Desert spring mounds: a potential analogue to Martian arid environments?
Abstract
Spring carbonates have been often considered as putative analogues of Martian arid environments. On Earth these are believed to form by the interaction of highly saline water and microbial communities, which favor the formation of authigenic micrite. Here we present new data from spring mounds in the western Makgadikgadi Pan (Botswana) and the Great Artesian Basin (South Australia). In both areas, upwelling of ground water give rise to mounds and layered deposits which are close morphological analogues of landforms documented on Mars. The authigenic carbonates and evaporites associated with the spring mounds retain evidence of microbial microfabric founded elsewhere, pointing to the potential existence of similar microbial in the extreme Martian conditions.
- Publication:
-
European Planetary Science Congress
- Pub Date:
- September 2017
- Bibcode:
- 2017EPSC...11..785F