Geochemistry and Mineralogy of Western Australian Salt Lake Sediments: Implications for Meridiani Planum on Mars

Geochemistry and Mineralogy of Western Australian Salt Lake Sediments: Implications for Meridiani Planum on Mars

Authors:

Schröder et al

Abstract:

Hypersaline lakes are characteristic for Western Australia and display a rare combination of geochemical and mineralogical properties that make these lakes potential analogues for past conditions on Mars. In our study, we focused on the geochemistry and mineralogy of Lake Orr and Lake Whurr. While both lakes are poor in organic carbon (<1 3.8="" 4.8="" 5.4="" 6.3="" a="" analogue="" and="" another="" area="" as="" at="" be="" between="" blackish="" brownish="" by="" could="" desiccation="" differ="" differences="" dominated="" evaporation="" events="" explain="" extent="" fe="" flooding="" for="" from="" furthermore="" goethite="" has="" hematite="" high="" identification="" identified.="" identified="" implications="" in="" influenced="" interpretation="" iron="" is="" jarosite="" lake="" lakes="" least="" likely="" main="" make="" mars="" meridiani="" mineralogy="" minerals="" not="" observed="" of="" on="" orange="" orr="" p="" paramagnetic="" particular="" ph="" phase="" planum="" processes="" pyrite.="" pyrite="" range="" red="" salinity="" salt="" sampling="" secondary="" sediment="" sediments.="" sediments="" some="" strongly="" such="" suitable="" tentative="" tentatively="" that="" the="" these="" this="" to="" two="" values="" was="" were="" where="" which="" whurr.="" whurr="" zones="">