Iron Mineralogy of Venus' Surface Investigated by M�ssbauer Spectroscopy

Abstract We discuss the use of Mossbauer (MB) spectroscopy to study Fe-bearing minerals on Venus' surface. At present, there is no direct information about the mineralogy of Venus' surface, although in situ chemical analyses by X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectroscopy have been done by the Venera 13, 14, and Vega 2 spacecraft at three landing sites. The XRF elemental analyses are sensitive to major rock-forming elements heavier than sodium and show the presence of several mass percent iron. Normative mineralogical calculations model the Fe mineralogy at the Venera 13, 14, and Vega 2 landing sites, but the actual Fe minerals present are unknown. We calculate synthetic MB spectra for the normati…