Phyllosilicates, a class of hydrous mineral first definitively identified on Mars by the OMEGA (Observatoire pour la Mineralogie, L'Eau, les Glaces et l'Activitié) instrument, preserve a record of ...the interaction of water with rocks on Mars. Global mapping showed that phyllosilicates are widespread but are apparently restricted to ancient terrains and a relatively narrow range of mineralogy (Fe/Mg and Al smectite clays). This was interpreted to indicate that phyllosilicate formation occurred during the Noachian (the earliest geological era of Mars), and that the conditions necessary for phyllosilicate formation (moderate to high pH and high water activity) were specific to surface environments during the earliest era of Mars's history. Here we report results from the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) of phyllosilicate-rich regions. We expand the diversity of phyllosilicate mineralogy with the identification of kaolinite, chlorite and illite or muscovite, and a new class of hydrated silicate (hydrated silica). We observe diverse Fe/Mg-OH phyllosilicates and find that smectites such as nontronite and saponite are the most common, but chlorites are also present in some locations. Stratigraphic relationships in the Nili Fossae region show olivine-rich materials overlying phyllosilicate-bearing units, indicating the cessation of aqueous alteration before emplacement of the olivine-bearing unit. Hundreds of detections of Fe/Mg phyllosilicate in rims, ejecta and central peaks of craters in the southern highland Noachian cratered terrain indicate excavation of altered crust from depth. We also find phyllosilicate in sedimentary deposits clearly laid by water. These results point to a rich diversity of Noachian environments conducive to habitability.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IJS, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Current maps of compositional variation across south polar ice exposures on Mars do not resolve the meter‐scales at which erosional processes are most active, ultimately limiting our understanding of ...how the deposits form and evolve and how they can be used to interpret long‐term climate records. In this study, we use k‐means clustering and random forest classification to identify and map a set of universal spectral endmembers across 167 high‐resolution observations acquired during southern summer by the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars. The 21 endmembers show distinct combinations and strengths of key infrared absorption features reflecting diverse mixtures of CO2 ice, H2O ice, and dust. The resulting compositional framework can be used to characterize the nature of both seasonal CO2 frost and the residual ices it overlies across a variety of terrains. Following the large dust event of Mars Year 28, the residual CO2‐ice deposits (RCD) were covered by an unusually thick or long‐lived deposit of seasonal frost. Within the RCD, low‐albedo material around erosional features display H2O ice absorptions consistent with exposures around the outer margins of the RCD. These peripheral water‐ice deposits show unexpected variation in CO2 ice and dust content. Most notably, regions within several km of the edge of the RCD display spectral contributions from CO2 ice even after seasonal frost has been removed. These results can inform investigations focused on the dynamics of seasonal CO2 deposition, the development of erosional morphologies, and the creation of climate records in south polar stratigraphy.
Plain Language Summary
Ice deposits near the south pole of Mars contain varied mixtures of CO2 ice, water ice, and dust. These mixtures influence interactions with solar heating and atmospheric cycling that affect the formation, evolution, and preservation of different ice deposits. However, ice composition in this region has not been mapped in sufficient detail to fully understand these dynamic processes. We used high‐resolution data gathered from an orbiting spectrometer that measured sunlight reflected from the surface. Through automated and manual techniques, we identified the most typical reflectance signatures in the data set and generated maps showing where those materials are located. These results reveal unprecedented detail in the nature of both seasonal (removed during summer) and residual (remaining on the surface throughout each year) ice deposits. The most compelling findings are that (a) increased seasonal CO2 ice thickness or retention appeared following a large dust storm, (b) residual CO2 ice is found to extend beyond the brightest deposits, and (c) water ice‐rich exposures reveal more varied CO2 ice and dust content than previously understood. The compositional framework provided by the study can help guide future investigations into a variety of processes that shape south polar ices and the climate records they preserve.
Key Points
One hundred sixty‐seven south polar observations by the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars images were mapped with a set of 21 spectral endmembers representing a range of CO2 ice, H2O ice, and dust mixtures
Seasonal CO2 ice cover was thicker or more prolonged in Mars Year 28, linking dust storms to cold‐trapping of CO2 on the bright residual ice
CO2 ice signatures extend beyond the bright residual ice and into surrounding material, even in late summer after seasonal frost removal
Over 100 Martian gully sites were analyzed using orbital data collected by the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) and High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment on the Mars ...Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO). Most gullies are spectrally indistinct from their surroundings, due to mantling by dust. Where spectral information on gully sediments was obtained, a variety of mineralogies were identified. Their relationship to the source rock suggests that gully‐forming processes transported underlying material downslope. There is no evidence for specific compositions being more likely to be associated with gullies or with the formation of hydrated minerals in situ as a result of recent liquid water activity. Seasonal CO2 and H2O frosts were observed in gullies at middle to high latitudes, consistent with seasonal frost‐driven processes playing important roles in the evolution of gullies. Our results do not clearly indicate a role for long‐lived liquid water in gully formation and evolution.
Key Points
CRISM images provide new constraints on the formation of Martian gullies
Seasonal frost‐driven processes play greater role in middle‐latitude/high‐latitude gullies
Gully mineralogies do not require in situ liquid water‐rock interactions
The diagnosis of cerebral venous and sinus thrombosis (CVST) as a rare but important cause of stroke is challenging. We aimed to investigate the diagnostic value of multidetector-row CT angiography ...(MDCTA) as a fast and cost-effective imaging tool in diagnosing CVST.
Nineteen patients who presented with clinical symptoms of a possible CVST were included. All patients had received both MDCTA and MR imaging with venous MR-angiography. Three blinded readers were asked to identify the cerebral sinuses and veins in MDCTA and to evaluate the presence of CVST in MDCTA. Consensus reading with interpretation of the MR imaging served to establish the definite diagnosis.
The consensus reading revealed CVST in 10 of the 19 patients. With MDCTA, the venous sinuses could be identified in 99.2% and the cerebral veins in 87.6% of cases. The sensitivity and specificity of MDCTA for the diagnosis of CVST were 100%.
Our study demonstrates that MDCTA provides excellent sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of CVST. Further studies are needed to evaluate the diagnostic potential of MDCTA in specific subsets of the general entity of CVST such as cortical venous thrombosis, thrombosis of the cavernous sinus, and thrombosis of the internal cerebral veins.
Multispectral mapping data from the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) provide a unique opportunity to characterize south polar ice deposits at higher spectral sampling, ...spatial resolution, or spatiotemporal coverage than previous work. This new perspective can help constrain the nature and distribution of different mixtures of CO2 ice, H2O ice, and dust that influence the formation, evolution, and preservation of Mars climate records. We processed 1,103 CRISM observations spanning the southern summer of six Mars Years (MYs) through a combination of k‐means clustering and random forest classification. Using a set of 12 spectral endmembers directly tied to previous work with high‐resolution CRISM targeted data, we made a series of temporally restricted mosaics showing surface spectral variation over time. The mosaics show the effects of the MY 28 dust storm on the removal of the seasonal CO2 ice cap that year and reveal how this process differed from the years that followed. A mosaic showing residual ice surfaces displays broad agreement with previous compositional maps while resolving new details in the distribution of H2O ice‐rich material around the periphery of the bright CO2 ice cap. By showing how surface composition varies across a broad swath of the south polar region through time, the endmember set and classified mosaics produced in this work can provide critical context for future studies of the dynamic processes that shape south polar ice deposits.
Plain Language Summary
At the south pole of Mars, different mixtures of CO2 ice, water ice, and dust on the surface influence interactions with the atmosphere. These influences affect how polar ice deposits are formed, how they change over time, and how they are preserved as records of past climates. Existing maps of ice and dust in the region have limitations in how accurately they can describe mixtures and how much detail they can show on the ground. Using data from an orbiting spectrometer that measures sunlight reflected from the surface, we made new maps that reveal important details not seen in previous work. For example, these maps show how surface composition changes through time, which can be used to study CO2 frost that forms on the surface every winter and is removed in the summer. We observe how a dust storm in 1 year affected the composition and/or thickness of seasonal frost compared with other years. The maps also reveal how composition varies in different permanent ice deposits. Compared to previous work, it is easier to see how CO2 ice and dust are mixed with water ice in enigmatic exposures that may be linked to the formation of new climate records.
Key Points
Variable mixtures of CO2 and H2O ice with dust are linked to the formation of south polar climate records
To better understand these mixtures, we mapped 12 endmembers across multispectral data spanning 6 south polar summers
We made a series of mosaics to explore compositional variation in both seasonal and residual ice deposits
To ensure a successful touchdown and subsequent surface operations, the Mars Exploration Program 2007 Phoenix Lander must land within 65° to 72° north latitude, at an elevation less than −3.5 km. The ...landing site must have relatively low wind velocities and rock and slope distributions similar to or more benign than those found at the Viking Lander 2 site. Also, the site must have a soil cover of at least several centimeters over ice or icy soil to meet science objectives of evaluating the environmental and habitability implications of past and current near‐polar environments. The most challenging aspects of site selection were the extensive rock fields associated with crater rims and ejecta deposits and the centers of polygons associated with patterned ground. An extensive acquisition campaign of Odyssey Thermal Emission Imaging Spectrometer predawn thermal IR images, together with ∼0.31 m/pixel Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment images was implemented to find regions with acceptable rock populations and to support Monte Carlo landing simulations. The chosen site is located at 68.16° north latitude, 233.35° east longitude (areocentric), within a ∼50 km wide (N‐S) by ∼300 km long (E‐W) valley of relatively rock‐free plains. Surfaces within the eastern portion of the valley are differentially eroded ejecta deposits from the relatively recent ∼10‐km‐wide Heimdall crater and have fewer rocks than plains on the western portion of the valley. All surfaces exhibit polygonal ground, which is associated with fracture of icy soils, and are predicted to have only several centimeters of poorly sorted basaltic sand and dust over icy soil deposits.
Investigating the processes that led to the end of the last interglacial period is relevant for understanding how our ongoing interglacial will end, which has been a matter of much debate (see, for ...example, refs 1, 2). A recent ice core from Greenland demonstrates climate cooling from 122,000 years ago driven by orbitally controlled insolation, with glacial inception at 118,000 years ago. Here we present an annually resolved, layer-counted record of varve thickness, quartz grain size and pollen assemblages from a maar lake in the Eifel (Germany), which documents a late Eemian aridity pulse lasting 468 years with dust storms, aridity, bushfire and a decline of thermophilous trees at the time of glacial inception. We interpret the decrease in both precipitation and temperature as an indication of a close link of this extreme climate event to a sudden southward shift of the position of the North Atlantic drift, the ocean current that brings warm surface waters to the northern European region. The late Eemian aridity pulse occurred at a 65° N July insolation of 416 W m-2, close to today's value of 428 W m-2 (ref. 9), and may therefore be relevant for the interpretation of present-day climate variability.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IJS, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Water has supposedly marked the surface of Mars and produced characteristic landforms. To understand the history of water on Mars, we take a close look at key locations with the High-Resolution ...Imaging Science Experiment on board the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, reaching fine spatial scales of 25 to 32 centimeters per pixel. Boulders ranging up to ~2 meters in diameter are ubiquitous in the middle to high latitudes, which include deposits previously interpreted as finegrained ocean sediments or dusty snow. Bright gully deposits identify six locations with very recent activity, but these lie on steep (20° to 35°) slopes where dry mass wasting could occur. Thus, we cannot confirm the reality of ancient oceans or water in active gullies but do see evidence of fluvial modification of geologically recent mid-latitude gullies and equatorial impact craters.
When using detachable coils to treat intracranial aneurysms, thromboembolism is the most feared and frequently reported complication during or after endovascular therapy. The purpose of this study ...was to document the therapeutic effect of tirofiban on patency of the parent vessel, rate of rebleedings, and outcome of the patients in the setting of acute subarachnoidal hemorrhage.
A patient data base was retrospectively reviewed to identify patients in whom thrombus occurred during endovascular treatment of ruptured cerebral aneurysms within a 34-month period and who were treated with tirofiban. All patients underwent anticoagulation with heparin during endovascular treatment procedures. Sixteen patients (age range, 52.9 +/- 10.7 years; 10 women, 6 men) were identified with intraprocedural thrombus formation. The patency of the parent vessel was assessed in a retrospective analysis blinded to outcome. Eight patients received ventriculostomy and had a follow-up CT.
Local nonocclusive thrombus at the coil surface was detected in 5 patients, in all of whom the thrombus was dissolved. In 10 patients, partial or total occlusion of the parent vessel occurred during the intervention; in 8 of these, the vessel was recanalized completely and in 2 drug administration was assisted by mechanical means. In 1 patient, however, the occlusion persisted. No periprocedural rebleedings of the ruptured aneurysm occurred; 3 of 8 ventriculostomies had clinically silent small local bleedings.
The use of tirofiban in the setting of endovascular treatment of ruptured intracranial aneurysms to dissolve platelet aggregation seems relatively safe and effective.
A high resolution continuous reconstruction of last glacial wind directions is based on provenance analysis of eolian sediments in a sediment core from the Dehner dry Maar in the Eifel region ...(Germany). This Maar is suitable to archive easterly wind directions due to its location west of the Devonian carbonate basins of the Eifel-North-South-Zone. Thus, eolian sediments with high clastic carbonate content can be interpreted as an east wind signal. The detection of such east wind sediments is applied by a new module of the RADIUS grain size analyze technique. The investigated time period from 40.3–12.9 ka BP can be subclassified in three units: The first unit covers the periods of the ending GIS-9, H4, and GIS-8. With the exception of H4 (40–38 ka BP) the content of organics in our record is relatively high. With the end of GIS-8 (38–36.5 ka) the content of organics decrease and the content of dust increases rapidly. The second time slice (36–24 ka BP) has an increased content of dust accumulation and a high amount of east winds layers (up to 19% of the dust storms per century came from the east). In comparison, the subsequent period (24–12.9 ka BP) is characterized by lower east wind sediments again. Increased frequencies of east wind occur during the time intervals corresponding with the Heinrich events H1 and H2. The unusual H3 show no higher east wind frequency but so do its former and subsequent Greenland stadials. The late LGM (21–18 ka BP) is characterized by a slightly elevated east wind frequency again.
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