Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/1893/17159
Appears in Collections:Biological and Environmental Sciences Journal Articles
Peer Review Status: Refereed
Title: Mössbauer mineralogy of rock, soil, and dust at Gusev crater, Mars: Spirit's journey through weakly altered olivine basalt on the plains and pervasively altered basalt in the Columbia Hills
Author(s): Morris, Richard Van
Klingelhoefer, Goestar
Schröder, Christian
Rodionov, Daniel S
Yen, Albert S
Ming, Douglas Wayne
de Souza Jr, Paulo A
Fleischer, Iris
Wdowiak, Thomas J
Gellert, Ralf
Bernhardt, Bodo
Evlanov, E N
Zubkov, B V
Foh, J
Bonnes, U
Contact Email: christian.schroeder@stir.ac.uk
Keywords: Mars
Mars Exploration Rovers
Mössbauer spectroscopy
weathering
Issue Date: 22-Feb-2006
Date Deposited: 28-Oct-2013
Citation: Morris RV, Klingelhoefer G, Schröder C, Rodionov DS, Yen AS, Ming DW, de Souza Jr PA, Fleischer I, Wdowiak TJ, Gellert R, Bernhardt B, Evlanov EN, Zubkov BV, Foh J & Bonnes U (2006) Mössbauer mineralogy of rock, soil, and dust at Gusev crater, Mars: Spirit's journey through weakly altered olivine basalt on the plains and pervasively altered basalt in the Columbia Hills. Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, 111 (E2), Art. No.: E02S13. https://doi.org/10.1029/2005JE002584
Abstract: The Mössbauer spectrometer on Spirit measured the oxidation state of Fe, identified Fe-bearing phases, and measured relative abundances of Fe among those phases for surface materials on the plains and in the Columbia Hills of Gusev crater. Eight Fe-bearing phases were identified: olivine, pyroxene, ilmenite, magnetite, nanophase ferric oxide (npOx), hematite, goethite, and a Fe3+-sulfate. Adirondack basaltic rocks on the plains are nearly unaltered (Fe3+/FeT < 0.2) with Fe from olivine, pyroxene (Ol > Px), and minor npOx and magnetite. Columbia Hills basaltic rocks are nearly unaltered (Peace and Backstay), moderately altered (WoolyPatch, Wishstone, and Keystone), and pervasively altered (e.g., Clovis, Uchben, Watchtower, Keel, and Paros with Fe3+/FeT ~ 0.6–0.9). Fe from pyroxene is greater than Fe from olivine (Ol sometimes absent), and Fe2+ from Ol + Px is 40–49% and 9–24% for moderately and pervasively altered materials, respectively. Ilmenite (Fe from Ilm 3–6%) is present in Backstay, Wishstone, Keystone, and related rocks along with magnetite (Fe from Mt 10–15%). Remaining Fe is present as npOx, hematite, and goethite in variable proportions. Clovis has the highest goethite content (Fe from Gt = 40%). Goethite (α-FeOOH) is mineralogical evidence for aqueous processes because it has structural hydroxide and is formed under aqueous conditions. Relatively unaltered basaltic soils (Fe3+/FeT ~ 0.3) occur throughout Gusev crater (60–80% Fe from Ol + Px, 10–30% from npOx, and 10% from Mt). PasoRobles soil in the Columbia Hills has a unique occurrence of high concentrations of Fe3+-sulfate (65% of Fe). Magnetite is identified as a strongly magnetic phase in Martian soil and dust.
DOI Link: 10.1029/2005JE002584
Rights: Copyright 2006 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.
Notes: Additional co-authors: E Kankeleit, P Gütlich, F Renz, SW Squyres, RE Arvidson

Files in This Item:
File Description SizeFormat 
MorrisJGR_02_06.pdfFulltext - Published Version14.1 MBAdobe PDFView/Open



This item is protected by original copyright



Items in the Repository are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.

The metadata of the records in the Repository are available under the CC0 public domain dedication: No Rights Reserved https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

If you believe that any material held in STORRE infringes copyright, please contact library@stir.ac.uk providing details and we will remove the Work from public display in STORRE and investigate your claim.