Weathering of basaltic rocks under cold, arid conditions - Antarctica and MarsThe processes taking part in the chemical weathering of nonvesicular dolerite cobbles producing etch pits and secondary minerals including clays, under cold arid conditions of high-altitude ice-free areas of Victoria Land (Antarctica) are investigated as a possible analog to processes that produced the pitted rocks and clay minerals on Mars. Results suggest that the pits in the dolerite cobbles are formed by the dissolution of the rock by rare snow-melt water during the austral summer, followed by wind erosion of weathered material. The upper interior walls of the pits are lined with a yellow precipitate consisting of illite and quartz mixture, while the pit bottoms contain alteration products including Fe-rich clay minerals and soluble salts. A model is proposed for rock pitting on Mars analogous to that of the Antarctic dolerites.
Document ID
19910057761
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Allen, C. C. (Westinghouse Northwest Environmental Center Richland, WA, United States)
Conca, J.-L. (Washington State University Richland, WA, United States)