Characterization and Calibration of the CheMin Mineralogical Instrument on Mars Science Laboratory

Blake, D. F.; Vaniman, D. T.; Achilles, Cherie; Anderson, Robert C.; Bish, David L.; Bristow, Tom; Chen, Curtis; Crisp, J. A.; Marais, David L. Des; Downs, Robert T.; Farmer, Jack D.; Feldman, Sabrina; Fonda, Mark; Gailhanou, M.; Ma, Hongwei; Ming, D. W.; Morris, R. V.; Sarrazin, P.; Stolper, E. M.; Treiman, Allan H.; Yen, A. S.

doi:10.1007/978-1-4614-6339-9_12

Cited by 95 publications

(123 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…CheMin is a transmission X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray fluorescence instrument that uses cobalt radiation to produce twodimensional Co Kα diffraction images (Debye ring pattern) (4). Samples are normally measured over the course of three nights, producing 45 total images that are summed and converted to a onedimensional diffraction pattern over an angular range of 2-52°2θ.…”

Section: Buckskin Mineralogical Compositionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Silicic volcanism on Mars evidenced by tridymite in high-SiO ₂ sedimentary rock at Gale crater

Morris

Vaniman

Blake

et al. 2016

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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Tridymite, a low-pressure, high-temperature (>870°C) SiO 2 polymorph, was detected in a drill sample of laminated mudstone (Buckskin) at Marias Pass in Gale crater, Mars, by the Chemistry and Mineralogy X-ray diffraction instrument onboard the Mars Science Laboratory rover Curiosity. The tridymitic mudstone has ∼40 wt.% crystalline and ∼60 wt.% X-ray amorphous material and a bulk composition with ∼74 wt.% SiO 2 (Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer analysis). Plagioclase (∼17 wt.% of bulk sample), tridymite (∼14 wt.%), sanidine (∼3 wt.%), cation-deficient magnetite (∼3 wt.%), cristobalite (∼2 wt.%), and anhydrite (∼1 wt.%) are the mudstone crystalline minerals. Amorphous material is silica-rich (∼39 wt.% opal-A and/or high-SiO 2 glass and opal-CT), volatile-bearing (16 wt.% mixed cation sulfates, phosphates, and chlorides−perchlorates−chlorates), and has minor TiO 2 and Fe 2 O 3 T oxides (∼5 wt.%). Rietveld refinement yielded a monoclinic structural model for a well-crystalline tridymite, consistent with high formation temperatures. Terrestrial tridymite is commonly associated with silicic volcanism, and detritus from such volcanism in a "Lake Gale" catchment environment can account for Buckskin's tridymite, cristobalite, feldspar, and any residual high-SiO 2 glass. These cogenetic detrital phases are possibly sourced from the Gale crater wall/rim/central peak. Opaline silica could form during diagenesis from high-SiO 2 glass, as amorphous precipitated silica, or as a residue of acidic leaching in the sediment source region or at Marias Pass. The amorphous mixed-cation salts and oxides and possibly the crystalline magnetite (otherwise detrital) are primary precipitates and/ or their diagenesis products derived from multiple infiltrations of aqueous solutions having variable compositions, temperatures, and acidities. Anhydrite is post lithification fracture/vein fill.Mars | tridymite | Gale crater | lake | volcanism T he Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) rover, Curiosity, has been exploring sedimentary rocks within Gale crater since landing in August 2012, and progressing upward through a sequence of strata exposed along the lower slopes of Aeolis Mons (informally known as Mount Sharp). This traverse has taken Curiosity through sequences of fluvial, deltaic, and lacustrine sediments (e.g., ref. 1). On sol 1057 (the number of martian days since landing), Curiosity began preparations for collecting drill powder from high-silica sedimentary rock at a location named Buckskin. We describe the geologic setting of the Buckskin sample location, the detection of significant amounts of the silica polymorph tridymite by the MSL Chemistry and Mineralogy (CheMin) X-ray diffraction instrument, and its implications for volcanism on Mars. Geologic SettingThe Buckskin outcrop is part of the Murray formation of lacustrine mudstones exposed in the Marias Pass area (SI Appendix, Figs. S1 and S2). The formation was previously studied in the Pahrump Hills (Fig. 1A). Here the laminae have a mean thickness of ∼0.5 mm and are characteristical...

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Section: Buckskin Mineralogical Compositionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Silicic volcanism on Mars evidenced by tridymite in high-SiO ₂ sedimentary rock at Gale crater

Morris

Vaniman

Blake

et al. 2016

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

Self Cite

187

230

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“…This difference may reflect more complete exclusion of microphenocrysts in the 125-mm-sieved fraction, and may imply that the smaller, hand-picked size fraction more accurately represents C gm . A bulk crystallinity (C wr ) measurement of the same 125-mmsieved fraction as the groundmass separate (that is, comparable to the Curiosity rover sampling methodology 21 ) has the same crystallinity (C wr ¼ 22%) as the whole rock-note that this is also the same value as C gm from the 250-mm-sieved fraction. The identical C wr between the 125-mm-size fraction and the bulk rock analysis may imply that, unlike C gm , C wr is relatively insensitive to the analysed size fraction.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 87%

“…1b), random bulk and groundmass crystallinities in fresh to moderately altered eruptive products record the same distinction between phreatomagmatic and 'magmatic' eruption styles. This observation is critical to the applicability of this technique as a remote tool because it is not possible to separate groundmass from crystals using current remote sampling techniques 21 , and as a result, the Curiosity rover analyses are of bulk samples at the sub-125-mm sieve fraction. Hence, although the variations between eruption styles are defined by groundmass crystallization, this translates to the results of the random bulk (whole rock) analysis, and is therefore comparable to the MSL Curiosity rover sampling methodology 21 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This observation is critical to the applicability of this technique as a remote tool because it is not possible to separate groundmass from crystals using current remote sampling techniques 21 , and as a result, the Curiosity rover analyses are of bulk samples at the sub-125-mm sieve fraction. Hence, although the variations between eruption styles are defined by groundmass crystallization, this translates to the results of the random bulk (whole rock) analysis, and is therefore comparable to the MSL Curiosity rover sampling methodology 21 . Note that this does not discount the possibility that extremely high phenocryst contents in a phreatomagmatic deposit could skew results into the 'magmatic' crystallinity range.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We demonstrate from analysis of terrestrial volcanism that products of phreatomagmatic eruptions predominantly have groundmass and bulk (groundmass þ phenocryst) crystallinities below B40%, whereas crystallinities from strombolian and plinian basaltic eruptions are typically 440%. Remote determination of crystallinity of volcanic samples by the CheMin instrument, an XRD instrument on board the MSL Curiosity rover 21 , therefore provides a novel approach for identifying magma-water interactions in the record of explosive volcanism on Mars, and potentially evaluating the evolution of the Martian hydrosphere as preserved in the volcanic record.…”

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Determining volcanic eruption styles on Earth and Mars from crystallinity measurements

et al. 2014

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Both Earth and Mars possess different styles of explosive basaltic volcanism. Distinguishing phreatomagmatic eruptions, driven by magma-water interaction, from 'magmatic' explosive eruptions (that is, strombolian and plinian eruptions) is important for determining the presence of near-surface water or ice at the time of volcanism. Here we show that eruption styles can be broadly identified by relative variations in groundmass or bulk crystallinity determined by X-ray diffraction. Terrestrial analogue results indicate that rapidly quenched phreatomagmatic ejecta display lower groundmass crystallinity (o35%) than slower cooling ejecta from strombolian or plinian eruptions (440%). Numerical modelling suggests Martian plinian eruptive plumes moderate cooling, allowing 20-30% syn-eruptive crystallization, and thus reduce the distinction between eruption styles on Mars. Analysis of Mars Curiosity rover CheMin X-ray diffraction results from Gale crater indicate that the crystallinity of Martian sediment (52-54%) is similar to pyroclastic rocks from Gusev crater, Mars, and consistent with widespread distribution of basaltic strombolian or plinian volcanic ejecta.

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MAHLI at the Rocknest sand shadow: Science and science‐enabling activities

et al. 2013

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During Martian solar days 57–100, the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover acquired and processed a solid (sediment) sample and analyzed its mineralogy and geochemistry with the Chemistry and Mineralogy and Sample Analysis at Mars instruments. An aeolian deposit—herein referred to as the Rocknest sand shadow—was inferred to represent a global average soil composition and selected for study to facilitate integration of analytical results with observations from earlier missions. During first‐time activities, the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) was used to support both science and engineering activities related to sample assessment, collection, and delivery. Here we report on MAHLI activities that directly supported sample analysis and provide MAHLI observations regarding the grain‐scale characteristics of the Rocknest sand shadow. MAHLI imaging confirms that the Rocknest sand shadow is one of a family of bimodal aeolian accumulations on Mars—similar to the coarse‐grained ripples interrogated by the Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity—in which a surface veneer of coarse‐grained sediment stabilizes predominantly fine‐grained sediment of the deposit interior. The similarity in grain size distribution of these geographically disparate deposits support the widespread occurrence of bimodal aeolian transport on Mars. We suggest that preservation of bimodal aeolian deposits may be characteristic of regions of active deflation, where winnowing of the fine‐sediment fraction results in a relatively low sediment load and a preferential increase in the coarse‐grained fraction of the sediment load. The compositional similarity of Martian aeolian deposits supports the potential for global redistribution of fine‐grained components, combined with potential local contributions.

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Characterization and Calibration of the CheMin Mineralogical Instrument on Mars Science Laboratory

Cited by 95 publications

References 34 publications

Silicic volcanism on Mars evidenced by tridymite in high-SiO ₂ sedimentary rock at Gale crater

Silicic volcanism on Mars evidenced by tridymite in high-SiO ₂ sedimentary rock at Gale crater

Determining volcanic eruption styles on Earth and Mars from crystallinity measurements

MAHLI at the Rocknest sand shadow: Science and science‐enabling activities

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Characterization and Calibration of the CheMin Mineralogical Instrument on Mars Science Laboratory

Cited by 95 publications

References 34 publications

Silicic volcanism on Mars evidenced by tridymite in high-SiO 2 sedimentary rock at Gale crater

Silicic volcanism on Mars evidenced by tridymite in high-SiO 2 sedimentary rock at Gale crater

Determining volcanic eruption styles on Earth and Mars from crystallinity measurements

MAHLI at the Rocknest sand shadow: Science and science‐enabling activities

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Product

Resources

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Silicic volcanism on Mars evidenced by tridymite in high-SiO ₂ sedimentary rock at Gale crater

Silicic volcanism on Mars evidenced by tridymite in high-SiO ₂ sedimentary rock at Gale crater