Title Information
Title
High Temperature Aqueous Alteration and Diagenesis: Unexpected Insights with Imaging Spectroscopy from Microns to Meters
Name: Personal
Name Part
Greenberger, Rebecca Naomi
Role
Role Term: Text
creator
Origin Information
Copyright Date
2015
Physical Description
Extent
30, 331 p.
digitalOrigin
born digital
Note
Thesis (Ph.D. -- Brown University (2015)
Name: Personal
Name Part
Mustard, John
Role
Role Term: Text
Director
Name: Personal
Name Part
Cooper, Reid
Role
Role Term: Text
Reader
Name: Personal
Name Part
Milliken, Ralph
Role
Role Term: Text
Reader
Name: Personal
Name Part
Schultz, Peter
Role
Role Term: Text
Reader
Name: Personal
Name Part
Hurowitz, Joel
Role
Role Term: Text
Reader
Name: Corporate
Name Part
Brown University. Geological Sciences
Role
Role Term: Text
sponsor
Genre (aat)
theses
Abstract
Orbital and landed investigations of Mars have revealed a variety of secondary minerals on the surface consistent with past surface or subsurface liquid water and more habitable conditions. Studies of water-rock interactions on Earth can lead to a better understanding of these processes and help constrain past environments on Mars. This thesis characterizes the mineral assemblages formed through high temperature aqueous alteration and later diagenesis and weathering in metamorphic, volcanic, and impact environments through case studies at three Mars-relevant field sites. This work utilizes hyperspectral imaging to map mineralogies of thick sections and hand samples in combination with other laboratory analyses and then scales the results to outcrops. Chapter 1 maps iron oxidation state and coordination at an ancient serpentinite in Norbestos, Quebec, Canada, as a proxy for production of hydrogen, which can sustain microbial communities, and uses stable isotope analyses of carbonates to reconstruct aqueous conditions during serpentinization. The results have implications for the preservation of potential biosignatures in serpentine-bearing rocks on Mars. Chapters 2 and 3 investigate an outcrop of lacustrine pillow lavas in Meriden, Connecticut, USA, that were hydrothermally altered after emplacement and then altered further by diagenesis. Through a suite of coordinated analyses, the history of alteration of these pillow lavas has been unraveled. In addition, the variety of types of alteration and secondary mineralogies and the pervasive, low-grade alteration at the site have implications for any similar sites on Mars. Chapter 4 maps the mineral assemblages at a calcite-marcasite vug at the Haughton impact structure, Devon Island, Nunavut, Canadian High Arctic. This vug formed in the post-impact hydrothermal system and has since weathered at low temperatures to form a variety of oxides and sulfates. Spectral mapping of the vug shows an evolution in the chemistry, temperature, and redox state with alteration. Finally, Chapter 5 synthesizes these results and highlights some geological applications of hyperspectral imaging at the thick section, hand sample, and outcrop scales. The results of this thesis have implications for understanding past aqueous environments on Mars and for use of similar technologies on future planetary missions.
Subject
Topic
Mars
Subject
Topic
imaging spectroscopy
Subject
Topic
hyperspectral imaging
Subject
Topic
aqueous alteration
Subject
Topic
hydrothermal
Subject (FAST) (authorityURI="http://id.worldcat.org/fast", valueURI="http://id.worldcat.org/fast/1910210")
Topic
Spectral imaging
Subject (FAST) (authorityURI="http://id.worldcat.org/fast", valueURI="http://id.worldcat.org/fast/1022406")
Topic
Mineralogy
Subject (FAST) (authorityURI="http://id.worldcat.org/fast", valueURI="http://id.worldcat.org/fast/1243063")
Geographic
Mars (Planet)
Record Information
Record Content Source (marcorg)
RPB
Record Creation Date (encoding="iso8601")
20150601
Language
Language Term: Code (ISO639-2B)
eng
Language Term: Text
English
Identifier: DOI
10.7301/Z0PC30R2
Access Condition: rights statement (href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/")
In Copyright
Access Condition: restriction on access
Collection is open for research.
Type of Resource (primo)
dissertations