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Bedrock formation at Meridiani Planum

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Abstract

Arising from: T. M. McCollom & B. M. Hynek Nature 438, 1129–1131 (2005); McCollom & Hynek reply

The Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity discovered sulphate-rich sedimentary rocks at Meridiani Planum on Mars, which are interpreted by McCollom and Hynek1 as altered volcanic rocks. However, their conclusions are derived from an incorrect representation of our depositional model2,3, which is upheld by more recent Rover data4,5,6,7. We contend that all the available data still support an aeolian and aqueous sedimentary origin for Meridiani bedrock.

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Figure 1: Ternary diagrams of molar (Si + Al), (Mg + Ca + Fe) and sulphur

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References

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Astronomy, Cornell University, Ithaca, 14853, New York, USA

    S. W. Squyres & J. F. Bell III

  2. Division of Geological and Planetary Science, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, 91125, California, USA

    O. Aharonson, T. Glotch, J. Grotzinger & B. L. Jolliff

  3. Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Washington University, St Louis, 63130, Missouri, USA

    R. E. Arvidson

  4. Department of Geological Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, 85287, Arizona, USA

    P. R. Christensen & J. W. Rice Jr

  5. Lockheed Martin Corporation, Littleton, 80127, Colorado, USA

    B. C. Clark

  6. Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, 91109, California, USA

    J. A. Crisp & M. P. Golombek

  7. Space Science Institute, Boulder, 80301, Colorado, USA

    W. Farrand

  8. Center for Earth and Planetary Studies, Smithsonian Institution, 20560, Washington DC, USA

    J. Grant

  9. US Geological Survey, Flagstaff, 86001, Arizona, USA

    K. E. Herkenhoff & J. R. Johnson

  10. Botanical Museum, Harvard University, Cambridge, 02138, Massachusetts, USA

    A. H. Knoll

  11. Department of Geosciences, State University of New York, Stony Brook, 11794, New York, USA

    S. M. McLennan & N. Tosca

  12. Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, 37996, Tennessee, USA

    H. Y. McSween

  13. NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, 94035, California, USA

    J. M. Moore

Authors
  1. S. W. Squyres
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  2. O. Aharonson
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  3. R. E. Arvidson
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  4. J. F. Bell III
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  5. P. R. Christensen
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  6. B. C. Clark
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  7. J. A. Crisp
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  8. W. Farrand
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  9. T. Glotch
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  10. M. P. Golombek
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  11. J. Grant
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  12. J. Grotzinger
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  13. K. E. Herkenhoff
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  14. J. R. Johnson
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  15. B. L. Jolliff
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  16. A. H. Knoll
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  17. S. M. McLennan
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  18. H. Y. McSween
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  19. J. M. Moore
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  20. J. W. Rice Jr
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  21. N. Tosca
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to S. W. Squyres.

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Squyres, S., Aharonson, O., Arvidson, R. et al. Bedrock formation at Meridiani Planum. Nature 443, E1–E2 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature05212

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