Minerals (Jul 2024)
Expanded Insights into Martian Mineralogy: Updated Analysis of Gale Crater’s Mineral Composition via CheMin Crystal Chemical Investigations
- Shaunna M. Morrison,
- David F. Blake,
- Thomas F. Bristow,
- Nicholas Castle,
- Steve J. Chipera,
- Patricia I. Craig,
- Robert T. Downs,
- Ahmed Eleish,
- Robert M. Hazen,
- Johannes M. Meusburger,
- Douglas W. Ming,
- Richard V. Morris,
- Aditi Pandey,
- Anirudh Prabhu,
- Elizabeth B. Rampe,
- Philippe C. Sarrazin,
- Sarah L. Simpson,
- Michael T. Thorpe,
- Allan H. Treiman,
- Valerie Tu,
- Benjamin M. Tutolo,
- David T. Vaniman,
- Ashwin R. Vasavada,
- Albert S. Yen
Affiliations
- Shaunna M. Morrison
- Earth and Planets Laboratory, Carnegie Institution for Science, Washington, DC 20015, USA
- David F. Blake
- NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA
- Thomas F. Bristow
- NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA
- Nicholas Castle
- Planetary Science Institute, Tucson, AZ 85719, USA
- Steve J. Chipera
- Planetary Science Institute, Tucson, AZ 85719, USA
- Patricia I. Craig
- Planetary Science Institute, Tucson, AZ 85719, USA
- Robert T. Downs
- Department of Geosciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
- Ahmed Eleish
- Earth and Planets Laboratory, Carnegie Institution for Science, Washington, DC 20015, USA
- Robert M. Hazen
- Earth and Planets Laboratory, Carnegie Institution for Science, Washington, DC 20015, USA
- Johannes M. Meusburger
- NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA
- Douglas W. Ming
- NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX 77058, USA
- Richard V. Morris
- NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX 77058, USA
- Aditi Pandey
- NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX 77058, USA
- Anirudh Prabhu
- Earth and Planets Laboratory, Carnegie Institution for Science, Washington, DC 20015, USA
- Elizabeth B. Rampe
- NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX 77058, USA
- Philippe C. Sarrazin
- eXaminArt, Mountain View, CA 94035, USA
- Sarah L. Simpson
- NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX 77058, USA
- Michael T. Thorpe
- Astronomy Department, Space Flight Center, CRESST II, University of Maryland, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
- Allan H. Treiman
- Lunar and Planetary Institute, Universities Space Research Association, Houston, TX 77058, USA
- Valerie Tu
- Jacobs JETSII at NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX 77058, USA
- Benjamin M. Tutolo
- Department of Earth, Energy, and Environment, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada
- David T. Vaniman
- Planetary Science Institute, Tucson, AZ 85719, USA
- Ashwin R. Vasavada
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA 91011, USA
- Albert S. Yen
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA 91011, USA
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3390/min14080773
- Journal volume & issue
-
Vol. 14,
no. 8
p. 773
Abstract
This study presents mineral composition estimates of rock and sediment samples analyzed with the CheMin X-ray diffraction instrument on board the NASA Mars Science Laboratory rover, Curiosity, in Gale crater, Mars. Mineral composition is estimated using crystal-chemically derived algorithms applied to X-ray diffraction data, specifically unit-cell parameters. The mineral groups characterized include those found in major abundance by the CheMin instrument (i.e., feldspar, olivine, pyroxene, and spinel oxide). In addition to estimating the composition of the major mineral phases observed in Gale crater, we place their compositions in a stratigraphic context and provide a comparison to that of martian meteorites. This work provides expanded insights into the mineralogy and chemistry of the martian surface.
Keywords
- martian mineralogy
- Gale crater
- CheMin instrument
- Mars Science Laboratory
- crystal chemistry
- X-ray diffraction
