Morphological, hydrogeochemical and sedimentological analysis of hypersaline Sambhar Lake, India: An analog to understand evaporitic paleolake basins on Mars

IF 1.8 4区 物理与天体物理 Q3 ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS Planetary and Space Science Pub Date : 2024-09-18 DOI:10.1016/j.pss.2024.105974
{"title":"Morphological, hydrogeochemical and sedimentological analysis of hypersaline Sambhar Lake, India: An analog to understand evaporitic paleolake basins on Mars","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.pss.2024.105974","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In the recent decade of astrobiological exploration of the Martian surface, there has been a shift from identifying habitable environments to finding markers indicative of biological activity. It requires a prior understanding of the physical and geochemical environment of the setting to decipher whether the conditions were conducive. Generally, quiescent surroundings of lacustrine basins are considered one of the best targets for the preservation of any biological signatures. However, due to logistical limitations, the geochemical information available is mostly restricted to small areas on the surficial level (or in the subsurface in case of layered deposits or impact craters) where sufficient satellite coverage is available and, in some areas, where rovers/landers have been deployed. In this context, terrestrial lacustrine basins offer valuable insights into the environment required for the formation of the minerals observed on the Martian surface.</div><div>This study was carried out within Sambhar Lake located in the arid/semiarid climatic zone within the Thar desert. It is a hypersaline playa that has undergone several cycles of desiccation and re-filling, sharing its climate-controlled history with that of several paleolakes on Mars. We conducted physicochemical analysis of the samples collected from the lake and its surrounding area and compared our results with samples from the Curiosity rover (at Gale crater) and to those of the studies carried out in basalt-rich parent settings of Iceland. Our results suggest that Sambhar Lake is a Na-Cl type brine with climate-driven hydrology. The shallow cores and rock samples indicated that the area is rich in evaporites. We propose that even the sites with different parent material may be crucial in understanding the geological evolution of paleolakes on Mars and that Sambhar is a great example to study tectono-geomorphic evolution and the climate-induced transition of a lacustrine basin to a playa. Additionally, the lake is also desirable to study extremophiles and their adaptation to changing environmental variables for future planetary missions, including but not limited to, Mars.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20054,"journal":{"name":"Planetary and Space Science","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.8000,"publicationDate":"2024-09-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Planetary and Space Science","FirstCategoryId":"101","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0032063324001387","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0

Abstract

In the recent decade of astrobiological exploration of the Martian surface, there has been a shift from identifying habitable environments to finding markers indicative of biological activity. It requires a prior understanding of the physical and geochemical environment of the setting to decipher whether the conditions were conducive. Generally, quiescent surroundings of lacustrine basins are considered one of the best targets for the preservation of any biological signatures. However, due to logistical limitations, the geochemical information available is mostly restricted to small areas on the surficial level (or in the subsurface in case of layered deposits or impact craters) where sufficient satellite coverage is available and, in some areas, where rovers/landers have been deployed. In this context, terrestrial lacustrine basins offer valuable insights into the environment required for the formation of the minerals observed on the Martian surface.
This study was carried out within Sambhar Lake located in the arid/semiarid climatic zone within the Thar desert. It is a hypersaline playa that has undergone several cycles of desiccation and re-filling, sharing its climate-controlled history with that of several paleolakes on Mars. We conducted physicochemical analysis of the samples collected from the lake and its surrounding area and compared our results with samples from the Curiosity rover (at Gale crater) and to those of the studies carried out in basalt-rich parent settings of Iceland. Our results suggest that Sambhar Lake is a Na-Cl type brine with climate-driven hydrology. The shallow cores and rock samples indicated that the area is rich in evaporites. We propose that even the sites with different parent material may be crucial in understanding the geological evolution of paleolakes on Mars and that Sambhar is a great example to study tectono-geomorphic evolution and the climate-induced transition of a lacustrine basin to a playa. Additionally, the lake is also desirable to study extremophiles and their adaptation to changing environmental variables for future planetary missions, including but not limited to, Mars.
查看原文
分享 分享
微信好友 朋友圈 QQ好友 复制链接
本刊更多论文
印度桑巴尔超高盐湖的形态、水文地球化学和沉积学分析:了解火星上蒸发古湖盆地的类似物
在最近十年对火星表面的天体生物学探索中,已经从确定宜居环境转向寻找表明生物活动的标记。这就要求事先了解环境的物理和地球化学环境,以破解条件是否有利。一般来说,湖沼盆地的静态环境被认为是保存任何生物特征的最佳目标之一。然而,由于后勤方面的限制,现有的地球化学信息大多局限于有足够卫星覆盖的表层小区域(或分层沉积或撞击坑的次表层),在某些地区,还部署了漫游车/登陆器。在这种情况下,陆地湖沼盆地为了解火星表面观察到的矿物形成所需的环境提供了宝贵的见解。这项研究是在位于塔尔沙漠干旱/半干旱气候区的桑巴尔湖内进行的。该湖是一个高盐水湖泊,经历了数次干燥和再充水周期,与火星上的几个古湖泊有着相同的气候控制历史。我们对从湖泊及其周边地区采集的样本进行了物理化学分析,并将分析结果与好奇号探测器(在盖尔陨石坑)采集的样本以及在冰岛富含玄武岩的母质环境中采集的样本进行了比较。我们的研究结果表明,桑巴尔湖是一种由气候驱动的 Na-Cl 型卤水。浅层岩心和岩石样本表明,该地区富含蒸发岩。我们认为,即使是母质不同的地点也可能对了解火星上古湖泊的地质演化至关重要,而桑巴尔湖则是研究构造地貌演化以及由气候引起的湖泊盆地向洼地过渡的一个很好的例子。此外,该湖也是研究嗜极生物及其对未来行星任务(包括但不限于火星)不断变化的环境变量的适应性的理想场所。
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
求助全文
约1分钟内获得全文 去求助
来源期刊
Planetary and Space Science
Planetary and Space Science 地学天文-天文与天体物理
CiteScore
5.40
自引率
4.20%
发文量
126
审稿时长
15 weeks
期刊介绍: Planetary and Space Science publishes original articles as well as short communications (letters). Ground-based and space-borne instrumentation and laboratory simulation of solar system processes are included. The following fields of planetary and solar system research are covered: • Celestial mechanics, including dynamical evolution of the solar system, gravitational captures and resonances, relativistic effects, tracking and dynamics • Cosmochemistry and origin, including all aspects of the formation and initial physical and chemical evolution of the solar system • Terrestrial planets and satellites, including the physics of the interiors, geology and morphology of the surfaces, tectonics, mineralogy and dating • Outer planets and satellites, including formation and evolution, remote sensing at all wavelengths and in situ measurements • Planetary atmospheres, including formation and evolution, circulation and meteorology, boundary layers, remote sensing and laboratory simulation • Planetary magnetospheres and ionospheres, including origin of magnetic fields, magnetospheric plasma and radiation belts, and their interaction with the sun, the solar wind and satellites • Small bodies, dust and rings, including asteroids, comets and zodiacal light and their interaction with the solar radiation and the solar wind • Exobiology, including origin of life, detection of planetary ecosystems and pre-biological phenomena in the solar system and laboratory simulations • Extrasolar systems, including the detection and/or the detectability of exoplanets and planetary systems, their formation and evolution, the physical and chemical properties of the exoplanets • History of planetary and space research
期刊最新文献
Editorial Board Power attenuation of Martian rovers and landers solar panels due to dust deposition The thermal impact of the self-heating effect on airless bodies. The case of Mercury’s north polar craters Comparison of volatiles evolving from selected highland and mare lunar regolith simulants during vacuum sintering JunoPerijove 34: Update Ganymede 3D-control network and new DEMs study
×
引用
GB/T 7714-2015
复制
MLA
复制
APA
复制
导出至
BibTeX EndNote RefMan NoteFirst NoteExpress
×
×
提示
您的信息不完整,为了账户安全,请先补充。
现在去补充
×
提示
您因"违规操作"
具体请查看互助需知
我知道了
×
提示
现在去查看 取消
×
提示
确定
0
微信
客服QQ
Book学术公众号 扫码关注我们
反馈
×
意见反馈
请填写您的意见或建议
请填写您的手机或邮箱
已复制链接
已复制链接
快去分享给好友吧!
我知道了
×
扫码分享
扫码分享
Book学术官方微信
Book学术文献互助
Book学术文献互助群
群 号:481959085
Book学术
文献互助 智能选刊 最新文献 互助须知 联系我们:info@booksci.cn
Book学术提供免费学术资源搜索服务,方便国内外学者检索中英文文献。致力于提供最便捷和优质的服务体验。
Copyright © 2023 Book学术 All rights reserved.
ghs 京公网安备 11010802042870号 京ICP备2023020795号-1