Publication Date:
2013-09-28
Description:
Samples from the Rocknest aeolian deposit were heated to ~835 degrees C under helium flow and evolved gases analyzed by Curiosity's Sample Analysis at Mars instrument suite. H2O, SO2, CO2, and O2 were the major gases released. Water abundance (1.5 to 3 weight percent) and release temperature suggest that H2O is bound within an amorphous component of the sample. Decomposition of fine-grained Fe or Mg carbonate is the likely source of much of the evolved CO2. Evolved O2 is coincident with the release of Cl, suggesting that oxygen is produced from thermal decomposition of an oxychloride compound. Elevated deltaD values are consistent with recent atmospheric exchange. Carbon isotopes indicate multiple carbon sources in the fines. Several simple organic compounds were detected, but they are not definitively martian in origin.〈br /〉〈span class="detail_caption"〉Notes: 〈/span〉Leshin, L A -- Mahaffy, P R -- Webster, C R -- Cabane, M -- Coll, P -- Conrad, P G -- Archer, P D Jr -- Atreya, S K -- Brunner, A E -- Buch, A -- Eigenbrode, J L -- Flesch, G J -- Franz, H B -- Freissinet, C -- Glavin, D P -- McAdam, A C -- Miller, K E -- Ming, D W -- Morris, R V -- Navarro-Gonzalez, R -- Niles, P B -- Owen, T -- Pepin, R O -- Squyres, S -- Steele, A -- Stern, J C -- Summons, R E -- Sumner, D Y -- Sutter, B -- Szopa, C -- Teinturier, S -- Trainer, M G -- Wray, J J -- Grotzinger, J P -- MSL Science Team -- New York, N.Y. -- Science. 2013 Sep 27;341(6153):1238937. doi: 10.1126/science.1238937.〈br /〉〈span class="detail_caption"〉Author address: 〈/span〉Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences and School of Science, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY 12180, USA. leshin@rpi.edu〈br /〉〈span class="detail_caption"〉Record origin:〈/span〉 〈a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24072926" target="_blank"〉PubMed〈/a〉
Print ISSN:
0036-8075
Electronic ISSN:
1095-9203
Topics:
Biology
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Chemistry and Pharmacology
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Computer Science
,
Medicine
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Natural Sciences in General
,
Physics
