Premium
Volcanic recycling of carbonates on Mars
Author(s) -
Schaefer M. W.
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/93gl00682
Subject(s) - noachian , hesperian , mars exploration program , lava , carbonate , geology , volcano , atmosphere (unit) , weathering , geochemistry , deposition (geology) , atmosphere of mars , earth science , astrobiology , carbon dioxide , impact crater , erosion , geomorphology , sediment , martian , materials science , meteorology , ecology , physics , metallurgy , biology
Thermal erosion of carbonate deposits by turbulently‐flowing lava is investigated as a means of recycling carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere of Mars. Erosion rates of several meters/day are found, implying that up to hundreds of meters of carbonate could be removed over the lifetime of a flow. A large fraction of the northern plains and other parts of Mars were covered by lava during the Hesperian, and may have released the carbon dioxide trapped in carbonate deposits. This period of time, several times 10 8 years, is comparable to that for the re‐deposition of such carbonate deposits. Therefore, there could have existed a relatively dense atmosphere, and enhanced weathering and erosion, after the Noachian era. This may help explain the apparent observational evidence for late fluvial and lacustrine activity on Mars.