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Isotopic Composition of Carbon Dioxide Released from Confidence Hills Sediment as Measured by the Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) Quadrupole Mass SpectrometerIn October 2014, the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) "Curiosity" rover drilled into the sediment at the base of Mount Sharp in a location namsed Cionfidence Hills (CH). CH marked the fifth sample pocessed by the Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument suite since Curiosity arrived in Gale Crater, with previous analyses performed at Rocknest (RN), John Klein (JK), Cumberland (CB), and Windjana (WJ). Evolved gas analysis (EGA) of all samples has indicated H2O as well as O-, C- and S-bearing phases in the samples, often at abundances that would be below the detection limit of the CheMin instrument. By examining the temperatures at which gases are evolved from samples, SAM EGA data can help provide clues to the mineralogy of volatile-bearing phases when their identities are unclear to CheMin. SAM may also detect gases evolved from amorphous material in solid samples, which is not suitable for analysis by CheMin. Finally, the isotopic composition of these gases may suggest possible formation scenarios and relationships between phases. We will discuss C isotope ratios of CO2 evolved from the CH sample as measured with SAM's quadrupole mass spectrometer (QMS) and draw comparisons to samples previously analyzed by SAM.
Document ID
20150001958
Acquisition Source
Johnson Space Center
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Franz, H. B. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Mahaffy, P. R. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Stern, J. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Archer, P., Jr. (NASA Johnson Space Center Houston, TX, United States)
Conrad, P. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Eigenbrode, J. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Freissinet, C. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Glavin, D. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Grotzinger, J. P. (California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Jones, J. (NASA Johnson Space Center Houston, TX, United States)
Ming, D. (NASA Johnson Space Center Houston, TX, United States)
McAdam, A. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Morris, R. (NASA Johnson Space Center Houston, TX, United States)
Navarro-Gozalez, R. (Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico Mexico City, Mexico)
Owen, T. (Hawaii Univ. Honolulu, HI, United States)
Steele, A. (Carnegie Institution of Washington Washington, DC, United States)
Summons, R. (Massachusetts Inst. of Tech. Cambridge, MA, United States)
Sutter, B. (NASA Johnson Space Center Houston, TX, United States)
Webster, C. R. (Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Date Acquired
February 23, 2015
Publication Date
March 16, 2015
Subject Category
Geophysics
Report/Patent Number
JSC-CN-32850
Meeting Information
Meeting: Lunar and Planetary Science Conference
Location: The Woodlands, TX
Country: United States
Start Date: March 16, 2015
End Date: March 20, 2015
Sponsors: Lunar and Planetary Inst.
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Public Use Permitted.

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