Texas A&M University
Department of Oceanography
Carbonate rocks--also known as
limestone--comprise about one fifth of all sedimentary rocks
on Earth. Limestone in the ocean is the product of a chemical
reaction of carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O). When calcium
is removed from the seawater, it reacts with carbonate (CO3-2)
in the water, and limestone is formed.
In the modern ocean of the last
half billion years, most carbonate minerals are produced by organisms
like coral. Before that, on Earth and probably on Mars, carbonate
deposition occurred simply as a result of chemical reactions
in the ocean. More about carbonate on
Mars.
| Mass | 6.42 x 1023 kilograms |
| Diameter | 6787 kilometers |
| Escape velocity | 5000 meters/second |
| Average distance from sun | 1.524 AU |
| Rotation period (one day) | 1.026 "Earth days" |
| Revolution period (one year) | 686.98 "Earth days" |
| Moons | Deimos and Phobos |
| Surface temperature | 310 Kelvin to 150 Kelvin |
| Highest point | Olympus Mons, a volcano about 24 km. above surrounding plains, is 100 times larger than Mauna Loa, Hawaii. |
| Atmosphere | 95% carbon dioxide, 3% nitrogen, 1.6% argon |
| Surface | basaltic rock and altered materials |
Connect to these informative Mars sites:
Missions:
Mars Pathfinder
mars.jpl.nasa.gov/MPF/sitemap/sitemap.htmlMars Global Surveyor
mars.jpl.nasa.gov/mgs/Mars Missions News
www.jpl.nasa.gov/marsnews/
Images:
National Space Science Data Center's Photo Gallery: Mars
nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/photo_gallery/photogallery-mars.html/
NASA's Planetary Photojournal
photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/High-Resolution Image Archive
www.jpl.nasa.gov/pictures/hi-res/pmi.html
Links:
http://oceanography.tamu.edu/Quarterdeck/1999/1/extras.html
© Copyright 999, Department
of Oceanography, Texas A&M University.
Send Quarterdeck inquiries to quarterdeck@ocean.tamu.edu.
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