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Geological diversity and microbiological potential of lakes on Mars

Nature Astronomy volume 6, pages 1133–1141 (2022)Cite this article

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Abstract

Hundreds of ancient lake basins detected on Mars via orbital remote sensing represent rare oases of hydrosphere–atmosphere–lithosphere interactions with great astrobiological potential. These palaeolake basins, and associated lacustrine deposits, could preserve evidence of biogenesis on Mars, and their geology, mineralogy and geochemistry place strong constraints on past climate. Most Martian palaeolakes date to the Noachian (>3.7 Gyr ago (Ga)) and probably lasted ~102–106 years, representing only a small fraction of the ~400 Myr of Noachian time. However, some palaeolakes occurred during the Hesperian (3–3.7 Ga), and it is likely that many shallow thermokarst lakes occurred in the Amazonian (<3 Ga) but left few traces. Noachian lacustrine deposits contain detrital Fe/Mg-rich clay minerals as well as authigenic Fe/Mg carbonates, sulfates, silica, chlorides and clay minerals that potentially preserve the characteristics of the ancient atmosphere and climate. While Martian palaeolakes are undeniably among the top targets for future surface exploration and sample return, many questions surrounding prospects for biogenesis and biological productivity in short-lived lakes and transient warm climates on an otherwise cold planet remain. Martian lakes also provide tremendous comparative value for reconstructing the geology and geobiology of inland waters on the Archaean Earth.

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Fig. 1: Four categories of lakes identified on Mars.
Fig. 2: Compiled global distribution of lake basins on Mars.
Fig. 3: Size characteristics of lakes on Mars.
Fig. 4: Connecting orbital and surface observations.
Fig. 5: Schematic diagram of geobiological considerations in a Martian lake.
Fig. 6: Conceptual diagram comparing important aspects of the geology of Mars and Earth.

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Acknowledgements

J.R.M. was funded by the Hong Kong Research Grants Council General Research Fund Number 17301718 and Collaborative Research Fund (grant number C7004-21GF), and acknowledges support from the CIFAR Earth 4-D programme. T.A.G. acknowledges support from the CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar programme. S.A.C. acknowledges support from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Discovery Grants Program (grant number 0487).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Earth Sciences and Laboratory for Space Research, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China

    Joseph R. Michalski

  2. Department of Geological Sciences & Center for Planetary Systems Habitability, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA

    Timothy A. Goudge

  3. CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholars Program, CIFAR, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    Timothy A. Goudge

  4. Department of Microbiology and Immunology and Department of Earth, Ocean, & Atmospheric Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

    Sean A. Crowe

  5. Department of Earth Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, UK

    Javier Cuadros

  6. Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA

    John F. Mustard

  7. Department of Biology, Science, Technology and International Affairs Program, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA

    Sarah Stewart Johnson

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  1. Joseph R. Michalski
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  2. Timothy A. Goudge
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  4. Javier Cuadros
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  5. John F. Mustard
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Correspondence to Joseph R. Michalski.

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Michalski, J.R., Goudge, T.A., Crowe, S.A. et al. Geological diversity and microbiological potential of lakes on Mars. Nat Astron 6, 1133–1141 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-022-01743-7

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