Search results for "rock"
showing 10 items of 1160 documents
Characterization and petrologic interpretation of olivine-rich basalts at Gusev Crater, Mars
2006
Rocks on the floor of Gusev crater are basalts of uniform composition and mineralogy. Olivine, the only mineral to have been identified or inferred from data by all instruments on the Spirit rover, is especially abundant in these rocks. These picritic basalts are similar in many respects to certain Martian meteorites (olivine-phyric shergottites). The olivine megacrysts in both have intermediate compositions, with modal abundances ranging up to 20-30%. Associated minerals in both include low-calcium and high-calcium pyroxenes, plagioclase of intermediate composition, iron-titanium-chromium oxides, and phosphate. These rocks also share minor element trends, reflected in their nickel-magnesiu…
Lithologic composition of the Earth's continental surfaces derived from a new digital map emphasizing riverine material transfer
2005
[1] A new digital map of the lithology of the continental surfaces is proposed in vector mode (n ≈ 8300, reaggregated at 0.5° × 0.5° resolution) for 15 rock types (plus water and ice) targeted to surficial Earth system analysis (chemical weathering, land erosion, carbon cycling, sediment formation, riverine fluxes, aquifer typology, coastal erosion). These types include acid (0.98% at global scale) and basic (5.75%) volcanics, acid (7.23%) and basic (0.20%) plutonics, Precambrian basement (11.52%) and metamorphic rocks (4.07%), consolidated siliciclastic rocks (16.28%), mixed sedimentary (7.75%), carbonates (10.40%), semi- to un-consolidated sedimentary rocks (10.05%), alluvial deposits (15…
Worldwide distribution of continental rock lithology: Implications for the atmospheric/soil CO2uptake by continental weathering and alkalinity river …
2003
[1] The silicate rock weathering followed by the formation of carbonate rocks in the ocean, transfers CO2 from the atmosphere to the lithosphere. This CO2 uptake plays a major role in the regulation of atmospheric CO2 concentrations at the geologic timescale and is mainly controlled by the chemical properties of rocks. This leads us to develop the first world lithological map with a grid resolution of 1° × 1°. This paper analyzes the spatial distribution of the six main rock types by latitude, continents, and ocean drainage basins and for 49 large river basins. Coupling our digital map with the GEM-CO2 model, we have also calculated the amount of atmospheric/soil CO2 consumed by rock weathe…
Mixing relationships and the effects of secondary alteration in the Wishstone and Watchtower Classes of Husband Hill, Gusev Crater, Mars
2006
[1] The Wishstone and Watchtower Class rocks on Husband Hill preserve evidence for a geochemical relationship consistent with two-component mixing between a high Al 2 O 3 , TiO 2 , CaO, Na 2 O, P 2 O 5 end-member and a second end-member enriched in the elements MgO, Zn, S, Br, and Cl. The first end-member appears to be reasonably well represented by rocks of the Wishstone Class, while the second end-member is consistent with a chemical component, not represented by any lithology encountered by Spirit. The Watchtower Class appears to be an intermediate in the mixture. The concentration of the redox sensitive elements Fe and Mn display no systematic variation between rock classes, and the Fe-…
Overview of the Spirit Mars Exploration Rover Mission to Gusev Crater: Landing site to Backstay Rock in the Columbia Hills
2006
Spirit landed on the floor of Gusev Crater and conducted initial operations on soil covered, rock-strewn cratered plains underlain by olivine-bearing basalts. Plains surface rocks are covered by wind-blown dust and show evidence for surface enrichment of soluble species as vein and void-filling materials and coatings. The surface enrichment is the result of a minor amount of transport and deposition by aqueous processes. Layered granular deposits were discovered in the Columbia Hills, with outcrops that tend to dip conformably with the topography. The granular rocks are interpreted to be volcanic ash and/or impact ejecta deposits that have been modified by aqueous fluids during and/or after…
Geochemical properties of rocks and soils in Gusev Crater, Mars: Results of the Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer from Cumberland Ridge to Home Plate
2008
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…
An analysis of VLF electric field spectra measured in Titan's atmosphere by the Huygens probe
2009
[1] A numerical simulation of Titan's electromagnetic cavity in the VLF band is carried out using the Transmission Line Matrix (TLM) method, with the aim of assessing the VLF electric field spectra sent by the Huygens probe. In an Earth-like model, successive peaks would be expected in the spectra, associated with multiple reflections of the electromagnetic wave on the external surfaces of Titan's electromagnetic cavity, formed by the ionosphere and a conductive ground or underground surface. However, owing to high losses conferred by the electrical conductivity to Titan's atmosphere, the direct numerical and experimental spectra are decreasing functions of the frequency without resonances …
Crustal dynamics of Mount Vesuvius from 1998 to 2005: Effects on seismicity and fluid circulation
2008
[1] This paper presents the results of hydrogeochemical and seismological studies carried out at Mount Vesuvius during the period June 1998 to December 2005. Hydrogeochemical data show the occurrence of slowly varying long-term variations in the total dissolved salts and bicarbonate contents of the groundwaters, accompanied by a general decline in water temperatures. The temporal distributions of air temperature and rainfall in the Vesuvius area suggest that these variations do not depend on changes in the hydrological regime. The changes in the geochemical parameters are accompanied by slight variations in both the seismicity rate and energy release. A further relationship between seismic …
Mineralogy of volcanic rocks in Gusev Crater, Mars: Reconciling Mössbauer, Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer, and Miniature Thermal Emission Spectrom…
2008
Complete sets of mineral abundances for relatively unaltered volcanic or volcaniclastic rocks in Gusev Crater have been determined by modeling Mössbauer subspectral areas as mineral weight percentages, and combining those percentages with the proportions of iron-free minerals not detected by Mössbauer (normative plagioclase, apatite, and chromite, as calculated from Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS) chemical analyses). Comparisons of synthetic thermal emission spectra calculated for these mineral modes with measured Miniature Thermal Emission Spectrometer (Mini-TES) spectra for the same rock classes show either good agreements or discrepancies that we attribute to sodic pla…
ZERODUR based optical systems for quantum gas experiments in space
2019
Abstract Numerous quantum technologies make use of a microgravity environment e.g. in space. Operating in this extreme environment makes high demands on the experiment and especially the laser system regarding miniaturization and power consumption as well as mechanical and thermal stability. In our systems, optical modules consisting of ZERODUR® based optical benches with free-space optics are combined with fiber components. Suitability of the technology has been demonstrated in the successful sounding rocket missions FOKUS, KALEXUS and MAIUS-1. Here, we report on our toolkit for stable optical benches including mounts, fixed and adjustable mirrors as well as polarization maintaining fiber …