, Roger C. and Arvidson, Raymond E. and Clark, Benton C. and Fischer, Woodward W. and Gellert, Ralf and Grotzinger, John P. and Hurowitz, Joel A. and McLennan, Scott M. and Morris, Richard V. and Rice, Melissa S. and Bell, III, James F. and Berger, Jeffrey A. and Blaney, Diana L. and Bridges, Nathan T. and Calef, III, Fred and Campbell, John L. and Clegg, Samuel M. and Cousin, Agnes and Edgett, Kenneth S. and Fabre, Cécile and Fisk, Martin R. and Forni, Olivier and Frydenvang, Jens and Hardy, Keian R. and Hardgrove, Craig and Johnson, Jeffrey R. and Lasue, Jeremie and Le Mouélic, Stéphane and Malin, Michael C. and Mangold, Nicolas and Martìn-Torres, Javier and Maurice, Sylvestre and McBride, Marie J. and Ming, Douglas W. and Newsom, Horton E. and Ollila, Ann M. and Sautter, Violaine and Schröder, Susanne and Thompson, Lucy M. and Treiman, Allan H. and VanBommel, Scott and Vaniman, David T. and Zorzano, Marìa-Paz},
abstractNote = {We report that the Curiosity rover observed high Mn abundances (>25 wt % MnO) in fracture-filling materials that crosscut sandstones in the Kimberley region of Gale crater, Mars. The correlation between Mn and trace metal abundances plus the lack of correlation between Mn and elements such as S, Cl, and C, reveals that these deposits are Mn oxides rather than evaporites or other salts. On Earth, environments that concentrate Mn and deposit Mn minerals require water and highly oxidizing conditions; hence, these findings suggest that similar processes occurred on Mars. In conclusion, based on the strong association between Mn-oxide deposition and evolving atmospheric dioxygen levels on Earth, the presence of these Mn phases on Mars suggests that there was more abundant molecular oxygen within the atmosphere and some groundwaters of ancient Mars than in the present day.},
doi = {10.1002/2016GL069109},
journal = {Geophysical Research Letters},
number = 14,
volume = 43,
place = {United States},
year = {2016},
month = {7}
}
Copy to clipboard
Journal Article:
Free Publicly Available Full Text
Publisher's Version of Record
https://doi.org/10.1002/2016GL069109
Copyright Statement
Other availability
Search WorldCat Search WorldCat to find libraries that may hold this journal
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 86 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science
Save / Share:
Export Metadata
Save to My Library
You must Sign In or Create an Account in order to save documents to your library.

Works referenced in this record:

Organic molecules in the Sheepbed Mudstone, Gale Crater, Mars: Detection of organics in martian sample
journal, March 2015

  • Freissinet, C.; Glavin, D. P.; Mahaffy, P. R.
  • Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, Vol. 120, Issue 3
  • DOI: 10.1002/2014JE004737

Chemistry and texture of the rocks at Rocknest, Gale Crater: Evidence for sedimentary origin and diagenetic alteration: ROCKNEST CHEMISTRY AND TEXTURE
journal, September 2014

  • Blaney, D. L.; Wiens, R. C.; Maurice, S.
  • Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, Vol. 119, Issue 9
  • DOI: 10.1002/2013JE004590

Coordinated analyses of orbital and Spirit Rover data to characterize surface materials on the cratered plains of Gusev Crater, Mars
journal, January 2007

  • Lichtenberg, Kimberly A.; Arvidson, Raymond E.; Poulet, Francois
  • Journal of Geophysical Research, Vol. 112, Issue E12
  • DOI: 10.1029/2006JE002850

Mineralogy of a Mudstone at Yellowknife Bay, Gale Crater, Mars
journal, December 2013

Coupled biotic–abiotic Mn(II) oxidation pathway mediates the formation and structural evolution of biogenic Mn oxides
journal, October 2011

  • Learman, D. R.; Wankel, S. D.; Webb, S. M.
  • Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, Vol. 75, Issue 20
  • DOI: 10.1016/j.gca.2011.07.026

A review of the formation of tectonic veins and their microstructures
journal, October 2012

  • Bons, Paul D.; Elburg, Marlina A.; Gomez-Rivas, Enrique
  • Journal of Structural Geology, Vol. 43
  • DOI: 10.1016/j.jsg.2012.07.005

Volatile and Organic Compositions of Sedimentary Rocks in Yellowknife Bay, Gale Crater, Mars
journal, December 2013

Sequence of infilling events in Gale Crater, Mars: Results from morphology, stratigraphy, and mineralogy: SEDIMENTARY INFILLING IN GALE CRATER
journal, December 2013

  • Deit, Laetitia Le; Hauber, Ernst; Fueten, Frank
  • Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, Vol. 118, Issue 12
  • DOI: 10.1002/2012JE004322

Elemental Geochemistry of Sedimentary Rocks at Yellowknife Bay, Gale Crater, Mars
journal, December 2013

Mineral evolution
journal, November 2008

  • Hazen, R. M.; Papineau, D.; Bleeker, W.
  • American Mineralogist, Vol. 93, Issue 11-12
  • DOI: 10.2138/am.2008.2955

Manganese oxide minerals: Crystal structures and economic and environmental significance
journal, March 1999

Pre-flight calibration and initial data processing for the ChemCam laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy instrument on the Mars Science Laboratory rover
journal, April 2013

  • Wiens, R. C.; Maurice, S.; Lasue, J.
  • Spectrochimica Acta Part B: Atomic Spectroscopy, Vol. 82
  • DOI: 10.1016/j.sab.2013.02.003

Manganese mineralogy and diagenesis in the sedimentary rock record
journal, January 2016

The nature of coarse-grained crystalline hematite and its implications for the early environment of Mars
journal, October 2003

Observation of > 5 wt % zinc at the Kimberley outcrop, Gale crater, Mars: ZN DETECTION AT KIMBERLEY WITH CHEMCAM
journal, March 2016

  • Lasue, J.; Clegg, S. M.; Forni, O.
  • Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, Vol. 121, Issue 3
  • DOI: 10.1002/2015JE004946

Evidence for perchlorates and the origin of chlorinated hydrocarbons detected by SAM at the Rocknest aeolian deposit in Gale Crater: EVIDENCE FOR PERCHLORATES AT ROCKNEST
journal, October 2013

  • Glavin, Daniel P.; Freissinet, Caroline; Miller, Kristen E.
  • Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, Vol. 118, Issue 10
  • DOI: 10.1002/jgre.20144

Paleoproterozoic snowball Earth: Extreme climatic and geochemical global change and its biological consequences
journal, February 2000

  • Kirschvink, J. L.; Gaidos, E. J.; Bertani, L. E.
  • Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Vol. 97, Issue 4
  • DOI: 10.1073/pnas.97.4.1400

Deposition, exhumation, and paleoclimate of an ancient lake deposit, Gale crater, Mars
journal, October 2015

Understanding the signature of rock coatings in laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy data
journal, March 2015

High concentrations of manganese and sulfur in deposits on Murray Ridge, Endeavour Crater, Mars
journal, June 2016

  • Arvidson, Raymond E.; Squyres, Steven W.; Morris, Richard V.
  • American Mineralogist, Vol. 101, Issue 6
  • DOI: 10.2138/am-2016-5599

Rapid photo-oxidation of Mn(II) mediated by humic substances
journal, December 2002

The role of fluids in syntectonic mass transport, and the localization of metamorphic vein-type ore deposists
journal, May 1987

Shallow breathing: bacterial life at low O2
journal, February 2013

  • Morris, Rachel L.; Schmidt, Thomas M.
  • Nature Reviews Microbiology, Vol. 11, Issue 3
  • DOI: 10.1038/nrmicro2970

Mineralogy, provenance, and diagenesis of a potassic basaltic sandstone on Mars: CheMin X-ray diffraction of the Windjana sample (Kimberley area, Gale Crater): CHEMIN: WINDJANA
journal, January 2016

  • Treiman, Allan H.; Bish, David L.; Vaniman, David T.
  • Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, Vol. 121, Issue 1
  • DOI: 10.1002/2015JE004932

Collecting Samples in Gale Crater, Mars; an Overview of the Mars Science Laboratory Sample Acquisition, Sample Processing and Handling System
journal, June 2012

Natural speciation of Ni, Zn, Ba, and As in ferromanganese coatings on quartz using X-ray fluorescence, absorption, and diffraction
journal, January 2007

  • Manceau, Alain; Lanson, Martine; Geoffroy, Nicolas
  • Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, Vol. 71, Issue 1
  • DOI: 10.1016/j.gca.2006.08.036

Origin of acidic surface waters and the evolution of atmospheric chemistry on early Mars
journal, April 2010

  • Hurowitz, Joel A.; Fischer, Woodward W.; Tosca, Nicholas J.
  • Nature Geoscience, Vol. 3, Issue 5
  • DOI: 10.1038/ngeo831

Volatile, Isotope, and Organic Analysis of Martian Fines with the Mars Curiosity Rover
journal, September 2013

Abundance and Isotopic Composition of Gases in the Martian Atmosphere from the Curiosity Rover
journal, July 2013

Curiosity at Gale Crater, Mars: Characterization and Analysis of the Rocknest Sand Shadow
journal, September 2013

Transport-driven formation of a polar ozone layer on Mars
journal, September 2013

  • Montmessin, Franck; Lefèvre, Franck
  • Nature Geoscience, Vol. 6, Issue 11
  • DOI: 10.1038/ngeo1957

Manganese-oxidizing photosynthesis before the rise of cyanobacteria
journal, June 2013

  • Johnson, J. E.; Webb, S. M.; Thomas, K.
  • Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Vol. 110, Issue 28
  • DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1305530110

High manganese concentrations in rocks at Gale crater, Mars
journal, August 2014

  • Lanza, Nina L.; Fischer, Woodward W.; Wiens, Roger C.
  • Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 41, Issue 16
  • DOI: 10.1002/2014GL060329

Mineralogical record of the redox conditions on early Mars
journal, June 2016

Volcanism on Mars controlled by early oxidation of the upper mantle
journal, June 2013

Evidence for direct molecular oxygen production in CO 2 photodissociation
journal, October 2014

ChemCam passive reflectance spectroscopy of surface materials at the Curiosity landing site, Mars
journal, March 2015

The potassic sedimentary rocks in Gale Crater, Mars, as seen by ChemCam on board Curiosity : Potassic Sedimentary Rocks, Gale Crater
journal, May 2016

  • Le Deit, L.; Mangold, N.; Forni, O.
  • Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, Vol. 121, Issue 5
  • DOI: 10.1002/2015JE004987
    Sort by:
    [ × clear filter / sort ]

    Works referencing / citing this record:

    Diverse Lithologies and Alteration Events on the Rim of Noachian-Aged Endeavour Crater, Meridiani Planum, Mars: In Situ Compositional Evidence
    journal, May 2018

    • Mittlefehldt, David W.; Gellert, Ralf; vanBommel, Scott
    • Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, Vol. 123, Issue 5
    • DOI: 10.1002/2017je005474

    Solar Models with Dynamic Screening and Early Mass Loss Tested by Helioseismic, Astrophysical, and Planetary Constraints
    journal, July 2018

    Highly Oxidizing Aqueous Environments on Early Mars Inferred From Scavenging Pattern of Trace Metals on Manganese Oxides
    journal, May 2019

    • Noda, Natsumi; Imamura, Shoko; Sekine, Yasuhito
    • Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets
    • DOI: 10.1029/2018je005892

    The next frontier for planetary and human exploration
    journal, January 2019

    Insights into microbial involvement in desert varnish formation retrieved from metagenomic analysis: The desert varnish microbiome
    journal, March 2018

    • Lang-Yona, Naama; Maier, Stefanie; Macholdt, Dorothea S.
    • Environmental Microbiology Reports, Vol. 10, Issue 3
    • DOI: 10.1111/1758-2229.12634

    Oxygen isotope analysis of bacterial and fungal manganese oxidation
    journal, April 2018

    • Sutherland, K. M.; Wankel, S. D.; Hansel, C. M.
    • Geobiology, Vol. 16, Issue 4
    • DOI: 10.1111/gbi.12288

    The potential science and engineering value of samples delivered to Earth by Mars sample return: International MSR Objectives and Samples Team (iMOST)
    journal, March 2019

    • Beaty, D. W.; Grady, M. M.; McSween, H. Y.
    • Meteoritics & Planetary Science, Vol. 54
    • DOI: 10.1111/maps.13242

    The origin of life as a planetary phenomenon
    journal, February 2020

    • Sasselov, Dimitar D.; Grotzinger, John P.; Sutherland, John D.
    • Science Advances, Vol. 6, Issue 6
    • DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aax3419

    The potential science and engineering value of samples delivered to Earth by Mars sample return
    journal, March 2019

    • Beaty, D. W.; Grady, M. M.; McSween, H. Y.
    • Meteoritics & Planetary Science, Vol. 54, Issue 3
    • DOI: 10.1111/maps.13232

    The potential science and engineering value of samples delivered to Earth by Mars sample return
    text, January 2019

    • (Imost), International MSR Objectives And Samples Team; Beaty, David W.; Grady, Monica M.
    • ETH Zurich
    • DOI: 10.3929/ethz-b-000332454
      Sort by:
      [ × clear filter / sort ]

      Similar Records in DOE PAGES and OSTI.GOV collections: