Physics
Scientific paper
Dec 2005
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2005agufm.p11e..04a&link_type=abstract
American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2005, abstract #P11E-04
Physics
5400 Planetary Sciences: Solid Surface Planets, 5470 Surface Materials And Properties
Scientific paper
Spirit traversed from the basaltic plains to the West Spur of the Columbia Hills on the ~157th sol after landing. On sol 581 the rover reached the summit of Husband Hill, located ~1.2 km from the entry to the West Spur and ~80 m above the plains. On the way to the summit the rover conducted detailed measurements on numerous rock targets, including outcrops tilted to the northwest and exposed along the Cumberland Ridge, and rocks exposed along the western flank of Husband Hill. Several soil targets were examined in detail, most notably Paso Robles, a bright, sulfur rich deposit exposed by rover wheel motions. The rocks are largely granular in nature and range from breccias, finely laminated deposits, to cryptocrystalline materials. Six rock classes are identified: Clovis (soil-like composition with hematite and goethite), Wishstone and Watchtower (enriched in phosphorus, titanium, and aluminum relative to plains basalts), Peace (basaltic sand cemented by sulfate minerals), Backstay (basalt enriched in sodium and potassium relative to plains basalts), and Independence (fine-grained rock enriched in silicon relative to plains basalts and may contain phyllosilicate phases). With the exception of Paso Robles, the soils are basaltic materials similar in composition, mineralogy, and textural characteristics to plains soils. Soils are interpreted to be largely of aeolian origin and well-mixed over the length scales traversed by the rover. The rock outcrop, Voltaire, is a breccia deposit with clasts of Wishstone materials within a fine-grained matrix with a soil-like composition. Some clasts were rounded by surface processes before emplacement in the breccia. The Columbia Hills rock data indicate significant alteration by water relative to the younger plains basalts. The emplacement of the West Spur and Husband Hill rocks is interpreted to be due to a combination of impact and volcanic events, with varying degrees of aqueous alteration. The range of rock textures and minerals suggests that the Hills materials accumulated and were modified over an extended period and by a number of distinct events (including aqueous processes) prior to the emplacement of the relatively young plains basalts and associated cold and relatively dry environment.
Arvidson Ray E.
Squyres Steve W.
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