Chemistry of the Martian Soils and Rocks at the Pathfinder Landing Site as Determined by the APXS.

Details Chemistry of the Martian Soils and Rocks at the Pathfinder Landing Site as Determined by the APXS. Chemistry of the Martian Soils and Rocks at the Pathfinder Landing Site as Determined by the APXS.

Dec 2003

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2003agufm.p12c..06f&link_type=abstract

American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2003, abstract #P12C-06

Physics

1020 Composition Of The Crust, 1060 Planetary Geochemistry (5405, 5410, 5704, 5709, 6005, 6008), 3655 Major Element Composition, 5464 Remote Sensing, 6225 Mars

Scientific paper

The chemical compositions of Martian rocks and soils examined with the Alpha Proton X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) during the Mars Pathfinder 1997 lander mission were not previously fully determined. Preliminary chemical results included major element abundances determined by the incomplete calibration of the X-ray mode. The data collected from the alpha and proton detectors were not previously analyzed due to significant atmospheric contributions to the spectra. The back-up instrument of the Pathfinder Alpha Proton X-ray Spectrometer flight instrument has been used to complete the instrument calibration under simulated Martian conditions at the University of Chicago. The calibrated Pathfinder APXS instrument is capable of measuring concentrations of all major and minor rock-forming elements ranging from carbon through zirconium in atomic number. Therefore, it is capable of constraining the petrology of the measured samples. Final Pathfinder soil and rock sample abundances from the alpha, proton, and X-ray modes have been quantified. The abundances suggest that: 1.) the rocks are covered with various amounts of soil; 2.) the soil-free rocks, on a volatile-free basis, have some element ratios similar to Mars meteorites, yet have different bulk chemistry indicative of more evolved rocks with higher silica abundances; 3.) the carbon and nitrogen contents are below detection limits; and 4.) the alpha mode oxygen reveals excess amounts of oxygen in some samples which is indicative of sample-bound water (contained within minerals or glasses in samples). The presence of some water, up to 4 wt%, in some Pathfinder rocks implies that they may have been altered by some non-igneous process.

Affiliated with

Also associated with

No associations

Rating

Chemistry of the Martian Soils and Rocks at the Pathfinder Landing Site as Determined by the APXS. 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 Chemistry of the Martian Soils and Rocks at the Pathfinder Landing Site as Determined by the APXS., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Chemistry of the Martian Soils and Rocks at the Pathfinder Landing Site as Determined by the APXS. will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-1425045