Mössbauer mineralogy of rock, soil, and dust at Gusev crater, Mars: Spirit’s journey through weakly altered olivine basalt on the plains and pervasively altered basalt in the Columbia Hills

نویسندگان

  • R. V. Morris
  • G. Klingelhöfer
  • C. Schröder
  • D. S. Rodionov
  • A. Yen
  • D. W. Ming
  • P. A. de Souza
  • I. Fleischer
  • T. Wdowiak
  • R. Gellert
  • B. Bernhardt
  • E. N. Evlanov
  • B. Zubkov
  • J. Foh
  • U. Bonnes
  • E. Kankeleit
  • P. Gütlich
  • F. Renz
  • S. W. Squyres
  • R. E. Arvidson
چکیده

[1] The Mössbauer spectrometer on Spirit measured the oxidation state of Fe, identified Fe-bearing phases, and measured relative abundances of Fe among those phases for surface materials on the plains and in the Columbia Hills of Gusev crater. Eight Fe-bearing phases were identified: olivine, pyroxene, ilmenite, magnetite, nanophase ferric oxide (npOx), hematite, goethite, and a Fe-sulfate. Adirondack basaltic rocks on the plains are nearly unaltered (Fe/FeT < 0.2) with Fe from olivine, pyroxene (Ol > Px), and minor npOx and magnetite. Columbia Hills basaltic rocks are nearly unaltered (Peace and Backstay), moderately altered (WoolyPatch, Wishstone, and Keystone), and pervasively altered (e.g., Clovis, Uchben, Watchtower, Keel, and Paros with Fe/FeT 0.6–0.9). Fe from pyroxene is greater than Fe from olivine (Ol sometimes absent), and Fe from Ol + Px is 40–49% and 9–24% for moderately and pervasively altered materials, respectively. Ilmenite (Fe from Ilm 3–6%) is present in Backstay, Wishstone, Keystone, and related rocks along with magnetite (Fe from Mt 10–15%). Remaining Fe is present as npOx, hematite, and goethite in variable proportions. Clovis has the highest goethite content (Fe from Gt = 40%). Goethite (a-FeOOH) is mineralogical evidence for aqueous processes because it has structural hydroxide and is formed under aqueous conditions. Relatively unaltered basaltic soils (Fe/FeT 0.3) occur throughout Gusev crater ( 60–80% Fe from Ol + Px, 10–30% from npOx, and 10% from Mt). PasoRobles soil in the Columbia Hills has a unique occurrence of high concentrations of Fe-sulfate ( 65% of Fe). Magnetite is identified as a strongly magnetic phase in Martian soil and dust.

برای دانلود متن کامل این مقاله و بیش از 32 میلیون مقاله دیگر ابتدا ثبت نام کنید

ثبت نام

اگر عضو سایت هستید لطفا وارد حساب کاربری خود شوید

منابع مشابه

Iron mineralogy and aqueous alteration from Husband Hill through Home Plate at Gusev Crater, Mars: Results from the Mössbauer instrument on the Spirit Mars Exploration Rover

[1] Spirit’s Mössbauer (MB) instrument determined the Fe mineralogy and oxidation state of 71 rocks and 43 soils during its exploration of the Gusev plains and the Columbia Hills (West Spur, Husband Hill, Haskin Ridge, northern Inner Basin, and Home Plate) on Mars. The plains are predominantly float rocks and soil derived from olivine basalts. Outcrops at West Spur and on Husband Hill have expe...

متن کامل

Iron mineralogy and aqueous alteration from Husband Hill through Home Plate at Gusev Crater, Mars: Results from the Mssbauer instrument on the Spirit Mars Exploration Rover

[1] Spirit’s Mössbauer (MB) instrument determined the Fe mineralogy and oxidation state of 71 rocks and 43 soils during its exploration of the Gusev plains and the Columbia Hills (West Spur, Husband Hill, Haskin Ridge, northern Inner Basin, and Home Plate) on Mars. The plains are predominantly float rocks and soil derived from olivine basalts. Outcrops at West Spur and on Husband Hill have expe...

متن کامل

Rock spectral classes observed by the Spirit Rover’s Pancam on the Gusev Crater Plains and in the Columbia Hills

[1] This paper examines the ferrous and ferric iron mineralogy of rocks inferred from 246 visible/near-infrared (430–1010 nm) multispectral observations made by the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit’s Pancam on its traverse from its landing site to its second Winter Haven location. Principal component, correspondence analyses, and a sequential maximum angle convex cone technique were used to identi...

متن کامل

Synthesis of a spinifex-textured basalt as an analog to Gusev crater basalts, Mars

Analyses by the Mars Exploration Rover (MER), Spirit, of Martian basalts from Gusev crater show that they are chemically very different from terrestrial basalts, being characterized in particular by high Mgand Fe-contents. To provide suitable analog basalts for the International Space Analogue Rockstore (ISAR), a collection of analog rocks and minerals for preparing in situ space missions, espe...

متن کامل

Gusev-style Alteration: Unique or Ubiquitous on Mars?

Introduction: Evidence for hydrous alteration on Mars has in recent years become unequivocal. The identification by a combination of orbital and landed instruments of water-derived hematite, sulfates, phyl-losilicates, Fe-oxides, and hydrated silica is robust. Even carbonates are now recognized [1, 2]. In some cases, it is possible to ascertain an environmental context for the alteration. Gusev...

متن کامل

ذخیره در منابع من


  با ذخیره ی این منبع در منابع من، دسترسی به آن را برای استفاده های بعدی آسان تر کنید

برای دانلود متن کامل این مقاله و بیش از 32 میلیون مقاله دیگر ابتدا ثبت نام کنید

ثبت نام

اگر عضو سایت هستید لطفا وارد حساب کاربری خود شوید

عنوان ژورنال:

دوره   شماره 

صفحات  -

تاریخ انتشار 2005