"I am curious about what effect an asteroid impact, like the one that killed the dinosaurs, would have on the orbit of the earth."
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Seminar Detail
The Origin of Sulfate-rich Bedrock at Meridiani Planum on Mars: Sedimentary Evaporite, Impact, or Volcanic?
Presenter: Tom McCollom ()
February 27, 2006 11:00 AM Pacific
The Mars Exploration Rover (MER) Opportunity has now explored bedrock exposed within several craters on Meridiani Planum on Mars. The MER team has interpreted the rocks to be sedimentary deposits composed of a combination of siliciclastic materials derived from basalt and sulfate salts precipitated from evaporation of intruding groundwater brines, with reworking of the deposits by eolian and fluvial processes. More recently, alternative scenarios have emerged suggesting the bedrocks may instead be attributable to a giant impact or emplacement of volcanic ash deposits that were subsequently altered by reaction with sulfur-rich volcanic vapors. Each of these alternatives has substantially different implications for the astrobiological potential of this location on Mars. This talk will review the three current hypotheses concerning the origin of the bedrock, and discuss how each scenario accounts for the MER observations including bulk chemistry, mineralogy, scale, and presence of bedding features.
Participation Instructions
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Please forward this information to your colleagues and departments, attendance is open to all. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.December 21, 2007
The Director’s Seminar series features talks from scientists who are invited by the NAI Director to present their research results to the community. A primary goal of the seminars is to encourage interdisciplinary collaboration across NAI teams and within the astrobiology community at large.
Team Overview Seminars describe the work of the fourteen NAI teams and NAI Central. They offer an opportunity to find out more about the science, E/PO and other activities being performed by the NAI teams and the NAI Central office.
The Forum for Astrobiology Research (FAR) provides an opportunity for graduate students to present their research results and to meet as a student community for networking and mutual support.
The University of Washington seminar series is hosted by the NAI Virtual Planetary Lab (VPL) team from the UW campus in Seattle.
