Mathematics – Logic
Scientific paper
Dec 2010
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2010agufm.p54a..08h&link_type=abstract
American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2010, abstract #P54A-08
Mathematics
Logic
[5410] Planetary Sciences: Solid Surface Planets / Composition, [5415] Planetary Sciences: Solid Surface Planets / Erosion And Weathering
Scientific paper
Phyllosilicates were first identified on Mars by the OMEGA spectrometer on Mars Express and found to be widespread in ancient terrains by the CRISM spectrometer on Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. They are indicators of water in the environment, which is important for understanding martian climate. But the quantitative abundance of phyllosilicates, such as smectites has not been well established. Here we report an area (17~19S, 299-301E) with high concentration (>10%wt) of smectites at Thaumasia Planum using data from the Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES) on Mars Global Surveyor. This region is relatively dust free on the surface and has an ancient volcano with extensive flow features, a rampart crater, and an isolated highland with several fractures. First we applied TES 465 and 530 indexes, which are sensitive to features in dioctahedral smectite clays to locate candidate smectite-bearing materials. Then we performed a decorrelation stretch on a Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) image to see the variation of mineralogy. After that, we picked up the same orbit TES data points within the relatively spectrally homogeneous area, and got the quantitative mineralogy using a previously developed deconvolution method. The highest concentration appears at the southwest ejecta of the rampart crater. Based on the ejecta of the rampart crater superposed on the slope of the volcano, the smectite clay minerals are interpreted as the reaction of water and volcanic material in a relatively alkaline environment. However the CRISM data here does not show a consistent result using the index for detecting hydrated minerals. Future work will focus on the detailed mineralogy of different geological units in this region, and their relationship.
Christensen Per Rex
Edwards Christopher S.
Huang Jianwei
Ruff Steven W.
Xiao Lu
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