0000000000185937
AUTHOR
David G. Agresti
Distinct hematite populations from simultaneous fitting of Mössbauer spectra from Meridiani Planum, Mars
[1] At Meridiani Planum, Mars, hematite occurs as a lag of ∼5 mm diameter spherules and their fragments and within the matrix of the sulfate-rich outcrop as <30 μm particles. Well crystalline and chemically pure bulk hematite undergoes a magnetic transition at ∼264 K (Morin transition) that can be detected by Mossbauer spectroscopy and is within the Martian diurnal temperature range. We analyzed outcrop and lag hematite Mossbauer spectra obtained by the Mars Exploration Rover (MER) Opportunity as a function of temperature using a simultaneous fitting procedure to determine the Morin temperature and the temperature interval over which it occurs. Mossbauer spectra for terrestrial hematite-bea…
On simfitting MER Mössbauer data to characterize Martian hematite
Mossbauer spectra of Eagle Crater outcrop rocks in Meridiani Planum were acquired by the Mars Exploration Rover (MER) Opportunity. Sixty spectra, containing ~20 to 60% hematite by area, were simultultaneously fit (simfit) in a self-consistent manner to a single chi-squared minimum, where relations among parameters from different spectra were defined for both sol (Martian day) and acquisition temperature (200–280 K). Different spectral models were compared, hematite being modeled optimally with two sextets. Sextet S1 (~35% of total sextet area) has narrower linewidths, a larger magnetic hyperfine field, and a quadrupole shift that changes smoothly from positive to negative values as the temp…