Mineralogy of Acid Sulfate Fumarole vs Near Neutral Sinter Deposits at Lassen Volcanic National Park: Comparison to Gusev Crater, Mars
McHenry LJ, Gerard TL, Carson GL, Walters GL. 2014. Mineralogy of Acid Sulfate Fumarole vs Near Neutral Sinter Deposits at Lassen Volcanic National Park: Comparison to Gusev Crater, Mars. In 45th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference. 2712
Hydrothermal environments have been postulated for early Mars, based on abundant evidence for water and volcanism, as well as direct detection of likely hydrothermal deposits at Gusev Crater and elsewhere by orbital and rover platforms. Such environments could have provided both a source of water and a source of heat for life, though their habitability depends on many other factors. One important factor is whether a hydrothermal environment is more akin to acid-sulfate fumaroles (less habitable) or more neutral sinterdepositing hot springs (more habitable). Both have been proposed to explain features of the Columbia Hills. Studies of modern terrestrial fumarole and hot spring environments and their deposits can help identify diagnostic mineralogical and geochemical signatures. In this abstract we report preliminary results for a geochemical and mineralogical study of modern fumaroles and hot springs in the vicinity of Lassen volcano in the southern Cascades of California. Lassen has both gas-dominated acid-sulfate fumaroles and water-dominated near-neutral sinter depositing hot springs, both likely originating from the same hydrothermal system.
- Type
- Conference Proceeding Paper
- Authors
- McHenry, L; Gerard, T; Carson, G; Walters, G
- Units
- LAVO
- Keywords
- boiling springs lake, bumpass hell, devil's kitchen, drakesbad, fumarole, geochemical, growler, hot springs, hydrothermal system, Lassen, mineral rock, mineralogical, sinter deposits, sulfate, sulfur, Sulphur works, thermal waters