1 MLR Key Laboratory of Saline Lake Resources and Environments, Institute of Mineral Resources , Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Beijing, China .
2 Institute of Geology and Geophysics , Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China .
Astrobiology. 2018 Oct;18(10):1243-1253. doi: 10.1089/ast.2018.1830. Epub 2018 May 24.
Since 2008, we have been studying a saline lake, Dalangtan (DLT) Playa, and its surroundings in a hyperarid region of the Qaidam Basin on the Tibetan Plateau as a potential Mars analog site. We describe the evolution of saline deposits in the Qaidam Basin (including DLT), based on investigative findings accumulated over the course of 60 years of geological surveys. In addition, we report regional meteorological patterns recorded for the past 32 years along with meteorological station recorded data at DLT since 2012. Overall, the DLT area on the Tibetan Plateau has low atmospheric pressure, high ultraviolet radiation, low annual mean temperatures (T) but large seasonal and diurnal T cycles, and extremely low relative humidity, all of which bear some similarities with the equatorial region on Mars. In addition, salt types similar to those found on Mars, such as magnesium-sulfates, chlorides, and perchlorates, are found at the surface and subsurface in the DLT area (and the other two playas in the Qaidam Basin), thus supporting DLT as a Mars analog in terms of mineralogy and geochemistry.
自 2008 年以来，我们一直在青藏高原柴达木盆地的一个极度干旱地区研究一个咸水湖——大浪滩（DLT）潟湖及其周边地区，将其作为火星的潜在模拟地点。我们根据 60 年来地质调查积累的调查结果，描述了柴达木盆地（包括 DLT）盐类沉积物的演化。此外，我们还报告了过去 32 年的区域气象模式，以及自 2012 年以来在 DLT 气象站记录的数据。总的来说，青藏高原的 DLT 地区大气压力低，紫外线辐射强，年平均气温（T）低，但季节和昼夜 T 变化大，相对湿度极低，这些都与火星赤道地区有些相似。此外，在 DLT 地区（以及柴达木盆地的另外两个潟湖）的地表和地下都发现了与火星上类似的盐类，如硫酸镁、氯化物和高氯酸盐，这从矿物学和地球化学方面支持 DLT 作为火星的模拟地点。
