NASA Logo

NTRS

NTRS - NASA Technical Reports Server

Back to Results
Thermal Emission Spectra of Silica-coated Basalt and Considerations for Martian Surface MineralogyAmong the most important discoveries made during the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) mission was that the rocky materials of Mars are broadly divisible into two distinct rock types. The geological significance of this finding is dependent on the mineralogy of these rock types as well as their geographic and stratigraphic positions. Much work has yet to be done to understand these relationships and the small-scale variability of these units. For now, it is worth considering various scenarios that could have resulted in Mars global-scale mineralogical dichotomy. Such work will make clearer what must be looked for in Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES) and Thermal Imaging Spectrometer (THEMIS) data, what to test with other data sets, and what geological processes can be considered or ruled out as we advance with interpreting Martian geologic history. Here, we suggest that exogenic coatings of secondary silica on basaltic rocks may provide a plausible explanation for the newly discovered distribution of rock types.
Document ID
20030111679
Acquisition Source
Headquarters
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Kraft, M. D.
(Arizona State Univ. Tempe, AZ, United States)
Sharp, T. G.
(Arizona State Univ. Tempe, AZ, United States)
Michalski, J. R.
(Arizona State Univ. Tempe, AZ, United States)
Date Acquired
August 21, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 2003
Publication Information
Publication: Lunar and Planetary Science XXXIV
Subject Category
Lunar And Planetary Science And Exploration
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NCC2-1051
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Public Use Permitted.
Document Inquiry

Available Downloads

There are no available downloads for this record.
No Preview Available