Water on Mars
Dr. Amy J. Williams
Geobiologist, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Curiosity Rover Science Team Member
Earth and Mars are both rocky planets and
are the same age (4.6 billion years old).
Although they started the same way, the two2
have evolved into very different worlds…
• Was there water on Mars in
the past?
3
• Was there water on Mars in
the past?
• Is there water on Mars today?
4
5
6
Think-Pair-Share
• What types of geologic evidence would
you look for to prove there was water on
Mars in the past?
7
Evidence for Water on Mars
Satellite Observations
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
– HiRISE camera
Ground Level Observations
Mars Curiosity Rover
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Evidence for Water on Mars Satellite Observations
Geomorphology –
The study of landforms and the processes
that make them
1. Inverted Paleochannels
2. Alluvial Fans
3. Deltas
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Inverted Paleochannels
(from erosion around preserved stream channels)
Gale Crater, Mars
Utah
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Alluvial Fans
(water spreads out on a plain, depositing sediment)
Holden Crater, Mars
China
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Deltas
(sediment depositing in large bodies of water)
Eberwalde delta, Mars
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Louisiana deltas
Group Discussion –
Which of these lines of evidence
is most convincing of water on
Mars? Why?
1. Inverted Paleochannels
2. Alluvial Fans
3. Deltas
1
2
3
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Evidence for Water on Mars Ground Level Observations
Spirit and
Opportunity
2003
Sojourner
1996
Curiosity
2012
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Evidence for Water on Mars Ground Level Observations
Sedimentology The study of sediments and the processes
that control their deposition.
1. Hematite “Blueberries” / Concretions
2. Gypsum Veins
3. Conglomerate Rocks
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Hematite ‘Blueberries’ –
concretions formed by iron interacting
with groundwater
Meridiani Planum
Utah
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Hematite ‘Blueberries’
Meridiani Planum
Utah
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Gypsum – formed from flowing water
NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornell/ASU
“There was a fracture in a rock, water flowed
through it, gypsum was precipitated from the
water. End of story.” – Steve Squyres, MER 20PI
River Conglomerates
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Mars
Earth
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Group Discussion –
Which of these lines of evidence
is most convincing of water on
Mars? Why?
1. Hematite “Blueberries” / Concretions
2. Gypsum Veins
3. Conglomerate Rocks
1
2
3
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Where did all the water go?
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Some Is Frozen (But Can Thaw!)
• Average temperature
is -65°F
• At the poles in winter
it’s -200°F
NASA/AP
• The 2008 Phoenix
Lander found water
ice under the polar
surface and water
droplets formed on
the lander
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NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona/Max Planck Institute
Melt water in crater walls
• Spring and
summer flows
form on crater
walls
• Thought to be
ground ice that
melts in the
spring
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NASA/JPL-Caltech/Univ. of Arizona
What about Martians?
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What about Martians?
On Earth, where there is water, there is life…
Mars Exploration Rover Mission Goal: Follow the Water
Viking
Phoenix
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Pathfinder
MER
Mars Curiosity Rover Goal:
Search for a Habitable Environment
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BEDDED
FRACTURED UNIT
HUMMOCKY
PLAINS
Bradbury
Landing
Yellowknife
Bay
Rover Tracks
NASA/JPL-Caltech/Univ. of Arizona
Curiosity
CRATERED
UNIT
Curiosity and its tracks captured by
HiRISE on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
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NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
Heading into Yellowknife Bay
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NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
“Shaler” rocks just outside Yellowknife Bay show inclined,
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fine layers that indicate sediment transport partly by water
ChemCam Remote
Micro-Imager
NASA/JPL-Caltech/LANL/CNES/IRAP/IAS/
LPGN/CNRS/LGLyon/Planet-Terre
Sheepbed rocks contain 1 to 5-mm fractures filled
with calcium sulfate minerals that precipitated from
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fluids at low to moderate temperatures
NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
Sheepbed rocks also contain many spherules
suggesting that water percolated though pores
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NASA/JPL-Caltech/D. Bouic
Arm deployed at John Klein
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NASA/JPLCaltech/LANL/CNES/IRAP/IAS/LPGN
NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
The first drill hole on Mars!
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An Ancient Habitable Environment
at Yellowknife Bay
•The regional geology and fine-grained rock suggest that the
John Klein site was at the end of an ancient river system or
within an intermittently wet lake bed
•The mineralogy indicates sustained interaction with liquid
water that was not too acidic or alkaline, and low salinity.
•Key chemical ingredients for life are present, such as carbon,
hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, and sulfur
•The presence of minerals in various states of oxidation would
provide a source of energy for primitive organisms
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NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
(Yellowknife Bay)
The Kimberley
(Murray Buttes)
NASA/JPL-Caltech/Univ. of Arizona
Curiosity’s ultimate goal is to explore the
lower reaches of the 5-km high Mt. Sharp
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Atmospheric Gas
Abundances
Measured by SAM
Sulfate Unit (8 km)
Clay Unit (6 km)
Hematite Ridge (5 km)
Paintbrush Unit (2 km)
NASA/JPL-Caltech/Goddard
(distance from Murray Buttes)
NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
Curiosity’s Extended Mission will explore Mt. Sharp, with an
emphasis on understanding the subset of habitable
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environments that preserve organic carbon.
Reflection:
Which piece of evidence for water on
Mars would you share in your classroom?
[Learning Goal, Assessment, Activity]
Orbital Data
1. Inverted Paleochannels
2. Alluvial Fans
3. Deltas
2
Ground Data
4. Hematite “Blueberries”
5. Gypsum Veins
6. Conglomerate Rocks
4
6
1
3
5
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Questions?
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NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS