Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/1893/17131
Appears in Collections:Biological and Environmental Sciences Journal Articles
Peer Review Status: Refereed
Title: Mineralogy and chemistry of cobbles at Meridiani Planum, Mars, investigated by the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity
Author(s): Fleischer, Iris
Brueckner, Johannes
Schröder, Christian
Farrand, William H
Treguier, Erwan
Morris, Richard Van
Klingelhoefer, Goestar
Herkenhoff, Kenneth E
Mittlefehldt, David W
Ashley, James W
Golombek, Matthew
Johnson, Jeffrey R
Jolliff, Bradley L
Squyres, Steven W
Weitz, Catherine
Gellert, Ralf
de Souza Jr, Paulo A
Cohen, Barbara A
Contact Email: christian.schroeder@stir.ac.uk
Keywords: Mars Exploration Rover
Meridiani Planum
cobbles
Issue Date: Jul-2010
Date Deposited: 25-Oct-2013
Citation: Fleischer I, Brueckner J, Schröder C, Farrand WH, Treguier E, Morris RV, Klingelhoefer G, Herkenhoff KE, Mittlefehldt DW, Ashley JW, Golombek M, Johnson JR, Jolliff BL, Squyres SW, Weitz C, Gellert R, de Souza Jr PA & Cohen BA (2010) Mineralogy and chemistry of cobbles at Meridiani Planum, Mars, investigated by the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity. Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, 115 (E7), Art. No.: E00F05. https://doi.org/10.1029/2010JE003621
Abstract: Numerous loose rocks with dimensions of a few centimeters to tens of centimeters and with no obvious physical relationship to outcrop rocks have been observed along the traverse of the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity. To date, about a dozen of these rocks have been analyzed with Opportunity’s contact instruments, providing information about elemental chemistry (Alpha Particle X‐ray Spectrometer), iron mineralogy and oxidation states (Mössbauer Spectrometer) and texture (Microscopic Imager). These “cobbles” appear to be impact related, and three distinct groups can be identified on the basis of chemistry and mineralogy. The first group comprises bright fragments of the sulfate‐rich bedrock that are compositionally and texturally indistinguishable from outcrop rocks. All other cobbles are dark and are divided into two groups, referred to as the “Barberton group” and the “Arkansas group,” after the first specimen of each that was encountered by Opportunity. Barberton group cobbles are interpreted as meteorites with an overall chemistry and mineralogy consistent with a mesosiderite silicate clast composition. Arkansas group cobbles appear to be related to Meridiani outcrop and contain an additional basaltic component. They have brecciated textures, pointing to an impact‐related origin during which local bedrock and basaltic material were mixed.
DOI Link: 10.1029/2010JE003621
Rights: Copyright 2010 by the American Geophysical Union. AGU allows authors to deposit their journal articles if the version is the final published citable version of record, the AGU copyright statement is clearly visible on the posting, and the posting is made 6 months after official publication by the AGU.

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