Minerals (Aug 2021)
A Review of the Phyllosilicates in Gale Crater as Detected by the CheMin Instrument on the Mars Science Laboratory, Curiosity Rover
- Valerie M. Tu,
- Elizabeth B. Rampe,
- Thomas F. Bristow,
- Michael T. Thorpe,
- Joanna V. Clark,
- Nicholas Castle,
- Abigail A. Fraeman,
- Lauren A. Edgar,
- Amy McAdam,
- Candice Bedford,
- Cherie N. Achilles,
- David Blake,
- Steve J. Chipera,
- Patricia I. Craig,
- David J. Des Marais,
- Gordon W. Downs,
- Robert T. Downs,
- Valerie Fox,
- John P. Grotzinger,
- Robert M. Hazen,
- Douglas W. Ming,
- Richard V. Morris,
- Shaunna M. Morrison,
- Betina Pavri,
- Jennifer Eigenbrode,
- Tanya S. Peretyazhko,
- Philippe C. Sarrazin,
- Brad Sutter,
- Allan H. Treiman,
- David T. Vaniman,
- Ashwin R. Vasavada,
- Albert S. Yen,
- John C. Bridges
Affiliations
- Valerie M. Tu
- Jacobs Technology, NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX 77058, USA
- Elizabeth B. Rampe
- NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX 77058, USA
- Thomas F. Bristow
- NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA
- Michael T. Thorpe
- Jacobs Technology, NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX 77058, USA
- Joanna V. Clark
- GeoControls Systems Inc—Jacobs JETS Contract at NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX 77058, USA
- Nicholas Castle
- Planetary Science Institute, Tucson, AZ 85719, USA
- Abigail A. Fraeman
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA
- Lauren A. Edgar
- USGS Astrogeology Science Center, Flagstaff, AZ 86001, USA
- Amy McAdam
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
- Candice Bedford
- The Lunar and Planetary Institute, Houston, TX 77058, USA
- Cherie N. Achilles
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
- David Blake
- NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA
- Steve J. Chipera
- Planetary Science Institute, Tucson, AZ 85719, USA
- Patricia I. Craig
- Planetary Science Institute, Tucson, AZ 85719, USA
- David J. Des Marais
- NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA
- Gordon W. Downs
- Department of Geosciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
- Robert T. Downs
- Department of Geosciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
- Valerie Fox
- Division of Geology and Planetary Science, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
- John P. Grotzinger
- Division of Geology and Planetary Science, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
- Robert M. Hazen
- Carnegie Institute for Science, Washington, DC 20015, USA
- Douglas W. Ming
- NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX 77058, USA
- Richard V. Morris
- NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX 77058, USA
- Shaunna M. Morrison
- Carnegie Institute for Science, Washington, DC 20015, USA
- Betina Pavri
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA
- Jennifer Eigenbrode
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
- Tanya S. Peretyazhko
- Jacobs Technology, NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX 77058, USA
- Philippe C. Sarrazin
- SETI Institute, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA
- Brad Sutter
- Jacobs Technology, NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX 77058, USA
- Allan H. Treiman
- The Lunar and Planetary Institute, Houston, TX 77058, USA
- David T. Vaniman
- Planetary Science Institute, Tucson, AZ 85719, USA
- Ashwin R. Vasavada
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA
- Albert S. Yen
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA
- John C. Bridges
- University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3390/min11080847
- Journal volume & issue
-
Vol. 11,
no. 8
p. 847
Abstract
Curiosity, the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) rover, landed on Mars in August 2012 to investigate the ~3.5-billion-year-old (Ga) fluvio-lacustrine sedimentary deposits of Aeolis Mons (informally known as Mount Sharp) and the surrounding plains (Aeolis Palus) in Gale crater. After nearly nine years, Curiosity has traversed over 25 km, and the Chemistry and Mineralogy (CheMin) X-ray diffraction instrument on-board Curiosity has analyzed 30 drilled rock and three scooped soil samples to date. The principal strategic goal of the mission is to assess the habitability of Mars in its ancient past. Phyllosilicates are common in ancient Martian terrains dating to ~3.5–4 Ga and were detected from orbit in some of the lower strata of Mount Sharp. Phyllosilicates on Earth are important for harboring and preserving organics. On Mars, phyllosilicates are significant for exploration as they are hypothesized to be a marker for potential habitable environments. CheMin data demonstrate that ancient fluvio-lacustrine rocks in Gale crater contain up to ~35 wt. % phyllosilicates. Phyllosilicates are key indicators of past fluid–rock interactions, and variation in the structure and composition of phyllosilicates in Gale crater suggest changes in past aqueous environments that may have been habitable to microbial life with a variety of possible energy sources.
Keywords