Other
Scientific paper
Jan 2011
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2011psrd.repte.153m&link_type=abstract
Planetary Science Research Discoveries
Other
Mars, Soil, Minites, Apxs, Mossbauer, Gusev, Meridiani, Ingeous, Alteration, Mineral, Mineralogy
Scientific paper
Using traditional geochemical calculations with in situ Martian cosmochemical data researchers Harry (Hap) McSween Jr. and Ian McGlynn (University of Tennessee) and Deanne Rogers (SUNY at Stony Brook) have developed a method for identifying the major and minor minerals in soils at the Mars Exploration Rovers (MER) landing sites. The team used information from the MER Athena instrument package operating on Mars since January, 2004. They created two models using MiniTES spectra, Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) data, and Mossbauer spectrometer data to calculate the mineralogy of average dark soils on the Gusev crater plains and on Meridiani Planum, located on opposite sides of Mars. Soils at both locations are similarly composed of minerals derived from the comminution of basalts (about three quarters by weight) and other minerals derived from rocks altered by chemical weathering (about one quarter by weight). This mixture of possibly unrelated materials (primary and altered) might mean that the alteration of soil did not occur in place and that the basaltic and alteration suites of minerals came from different sources. The nearly identical modal mineralogy at two widely-separated locations on the planet supports a previous hypothesis based on comparable chemical compositions that soils have been homogenized, if not globally then at least over large areas of the Martian surface. Yet, global maps of orbital remote sensing data have not shown surface abundances of alteration minerals as high as those in the Martian soils.
No associations
LandOfFree
Mineral Abundances in Martian Soils does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.
If you have personal experience with Mineral Abundances in Martian Soils, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Mineral Abundances in Martian Soils will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-1609601