Gypsum, bassanite, and anhydrite at Gale crater, Mars

Vaniman, D. T.; Martínez, G.; Rampe, E. B.; Bristow, T. F.; Blake, D. F.; Yen, A. S.; Ming, D. W.; Rapin, W.; Meslin, P. Y.; Morookian, John Michael; Downs, Robert T.; Chipera, S. J.; Morris, R. V.; Morrison, S. M.; Treiman, Allan H.; Achilles, C. N.; Robertson, Kevin; Grotzinger, J. P.; Hazen, Robert M.; Wiens, R. C.; Sumner, D. Y.

doi:10.2138/am-2018-6346

Cited by 118 publications

(119 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…The APXS Buckskin drill tailings

Σ_{abs}

value of 0.0060

\pm

0.0001 cm

^{2}

/g agrees with the ChemCam Buckskin value of 0.0065

\pm

0.0007 cm

^{2}

/g and the APXS Telegraph Peak drill tailings

{normalΣ}_{abs}

value of 0.0089

\pm

0.0001 cm

^{2}

/g agrees with the ChemCam Telegraph Peak value of 0.0086

\pm

0.0009 cm

^{2}

/g. We conducted simulations to test the effect of calcium sulfate veins on derived DAN results since these veins are present throughout the Murray stratigraphy (Vaniman et al, ). In section S3 of the supporting information we demonstrate that these veins are not in sufficient volumetric abundance in the subsurface to have a measurable effect on our analysis of data in this region.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Identification and Description of a Silicic Volcaniclastic Layer in Gale Crater, Mars, Using Active Neutron Interrogation

et al. 2020

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The Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons instrument aboard the Mars Science Laboratory rover, Curiosity, has been used to map a stratigraphically conformable layer of high‐SiO 2 material in Gale crater. Previous work has shown that this material contains tridymite, a high‐temperature/low‐pressure felsic mineral, interpreted to have a volcanic source rock. We describe several characteristics including orientation, extent, hydration, and geochemistry, consistent with a volcaniclastic material conformably deposited within a lacustrine mudstone succession. Relationships with widely dispersed alteration features and orbital detections of hydrated SiO 2 suggest that this high‐SiO 2 layer extends at least 17 km laterally. Mineralogical abundances previously reported for this high‐SiO 2 material indicated that hydrous species were restricted to the amorphous (non‐crystalline) fraction, which is dominated by SiO 2. The low mean bulk hydration of this high‐SiO 2 layer (1.85 ± 0.13 wt.% water‐equivalent hydrogen) is consistent with silicic glass in addition to opal‐A and opal‐CT. Persistent volcanic glass and tridymite in addition to opal in an ancient sedimentary unit indicates that the conversion to more ordered forms of crystalline SiO 2 has not proceeded to completion and that this material has had only limited exposure to water since it originally erupted, despite having been transported in a fluviolacustrine system. Our results, including the conformable nature, large areal extent, and presence of volcanic glass, indicate that this high‐SiO 2 material is derived from the product of evolved magma on Mars. This is the first identification of a silicic volcaniclastic layer on another planet and has important implications for magma evolution mechanisms on single‐plate planets.

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“…The APXS Buckskin drill tailings

Σ_{abs}

value of 0.0060

\pm

0.0001 cm

^{2}

/g agrees with the ChemCam Buckskin value of 0.0065

\pm

0.0007 cm

^{2}

/g and the APXS Telegraph Peak drill tailings

{normalΣ}_{abs}

value of 0.0089

\pm

0.0001 cm

^{2}

/g agrees with the ChemCam Telegraph Peak value of 0.0086

\pm

0.0009 cm

^{2}

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Identification and Description of a Silicic Volcaniclastic Layer in Gale Crater, Mars, Using Active Neutron Interrogation

et al. 2020

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“…After deposition, the Murray formation was likely buried to ~1 km 9 , which itself may have triggered a change in Ca-sulfate hydration state 28,29 . Table S2) corresponds to a hydration state of 1.8 H2O per MgSO4, and is consistent with the predicted amorphous desiccation products of epsomite or hexahydrite 26,32 .…”

Section: Timing Of Enrichment and Formation Scenariomentioning

confidence: 99%

An interval of high salinity in ancient Gale crater lake on Mars

et al. 2019

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Precipitated minerals, including salts, are primary tracers of atmospheric conditions and water chemistry in lake basins. Ongoing in situ exploration by the Curiosity rover of a thick section of Hesperian (~3.3-3.7 Ga) sedimentary rocks within Gale crater has revealed clay-bearing fluvio-lacustrine deposits with sporadic sulfate occurrences primarily as late-stage diagenetic veins and concretions. Here, we report the discovery of bulk enrichments, disseminated in the bedrock, of Ca-sulfate (30-50 wt%) that occur intermittently over ~150 m of stratigraphy and hydrated Mg-sulfate (26-36 wt%) within a thinner section of strata. We use geochemical analysis, primarily from the ChemCam laser-induced breakdown spectrometer (LIBS) and combined with results from other rover instruments, to characterize the enrichments and their lithology. The deposits are consistent with early diagenetic, pre-compaction, salt

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“…Sulfate-forming conditions are likely to have persisted well into the Hesperian (Bibring et al, 2006;Gaillard et al, 2013). Analyses at both Rocknest and the Yellowknife Bay study site by the Chemistry and Mineralogy (CheMin) instrument of the Mars Science Laboratory found only calcium sulfates (Nachon et al, 2014;Downs et al, 2015, Vaniman et al, 2018, and oxidized sulfur species are widespread in martian meteorites, with calcium and magnesium sulfates being the most common forms (Gooding, 1992). On Earth, sulfate-forming conditions and sulfates themselves are inhabited by extremophilic microorganisms, so it is important to investigate the possibility of these deposits on Mars hosting evidence of similar life.…”

Section: The Identification Of Organics Within Gypsum On Marsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Infrared Spectroscopic Detection of Biosignatures at Lake Tírez, Spain: Implications for Mars

et al. 2020

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The detection of potential biosignatures with mineral matrices is part of a multifaceted approach in the search for life on other planetary bodies. The 2020 ExoMars Rosalind Franklin rover includes within its payload three IR spectrometers in the form of ISEM (Infrared Spectrometer for ExoMars), MicrOmega, and Ma-MISS (Mars Multispectral Imager for Subsurface Studies). The use of this technique in the detection and characterization of biosignatures is of great value. Organic materials are often co-deposited in terrestrial evaporites and as such have been proposed as relevant analogs in the search for life on Mars. This study focuses on Ca-sulfates collected from the hypersaline Tírez Lake in Spain. Mid infrared and visible near infrared analysis of soils, salt crusts, and crystals with green and red layering indicative of microbial colonization of the samples was acquired from across the lake and identified the main mineral to be gypsum with inputs of carbonate and silica. Organic functional groups that could be attributed to amides and carboxylic acids were identified as well as chlorophyll; however, due to the strong mineralogical absorptions observed, these were hard to unambiguously discern. Taxonomical assignment demonstrated that the archaeal community within the samples was dominated by the halophilic extremophile Halobacteriaceae while the bacterial community was dominated by the class Nocardiaceae. The results of this research highlight that sulfates on Mars are a mixed blessing, acting as an effective host for organic matter preservation but also a material that masks the presence of organic functional groups when analyzed with spectroscopic tools similar to those due to fly on the 2020 ExoMars rover. A suite of complementary analytical techniques therefore should be used to support the spectral identification of any candidate extraterrestrial biosignatures.

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Gypsum, bassanite, and anhydrite at Gale crater, Mars

Cited by 118 publications

References 37 publications

Identification and Description of a Silicic Volcaniclastic Layer in Gale Crater, Mars, Using Active Neutron Interrogation

Identification and Description of a Silicic Volcaniclastic Layer in Gale Crater, Mars, Using Active Neutron Interrogation

An interval of high salinity in ancient Gale crater lake on Mars

Infrared Spectroscopic Detection of Biosignatures at Lake Tírez, Spain: Implications for Mars

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