Ground ice-magma interaction resurfaced the landing region of the Zhurong rover during the Amazonian

Abstract

AbstractDespite a consensus view that Mars has been cold and icy throughout the Amazonian (3 billion years ago until present), the Zhurong rover has provided striking evidence for aqueous resurfacing processes in and around the landing site during this time period. Here, we report a close association of magmatism (i.e.dikes) and several distinctive landforms (e.g.mud volcanoes and troughs) indicating that ground ice in the Vastitas Borealis Formation (VBF) was thawed by the magma heating causing the collapse of VBF to form distinct landforms and alteration mineralogy. This collapse released pressurized meltwater and mud, producing mud volcanoes and muddy water. Upon freezing, the slurry materials were further buried by younger porous sediments. Freezing of the upwelled chemical-rich groundwater potentially circulated by cryosuction produced large crystals of sulphate (probably selentite) unlike sulphates previously identified on Mars, evidencing relatively young aqueous alteration on Mars driven by magma-ice interactions.