Other
Scientific paper
Sep 2009
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2009dps....41.5707b&link_type=abstract
American Astronomical Society, DPS meeting #41, #57.07
Other
Scientific paper
Martian rocks frequently exhibit relatively high albedo ferrous iron-rich coatings that are the product of local alteration. These coatings are not simply the result of atmospheric dust landing on rocks. For instance, the Spirit rover studied the coated rock Mazatzal and found that the coating had elevated sulfur and chlorine when compared to local soils (Gellert et al, 2004, Science, 305, 829-832). The process (or processes) that forms coatings on Mars is unknown in detail but is thought to involve small amounts of liquid water at the soil / rock interface. Coating formation could be a product of either current environmental conditions or could be tied to past climates. Coatings may have formed on rocks in the surface or in the subsurface. Once formed, the preservation of these coating is dependent on the aeolian environment, which can abrade the coated rock. The relationship between underlying rock chemistry and coating chemistry is also unknown. Finally the distribution of rock coatings at a given location is highly variable. Rocks with and without coatings can be next to each other. Similarly a single rock may only be partially coated.
Data will be used from the Phoenix landing site, a high latitude site rich in ground-ice; Gusev Crater a region of mixed volcanic plains, altered igneous rocks, and pyroclastic deposits; and Meridiani Plannum a sedimentary deposit to probe the formation mechanisms, age, and potential climate implications rock coatings. Spectral and geomorphic data, supported by chemical data when available, will be used to determine differences and similarities between the coatings at the different sites. The abundance of coated rocks will be compared to non-coated rocks and the relationship with composition, shape, size and aeolian environment explored.
This work was carried out at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under contract to NASA.
Athena Science Team
Blaney Diana L.
Phoenix Science Team
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