Mathematics – Logic
Scientific paper
Dec 2002
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2002agufm.u61b..03b&link_type=abstract
American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2002, abstract #U61B-03
Mathematics
Logic
5455 Origin And Evolution, 5464 Remote Sensing, 5470 Surface Materials And Properties
Scientific paper
The Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES), currently in orbit at Mars, has identified concentrations of bulk, gray hematite (interpreted as an aqueous mineral) at several sites including Sinus Meridiani and Aram Chaos. The hematite sites are associated with regions exhibiting low albedo and are proposed to be aqueous chemical precipitates. Among the terrestrial analogs for this type of precipitation are banded iron formation laid down between 1.9 and 3.1 Ga. Terrestrial banded iron formations stem from the time of the rise of photosynthetic life on Earth, and some deposits are inferred to be biologically controlled precipitates. The occurrence on Mars of similar mineral precipitates suggests a record of the past action of liquid water on that planet. Alternate interpretations for the bulk hematite include compaction metamorphism of the ubiquitous fine- grained red hematite or deposits associated with volcanic ash or tuffs. The interpretation of these areas as aqueous in origin can be confirmed spectrally by the broad absorption at 3μm, which is associated with water of hydration. The infrared spectrometer (IRS) flown on both the Mariner 6 and 7 spacecraft contain wavelength channels that include this spectral region. Previous analysis of the IRS data suggested a small number of spectra had a stronger hydration feature than surrounding terrains. The bulk hematite discovery by TES motivated a more comprehensive study of all IRS spectra in the spatial regions of overlap between the two data sets. Spectra collected over Sinus Meridiani and Aram Chaos show a marked correlation of low albedo and high 3μm band depth that coincides with the locations where hematite has been mapped. This supports the aqueous mode of hematite formation and as hematite itself is not hydrated, suggests the presence of other hydrous mineral phases in these areas. We will present maps of the hematite/hydration correlation and discuss implications for the remote detection of relict habitable zones on Mars.
Baldridge Alice M.
Calvin Wendy M.
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