Desiccation cracks provide evidence of lake drying on Mars, Sutton Island member, Murray formation, Gale Crater

Journal Article · 16 April 2018 · Geology

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1130/G40005.1 · OSTI ID:1508553

Stein, N. ^[1]; Grotzinger, J. P. ^[1]; Schieber, J. ^[2]; Mangold, N. ^[3]; Hallet, B. ^[4]; Newsom, H. ^[5]; Stack, K. M. ^[1]; Berger, J. A. ^[6]; Thompson, Lucy ^[7]; Siebach, K. L. ^[8]; Cousin, A. ^[9]; Le Mouélic, Stephane ^[3]; Minitti, M. ^[10]; Sumner, D. Y. ^[11]; Fedo, C. ^[12]; House, C. H. ^[13]; Gupta, S. ^[14]; Vasavada, A. R. ^[1]; Gellert, R. ^[15]; Wiens, Roger Craig  ^[16] ; Frydenvang, J. ^[17]; Forni, O. ^[9]; Meslin, P. Y. ^[9]; Payré, V. ^[18]; Dehouck, E. ^[9]

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1. California Inst. of Technology (CalTech), Pasadena, CA (United States)
2. Indiana Univ., Bloomington, IN (United States)
3. CNRS/Univ. Nantes, Nantes (France)
4. Univ. of Washington, Seattle, WA (United States)
5. Univ. of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM (United States)
6. Univ. of Western Ontario, London, ON (Canada)
7. Univ. of New Brunswick, NB (Canada)
8. Stony Brook Univ., Stony Brook, NY (United States)
9. Univ. de Toulouse, Toulouse (France)
10. Planetary Science Institute, Tucson, AZ (United States)
11. Univ. of California, Davis, CA (United States)
12. Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States)
13. The Pennsylvania State Univ., University Park, PA (United States)
14. Imperial College London, London (United Kingdom)
15. Univ. of Guelph, Guelph, ON (Canada)
16. Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
17. Univ. of Copenhagen, Copenhagen (Denmark)
18. Université de Lorraine, 54000 Nancy, France

Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Curiosity rover data are used to describe the morphology of desiccation cracks observed in ancient lacustrine strata at Gale crater, Mars, and to interpret their paleoenvironmental setting. The desiccation cracks indicate subaerial exposure of lacustrine facies in the Sutton Island member of the Murray formation. In association with ripple cross-stratification and possible eolian cross-bedding, these facies indicate a transition from longer-lived perennial lakes recorded by older strata to younger lakes characterized by intermittent exposure. The transition from perennial to episodically exposed lacustrine environments provides evidence for local to regional climate change that can help constrain Mars climate models.

• Research Organization: Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: NASA; USDOE
• Grant/Contract Number: 89233218CNA000001
• OSTI ID: 1508553
• Report Number(s): LA-UR--18-28853
• Journal Information: Geology, Journal Name: Geology Journal Issue: 6 Vol. 46; ISSN 0091-7613
• Publisher: Geological Society of AmericaCopyright Statement
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English