0000000000185938
AUTHOR
Iris Fleischer
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…
Visible and near-infrared multispectral analysis of geochemically measured rock fragments at the Opportunity landing site in Meridiani Planum
[1] We have used visible and near-infrared Panoramic Camera (Pancam) spectral data acquired by the Opportunity rover to analyze 15 rock fragments at the Meridiani Planum landing site. These spectral results were then compared to geochemistry measurements made by the in situ instruments Mossbauer (MB) and Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) to determine the feasibility of mineralogic characterization from Pancam data. Our results suggest that dust and alteration rinds coat many rock fragments, which limits our ability to adequately measure the mineralogy of some rocks from Pancam spectra relative to the different field of view and penetration depths of MB and APXS. Viewing and lighting …
Opportunity Mars Rover mission: Overview and selected results from Purgatory ripple to traverses to Endeavour crater
Opportunity has been traversing the Meridiani plains since 25 January 2004 (sol 1), acquiring numerous observations of the atmosphere, soils, and rocks. This paper provides an overview of key discoveries between sols 511 and 2300, complementing earlier papers covering results from the initial phases of the mission. Key new results include (1) atmospheric argon measurements that demonstrate the importance of atmospheric transport to and from the winter carbon dioxide polar ice caps; (2) observations showing that aeolian ripples covering the plains were generated by easterly winds during an epoch with enhanced Hadley cell circulation; (3) the discovery and characterization of cobbles and boul…
Field-portable Mössbauer spectroscopy on Earth, the Moon, Mars, and beyond
ABSTRACT Iron occurs naturally as Fe 2+ , Fe 3+ , and, to a lesser extent, as Fe 0 . Many fundamental (bio)geochemical processes are based on redox cycling between these oxidation states. Mossbauer spectroscopy provides quantitative information about the distribution of Fe among its oxidation states, identification of Fe-bearing phases, and relative distribution of Fe among those phases. Portable, miniaturised Mossbauer spectrometers were developed for NASA9s Mars Exploration Rovers (in operation since 2004) and provide a means for non-destructive, in-situ field investigations. On Mars, these instruments provided evidence for aqueous activity with implications for habitability, were applied…
Geochemical properties of rocks and soils in Gusev Crater, Mars: Results of the Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer from Cumberland Ridge to Home Plate
Geochemical diversity of rocks and soils has been discovered by the Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS) during Spirit’s journey over Husband Hill and down into the Inner Basin from sol 470 to 1368. The APXS continues to operate nominally with no changes in calibration or spectral degradation over the course of the mission. Germanium has been added to the Spirit APXS data set with the confirmation that it occurs at elevated levels in many rocks and soils around Home Plate. Twelve new rock classes and two new soil classes have been identified at the Spirit landing site since sol 470 on the basis of the diversity in APXS geochemistry. The new rock classes are Irvine (alkaline basalt…
New insights into the mineralogy and weathering of the Meridiani Planum meteorite, Mars
– Meridiani Planum is the first officially recognized meteorite find on the surface of Mars. It was discovered at and named after the landing site of the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity. Based on its composition, it was classified as a IAB complex iron meteorite. Mossbauer spectra obtained by Opportunity are dominated by kamacite (α-Fe-Ni) and exhibit a small contribution of ferric oxide. Several small features in the spectra have been neglected to date. To shed more light on these features, five iron meteorite specimens were investigated as analogs to Meridiani Planum with a laboratory Mossbauer setup. Measurements were performed on (1) their metallic bulk, (2) troilite (FeS) inclusions…
Evidence for mechanical and chemical alteration of iron-nickel meteorites on Mars: Process insights for Meridiani Planum
The weathering of meteorites found on Mars involves chemical and physical processes that can provide clues to climate conditions at the location of their discovery. Beginning on sol 1961, the Opportunity rover encountered three large iron meteorites within a few hundred meters of each other. In order of discovery, these rocks have been assigned the unofficial names Block Island, Shelter Island, and Mackinac Island. Each rock presents a unique but complimentary set of features that increase our understanding of weathering processes at Meridiani Planum. Significant morphologic characteristics interpretable as weathering features include (1) a large pit in Block Island, lined with delicate iro…
Meteorites on Mars observed with the Mars Exploration Rovers
[1] Reduced weathering rates due to the lack of liquid water and significantly greater typical surface ages should result in a higher density of meteorites on the surface of Mars compared to Earth. Several meteorites were identified among the rocks investigated during Opportunity's traverse across the sandy Meridiani plains. Heat Shield Rock is a IAB iron meteorite and has been officially recognized as “Meridiani Planum.” Barberton is olivine-rich and contains metallic Fe in the form of kamacite, suggesting a meteoritic origin. It is chemically most consistent with a mesosiderite silicate clast. Santa Catarina is a brecciated rock with a chemical and mineralogical composition similar to Bar…
Robotic Exploration of Planetary Surfaces – Rover Technologies Developed for Space Exploration
Mobility is a key feature for any science mission and for space exploration in general. Missions with mobile systems provide a much wider spectrum of outcomes by employing a higher number of samples within an increased area of exploration. The additional degree of freedom of a rover in comparison to a lander or even a robotic arm allows the mission to be flexibly adapted to the landing site as it is encountered.
Missions to Mars: Characterization of Mars analogue rocks for the International Space Analogue Rockstore (ISAR)
International audience; Instruments for surface missions to extraterrestrial bodies should be cross-calibrated using a common suite of relevant materials. Such work is necessary to improve instrument performance and aids in the interpretation of in-situ measurements. At the CNRS campus in Orléans, the Observatoire des Sciences de l'Univers en région Centre (OSUC) has created a collection of well-characterised rocks and minerals for testing and calibrating instruments to be flown in space missions. The characteristics of the analogue materials are documented in an accompanying online database. In view of the recent and upcoming rover missions to Mars (NASA's 2011 Mars Science Laboratory (MSL…
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 Mossbauer (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 experienced pervasive aqueous alteration as indicated by the presence of goethite. Olivine-rich outcrops in a possible mafic/ultramafic horizon are present on Haskin Ridge. Relatively unaltered basalt and olivine basalt float rocks occur at isolated locations throughout the Columbia Hills. Basalt and oliv…
Depth selective Mössbauer spectroscopy: Analysis and simulation of 6.4 keV and 14.4 keV spectra obtained from rocks at Gusev Crater, Mars, and layered laboratory samples
[1] The miniaturized Mossbauer spectrometer (MIMOS) II Mossbauer spectrometers on the Mars Exploration Rovers (MER) simultaneously obtained 6.4 keV and 14.4 keV Mossbauer spectra from rock and soil targets. Because photons with lower energy have a shallower penetration depth, 6.4 keV spectra contain more mineralogical information about the near-surface region of a sample than do 14.4 keV spectra. The influence of surface layers of varying composition and thickness on Mossbauer spectra was investigated by Monte Carlo simulation and by measurement using a copy of the MER MIMOS II instrument and samples with one or two layers of known thicknesses. Thin sections of minerals or metallic Fe foil …
Properties and distribution of paired candidate stony meteorites at Meridiani Planum, Mars
[1] The Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity investigated four rocks, informally dubbed Barberton, Santa Catarina, Santorini, and Kasos, that are possible stony meteorites. Their chemical and mineralogical composition is similar to the howardite, eucrite, and diogenite group but with additional metal, similar to mesosiderite silicate clasts. Because of their virtually identical composition and because they appear to represent a relatively rare group of meteorites, they are probably paired. The four rocks were investigated serendipitously several kilometers apart, suggesting that Opportunity is driving across a larger population of similar rock fragments, maybe a meteorite strewn field. Small …
In-situ Mössbauer Spectroscopy with MIMOS II at Rio Tinto, Spain
The Rio Tinto, located in southwest Spain, exhibits a nearly constant, acidic pHvalue along its course. Due to the formation of sulfate minerals, Rio Tinto is considered a potential analogue site for sulfate-rich regions on Mars, in particular at the landing site of the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity, where the ferric sulfate mineral jarosite was identified with Opportunity's Mössbauer spectrometer. Primary and secondary mineralogy was investigated in situ with portable Raman and Mössbauer spectrometers at four different Rio Tinto sampling sites. The two techniques analyse different sample portions due to their specific field of view and sampling depth and provide complementar…
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
The Moessbauer 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(3+)-sulfate. Adirondack basaltic rocks on the plains are nearly unaltered (Fe(3+)/Fe(sub T) 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, …
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…
Mineralogy and chemistry of cobbles at Meridiani Planum, Mars, investigated by the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity
Numerous loose rocks with dimensions of a few centimeters to tens of centimeters and with no obvious physical relationship to outcrop rocks have been observed along the traverse of the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity. To date, about a dozen of these rocks have been analyzed with Opportunity’s contact instruments, providing information about elemental chemistry (Alpha Particle X‐ray Spectrometer), iron mineralogy and oxidation states (Mossbauer Spectrometer) and texture (Microscopic Imager). These "cobbles" appear to be impact related, and three distinct groups can be identified on the basis of chemistry and mineralogy. The first group comprises bright fragments of the sulfate‐rich bedroc…
Exploration of Victoria Crater by the Mars Rover Opportunity
“Lake” Victoria? After having explored the Eagle and Endurance craters, which are separated by only 800 meters, the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity spent 2 years at Victoria, a much larger impact crater located 6 kilometers south across Meridiani Planum. Sedimentary rocks previously analyzed at Eagle and Endurance point to local environmental conditions that included abundant liquid water in the ancient past. Now, an analysis of rocks in the walls of Victoria by Squyres et al. (p. 1058 ) reveals that the aqueous alteration processes that operated at Eagle and Endurance also acted at Victoria. In addition, sedimentary layering in the crater walls preserves evidence of ancient windblown du…
Non-conventional Fe3C-based nanostructures
Novel Fe3C-based nanostructures with an inner layered structure have been synthesized by a simple medium-temperature (T = 700 °C) process based on carbothermal reduction. In this process, the iron precursor reacts with a selected nitrogen rich carbon source (namely, 4,5-dicyanoimidazole) to form wrapped nano-sheets of Fe3C@C(N). The nanosheets are composed of 5 nm crystalline Fe3C nanoparticles, which are integrated into a nitrogen-doped carbon phase giving rise to the wrapped morphology. By variation of reaction parameters (such as initial concentration, temperature, reaction time), the typical accompanying side products of iron carbide such as metallic iron and amorphous carbon can be kep…
Identification of carbonate-rich outcrops on Mars by the Spirit rover.
Ancient Carbonate Minerals on Mars The historical presence of liquid water on Mars together with a CO 2 -rich atmosphere should have resulted in the accumulation of large deposits of carbonate minerals. Yet, evidence for the presence of carbonates on the surface of Mars has been scarce. Using data collected by the Mars Exploration Rover, Spirit, Morris et al. (p. 421 , published online 3 June; see the Perspective by Harvey ) now present evidence for carbonate-rich outcrops in the Comanche outcrops within the Gusev crater. The carbonate is a major outcrop component and may have formed in the Noachian era (∼4 billion years ago) by precipitation from hydrothermal solutions that passed through …
Mössbauer mineralogy of rock, soil, and dust at Meridiani Planum, Mars: Opportunity's journey across sulfate-rich outcrop, basaltic sand and dust, and hematite lag deposits
Additonal co-authors: P Gutlich, E Kankeleit, T McCoy, DW Mittlefehldt, F Renz, ME Schmidt, B Zubkov, SW Squyres, RE Arvidson