Volatile Elements Characterized by MarSCoDe in Materials at Zhurong Landing Site

Abstract

The study of volatile elements on the Martian surface is a critical way to explore the geological evolution history of Mars. Volatile elements such as hydrogen (H), sulfur (S), and chlorine (Cl) on the Martian surface act as proxies for the potential aqueous or atmospheric environments that formed their corresponding phases. In this work, data collected from the Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy and the Short Wave Infrared Spectroscopy of the Mars Surface Composition Detection onboard the Zhurong rover are employed to analyze the volatile elements (H, S, Cl) and their carriers in materials throughout the landing site. We found that S primarily concentrates in gypsum and other sulfates, and the carriers of H include hydrous mineral combinations such as gypsum, hydrated silica, and ferrihydrite. These altered minerals are probably the products of acid weathering processes, which may have occurred mostly during the relatively humid period of the Zhurong landing site since Amazonian.

Keywords

• Mars
• Surface composition
• Planetary surfaces