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Nature of Magnetism Recorded in Utah Concretions - relation to Mars?

Publication

Abstract

Terrestrial Fe-oxides (e.g., hematite, goethite, and magnetite) growth rate in sedimentary deposits may vary. Sometimes iron deposits form cemented concretions from aqueous diagenetic solution in sandstones.

Mass transfer processes and fluid chemistries control the water/rock interactions during the concretion formation history in a sandstone. This is why concretions may contain the diagenetic evolution of a sandstone rock units.

This process may delineate a possible analog model of diagenetic processes in planetary settings similar to the Burns formation containing hematite spherules in Meridiani Planum, Mars as well as to other potential analog models.