Mineralogy and Geochemistry at the Meridiani Landing Site, Mars

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3672 Planetary Mineralogy And Petrology (5410), 5410 Composition, 5464 Remote Sensing, 5470 Surface Materials And Properties, 6225 Mars

Scientific paper

The Mars Exploration Rover (MER) Opportunity landed in Meridiani Planum on January 24, 2004 (PST). The scientific rationale for selecting this landing site (1.95 S, 354.47 E) centered on the discovery by the orbiting Thermal Emission Spectrometer of 10-20% grey crystalline hematite in association with basaltic rocks in this region. Formation of hematite requires either precipitation in iron-rich waters or thermal oxidation of iron-bearing volcanic rocks. Each MER rover carries instruments well suited for in situ and remote analyses of iron-rich materials. The mast-mounted visible/near-infrared multispectral Pancam system and thermal infrared Mini-TES spectrometer in combination with the arm-mounted alpha particle x-ray spectrometer (APXS), Moessbauer spectrometer (MB), Microscopic Imager (MI), and Rock Abrasion Tool (RAT) deliver complementary detailed information on the morphology, mineralogy and composition of the materials at this site. The exposure of relatively high albedo bedrock materials on the western crater rim and low albedo soils in the crater have been the main focus during the first 25 sols of rover operations. Results thus far include: (1) Subtle variability in the ferric and ferrous absorption features observed by Pancam in the soil and bedrock, consistent with poorly crystalline iron phases; (2) Confirmation by Mini-TES of gray hematite-rich soils, with hematite-free soils consistent with basalt; (3) Discovery of small (1-5 mm) grayish spherules embedded in and weathering from the bedrock, with as yet undetermined composition; (4) Moessbauer spectra consistent with olivine and a weak magnetic phase in the soils; (5) APXS soil data consistent with a basaltic composition and with S and Cl levels similar to other landing sites. Among current hypotheses for the bedrock formation, some involve fine-grained basaltic sediments as starting materials that underwent either (a) cementation by minerals and growth of spherical concretions; (b) alteration by acidic hydrothermal solutions; or (c) evaporative mineral precipitation followed by subsequent reworking of sediments by aqueous activity. Alternative hypotheses include impact ejecta deposits and/or hydrovolcanic deposition forming lapilli subjected to hydrothermal alteration.

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