Mathematics – Logic
Scientific paper
Dec 2006
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2006agufm.p44a..04r&link_type=abstract
American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2006, abstract #P44A-04
Mathematics
Logic
5410 Composition (1060, 3672), 5464 Remote Sensing, 5494 Instruments And Techniques, 6225 Mars
Scientific paper
On its traverse from Husband Hill to the light-toned, mesa-like feature known as Home Plate, the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit continued to discover a diversity of rock types that is best manifested by observations from the Miniature Thermal Emission Spectrometer (Mini-TES; ~2000-350 cm-1. The various classes of rocks encountered by the rover on its earlier traverse of Husband Hill were nowhere in evidence along the southward route to Home Plate. Although <15 rocks were measured by Mini-TES over the ~500 m distance because of diminished power and the need to arrive at Home Plate before the onset of winter, none displayed the same spectral characteristics of any of the rocks encountered previously. Instead, 2-3 new spectral classes were observed. Among these float rocks are examples of a vesicular basalt that later would be observed as the dominant rock type on Low Ridge, the winter home for Spirit on the southeastern edge of Home Plate. The extensive, layered outcrop of Home Plate is yet another distinctive spectral unit and like the layered outcrop of the West Spur of Husband Hill, also is dominated by basaltic-glass-like phases. In this case however, there appears to be a significant pigeonite component (~15%). The light tone of the ~90 m, roughly circular Home Plate that makes it stand out in orbital images appears to result from a coating of dust rather than any distinctive attribute of the rock. Its upper surface is littered with dark-toned float rocks, some of which are the same as the bulk of the outcrop and others are spectrally and texturally comparable to the vesicular rocks encountered along the traverse and on Low Ridge. But even here, two other distinctive spectral classes were observed. During the rover's extended stay at Low Ridge, 10s of rocks have been measured by Mini-TES. Among these are two that display the same spectral features of the Fe-Ni meteorite discovered by the Opportunity rover at Meridiani Planum. The presence of these two putative meteorites serve as a reminder that at least some of the diversity encountered by Spirit may be the result of rocks lofted into place by impact processes. But the rocks that clearly are locally derived attest to a range of geologic processes that contributed to the formation of the Columbia Hills.
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