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Hematite on the Surface of Meridiani Planum and Gusev CraterMeridiani Planum was selected as a landing side for the Rover Opportunity because of an indication of hematite observed from orbit. Meridiani Planum consists of sorted sands with aeolian features like ripples and desert pavements. In impact craters, a high-albedo layered bedrock is exposed. The soil is a mixture of: (i) fine sand material in the size ranges of 50 to 150 m, (ii) sub-angular, irregular particles of 0.5 to 5 mm size with submillimeter circular voids that are most likely vesicular basaltic fragments, and (iii) spherules with a restricted grain size between 4 and 6 mm. The Mini-TES on board the rover Opportunity identified a hematite signature at distance resulting from mm-sized spherules as determined by the Moussbauer Spectrometer. Small quantities of similar spherules (2 vol. %) were found in rock exposures in Eagle crater and were interpreted as concretions that formed by precipitation from aqueous fluids inside sedimentary rocks. At Gusev crater no hematite was observed until sol 90 except for layering on a rock. Our investigations of hematite bearing materials, measured by the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS), Moussbauer Spectrometer (MB), and Microscopic Imager (MI), provide a more integrated view of different occurrences of hematite on the martian surface. Chemistry of soils and rocks: Chemical compositions
Document ID
20050167036
Acquisition Source
Headquarters
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Brueckner, J. (Max-Planck-Inst. fuer Chemie Mainz, Germany)
Dreibus, G. (Max-Planck-Inst. fuer Chemie Mainz, Germany)
Jagoutz, E. (Max-Planck-Inst. fuer Chemie Mainz, Germany)
Gellert, R. (Max-Planck-Inst. fuer Chemie Mainz, Germany)
Lugmair, G. (Max-Planck-Inst. fuer Chemie Mainz, Germany)
Rieder, R. (Max-Planck-Inst. fuer Chemie Mainz, Germany)
Waenke, H. (Max-Planck-Inst. fuer Chemie Mainz, Germany)
Zipfel, J. (Max-Planck-Inst. fuer Chemie Mainz, Germany)
Klingelhoefer, G. (Mainz Univ. Germany)
Clark, B. C. (Lockheed Martin Corp. Littleton, CO, United States)
Date Acquired
September 7, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 2005
Publication Information
Publication: Lunar and Planetary Science XXXVI, Part 2
Subject Category
Lunar And Planetary Science And Exploration
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Public Use Permitted.

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IDRelationTitle20050166923Collected WorksLunar and Planetary Science XXXVI, Part 2
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