Mineralogy of Vera Rubin Ridge in Gale Crater from the Mars Science Laboratory CheMin instrumentGale crater was selected as the landing site for the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover because of orbital evidence for a variety of secondary minerals in the lower slopes of Aeolis Mons (aka Mount Sharp) that indicate changes in aqueous conditions over time. Distinct units demonstrate orbital spectral signatures of hematite, phyllosilicate (smectite), and sulfate minerals, which suggest that ancient aqueous environments in Gale crater varied in oxidation potential, pH, and water activity. Vera Rubin ridge (VRR) is the first of these units identified from orbit to have been studied by Curiosity. Orbital near-infrared data from VRR show a strong band at 860 nm indicative of hematite. Before Curiosity arrived at VRR, the hypotheses to explain the formation of hematite included (1) precipitation at a redox interface where aqueous Fe2+ was oxidized to Fe3+, and (2) acidic alteration of olivine in oxic fluids. Studying the composition and sedimentology of the rocks on VRR allow us to test and refine these hypotheses and flesh out the depositional and diagenetic history of the ridge. Here, we focus on the mineralogical results of four rock powders drilled from and immediately below VRR as determined by CheMin.
Document ID
20200001875
Acquisition Source
Johnson Space Center
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Rampe, E. B. (NASA Johnson Space Center Houston, TX, United States)
Bristow, T. F. (NASA Ames Research Center Moffett Field, CA, United States)
Morris, R. V. (NASA Johnson Space Center Houston, TX, United States)
Morrison, S. M. (Carnegie Institution for Science Washington, DC, United States)
Achilles, C. N. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Ming, D. W. (NASA Johnson Space Center Houston, TX, United States)
Vaniman, D. T. (Planetary Science Inst. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Blake, D. F. (NASA Ames Research Center Moffett Field, CA, United States)
Tu, V. M. (Jacobs Engineering Group Houston, TX, United States)
Chipera, S. J. (Chesapeake Energy Corp. Oklahoma City, OK, United States)
Yen, A. S. (Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), California Institute of Technology (CalTech) Pasadena, CA, United States)
Peretyazhko, T. S. (Jacobs Engineering Group Houston, TX, United States)
Downs, R. T. (University of Arizona Tucson, AZ, United States)
Hazen, R. M. (Carnegie Institution for Science Washington, DC, United States)
Treiman, A. H. (Lunar and Planetary Institute (LPI) Houston, TX, United States)
Grotzinger, J. P. (California Institute of Technology (CalTech) Pasadena, CA, United States)
Castle, N. (Planetary Science Inst. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Craig, P. I. (Planetary Science Inst. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Marais, D. J. Des (NASA Ames Research Center Moffett Field, CA, United States)
Thorpe, M. T. (NASA Johnson Space Center Houston, TX, United States)
Walroth, R. C. (Stanford Univ. Stanford, CA, United States)
Downs, G. W. (University of Arizona Tucson, AZ, United States)
Fraeman, A. A. (Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), California Institute of Technology (CalTech) Pasadena, CA, United States)
Siebach, K. L. (Rice Univ. Houston, TX, United States)
Gellert, R. (University of Guelph Guelph, Ontario, Canada)
McAdam, A. C. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Meslin, P.-Y. (Université de Toulouse Toulouse, France)
Sutter, B. (Jacobs Engineering Group Houston, TX, United States)
Salvatore, M. R. (University of Northern Arizona Flagstaff, AZ, United States)
Date Acquired
March 20, 2020
Publication Date
March 16, 2020
Subject Category
Lunar And Planetary Science And Exploration
Report/Patent Number
JSC-E-DAA-TN78921
Meeting Information
Meeting: Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (LPSC)