Physics
Scientific paper
Mar 1996
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1996lpi....27..583i&link_type=abstract
Lunar and Planetary Science, volume 27, page 583
Physics
1
Desert Varnish, Laser Raman Spectroscopy, Mars: Surface Mineralogy
Scientific paper
With the upcoming Surveyor missions to Mars, including the Sojourner rover scheduled to be launched in December, 1996, and plans for future lander and rover missions, there will be many opportunities for in-situ study of martian rocks. There is evidence from Earth-based reflectance spectra for the presence of amorphous gel-like coatings, rich in Fe3+, on martian surface materials. Additional evidence for the presence of coatings is seen in Viking Lander images, which show specular reflections due to forward scattering from boulders. Given the presence of rock coatings, the question is, will it be necessary to break rocks open or drill into them in order to analyze underlying materials, or will it be possible to use spectroscopic techniques to see beneath the coatings? To test the idea that spectroscopy can be used to infer the mineralogy of coatings and underlying materials, we are analyzing a varnished basalt from the arid environment of Lunar Crater Volcanic Field, Nevada with a laser Raman spectrometer.
Arvidson Ray E.
Israel Elisa J.
Jolliff Brad L.
Wang Anzhong
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