Other
Scientific paper
Dec 2005
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2005agufm.p12a..02r&link_type=abstract
American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2005, abstract #P12A-02
Other
5464 Remote Sensing, 5470 Surface Materials And Properties, 5494 Instruments And Techniques, 6225 Mars
Scientific paper
After nearly 400 sols, the Spirit rover has completed its ~82 m ascent of Husband Hill, the highest of the 7 named Columbia Hills in Gusev Crater. The Miniature Thermal Emission Spectrometer (Mini-TES) onboard Spirit measures the terrain in 167 channels from ~2000 to 340 cm-1 (~5 to 29 microns). Spectra of rocks encountered along the traverse from the West Spur to the summit of Husband Hill have revealed a remarkable diversity of rock types that was notably absent on the adjacent plains. At least 8 distinct spectral classes have been observed, each representing multiple rocks or outcrops comprising 3 clastic rock types, 3 kinds of basalt, and 2 from a possible impact melt/breccia. Additional unique spectra from single rocks or outcrops have been observed. While spectral contributions from dust in the atmosphere and accumulated dust on the Mini-TES pointing mirror have in some cases hampered efforts to fully analyze the spectra, these issues are being addressed and a generalized picture has emerged for the mineralogy of the portions of the Columbia Hills encountered by the rover. The West Spur is dominated by clastic rocks known as Clovis Class in which basalt glass appears to be the dominant component with significant contributions from sulfates, lesser goethite, and possible secondary silicates indicating some amount of aqueous alteration. Immediately upon exiting the West Spur and arriving on the lower flank of Husband Hill, Mini-TES spectra revealed a completely different mineralogy for the float rocks that we now recognize as the dominant lithology all the way up to the summit. Known as Wishstone Class, these clastic rocks have up to 50% plagioclase content of intermediate composition and less obvious indications of alteration. A third clastic rock type called Watchtower Class was observed only in two adjacent outcrops along the Cumberland Ridge. Although we have not yet completed a full deconvolution analysis of this spectral class, it is clear that primary igneous minerals are not dominant. Fifteen float rocks have been observed with the spectral character of plains basalt (Adirondack Class) scattered across the flank of Husband Hill. Nine of a second basalt type known as Backstay Class have been observed starting roughly midway up the hill. A third type of basalt called Cherry Bomb Class has now been observed in two distinct locations: an isolated float rock on the north side of Husband Hill and on the south side in a linear arrangement of float rocks that may be an eroded dike although other possibilities are being investigated.
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