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NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover has been exploring Vera Rubin ridge (VRR), part of the Murray formation in Gale crater, Mars, between sol 1809 and 2302. Evidence for Fe-oxides and phyllosilicates in mineralogical and geochemical data for this region was returned by Curiosity [1-5]. We applied thermochemical modeling to con-strain the formation conditions of the phyllosilicate-hematite assemblage identified on and below VRR. Average alteration compositions for the Murray formation on and below VRR were derived using CheMin and APXS data. These compositions were reacted with Gale Portage Water (GPW) between 25–100 °C and for 10% and 50% Fe3+/Fetot of the host rock [6]. Here we summarize models run at 50 °C and 10% Fe3+/Fetot for alteration compositions derived from Murray host rock compositions.

Siderite (FeCO3) has been detected in Gale Crater for the first time by the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Curiosity and is seen in multiple samples in the Glen Torridon (GT) region. The identification of siderite is based on evolved gas analysis (EGA) data from the Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument and X-ray diffraction (XRD) data from the Chemistry and Mineralogy (CheMin) instrument. Curiosity descended off of the Vera Rubin ridge (VRR) into the Glen Torridon region on Sol 2300. Glen Torridon is of particular interest because a strong clay mineral signature had been detected by orbital instruments [1]. To date, four drilled samples have been collected at two different drill locations: Kilmarie and Aberlady from adjacent blocks at the base of the south side of VRR in the Jura member and Glen Etive 1 and 2 on the same block in the Knockfarril member.

Gale 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.

Clay minerals are common in ancient terrains on Mars and their presence at the surface alludes to aqueous processes in the Noachian to Early Hesperian (>3.5 Ga). Gale crater was selected as Curiosity’s landing site largely because of the identification of clay mineral rich strata from orbit. On Earth, the types of clay minerals (i.e., smectites) identified in Gale crater are typically juvenile weathering products that ultimately record the interaction between primary igneous minerals with the hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere. Trioctahedral and dioctahedral smectite were identified by Curiosity in units stratigraphically below the Clay Mineral-Bearing Unit (CBU) identified from orbit. Compositional and sedimentological data suggest the smectite formed via authigenesis in a lake environment and may have been altered during early diagenesis. The CBU is stratigraphically equivalent to a hematite-rich unit to the north and stratigraphically underlies sulfate-rich units to the south, suggesting a dynamic environment and evolving history of water in the ancient Gale crater lake. Targeting these clay mineral rich areas on Mars with rover missions provides an opportunity to explore the aqueous and sedimentary history of the planet.

The Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover landed in Gale crater in August 2012 to investigate early Hesperian-aged sedimentary rocks on the lower slopes of Aeolis Mons (i.e., Mount Sharp) that show variations in phyllosilicates, hematite, and sulfates from orbital reflectance spectroscopy, suggesting changes in ancient aqueous environments. During the Eighth International Conference on Mars in July 2014, Curiosity was still traversing the Bradbury group on the plains of Gale crater (Aeolis Palus) and had only analyzed four samples in its internal laboratories. Soon after Mars 8, Curiosity began its investigation of Mount Sharp and has since driven through ~350 m of vertical stratigraphy, the majority of which is part of the Murray formation. The Murray fm is comprised primarily of laminated mudstone with occasional sandstone and heterolithic facies and represents a long-lived fluvio-lacustrine environment. Curiosity has analyzed 13 drilled rock samples from the Murray formation and 4 from the ancient eolian Stimson fm with the Chemistry and Mineralogy (CheMin) instrument. Here, we discuss the mineralogy of all fluvio-lacustrine samples analyzed to date and what these results tell us about sources of the sediments, aqueous environments, and habitability of ancient Gale crater.

The Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover arrived at Mars in August 2012 with a primary goal of characterizing the habitability of ancient and modern environments. Curiosity landed in Gale crater to study a sequence of ~3.5 Ga old sedimentary rocks that, based on orbital visible/near-infrared reflectance spectra, contain secondary minerals that suggest deposition and/or alteration in liquid water. The sedimentary sequence that comprises the lower slopes of Mount Sharp within Gale crater may preserve a dramatic shift on early Mars from a relatively warm and wet climate to a cold and dry climate based on a transition from smectite-bearing strata to sulfate-bearing strata. The rover is equipped with cameras and geochemical and mineralogical instruments to examine the sedimentology and identify compositional changes within the stratigraphy. These observations provide information about variations in depositional and diagenetic environments over time. The Chemistry and Mineralogy (CheMin) instrument is one of two internal laboratories on Curiosity and includes a transmission X-ray diffractometer (XRD) and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometer with a Co-K source. CheMin measures loose sediment samples scooped from the surface and drilled rock powders. The XRD provides quantitative mineralogy of scooped and drilled samples to a detection limit of ~1 wt.%. Curiosity has traversed >20 km since landing and has primarily been exploring the site of a predominantly ancient lake environment fed by groundwater and streams emanating from the crater rim. Results from CheMin demonstrate an incredible diversity in the mineralogy of fluvio-lacustrine rocks that signify variations in source rock composition, sediment transport mechanisms, and depositional and diagenetic fluid chemistry. Abundant trioctahedral smectite and magnetite at the base of the section may have formed from low-salinity pore waters with a circumneutral pH within lake sediments. A transition to dioctahedral smectite, hematite, and Ca-sulfate going up section suggests a change to more saline and oxidative aqueous conditions within the lake waters themselves and/or within diagenetic fluids. The primary minerals detected in fluvio-lacustrine samples by CheMin also suggest diversity in the igneous source regions for the sediments, where abundant pyroxene and plagioclase in most samples suggest a basaltic protolith, but sanidine and pyroxene in one sample may have been sourced from a potassic trachyte, and tridymite and sanidine in another sample may have been transported from a rhyolitic source. Crystal chemistry of major phases in each sample have been calculated from refined unit-cell parameters, providing further constraints on aqueous alteration processes and igneous protoliths for the sediments. Perhaps one of the biggest mysteries revealed by the CheMin instrument is the high abundance of X-ray amorphous materials (15 to 73 wt.%) in all samples measured to date. X-ray amorphous materials were detected by CheMin based on the observation of broad humps in XRD patterns. How these materials formed, their composition, and why they persist near the martian surface remain a topic of debate. The sedimentology and composition of the rocks analyzed by Curiosity demonstrate that habitable environments persisted intermittently on the surface or in the subsurface of Gale crater for perhaps more than a billion years.

The Mars Curiosity rover has traversed nearly 20 km and gained over 350 meters in elevation since landing in Gale crater in August 2012. Through 2250 sols of surface operations, Curiosity has spent approximately 60% of its time investigating the Murray formation, a unit of layered sediments. The occurrence of sulfur compounds in the Murray formation has been established by imaging of light-toned veins by MastCam and MAHLI, chemical compositions measured by the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) and ChemCam, crystalline phase identifications by the CheMin X-ray diffractometer, and evolved gas analyses from the Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument.

The Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument suite on the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) rover has been essential in understanding volatile-bearing phases in Gale Crater materials. SAM’s evolved gas analysis mass spectrometry (EGA-MS) has detected H2O, CO2, O2, H2, SO2, H2S, HCl, NO, and other trace gases, including organic fragments, in many samples. The identity and evolution temperature of evolved gases can support CheMin instrument mineral detection and place constraints on trace volatile-bearing phases or phases difficult to characterize with X-ray diffraction (e.g., amorphous phases). For the past ~500 sols, MSL has been exploring the Vera Rubin Ridge (VRR), which exhibits a striking hematite signature in orbital remote sensing data, in order to understand the depositional and diagenetic history recorded in the rocks and how it relates to the underlying Murray Formation. Four rock samples were drilled, one from the Blunts Point Member (Duluth, DU), one from the Pettegrrove Point Member (Stoer, ST), and two from the Jura Member. The Jura Member displays differences in color, summarized as grey and red, and a key goal was to constrain the cause of this color difference and the associated implications for depositional or post-depositional conditions. To investigate, a grey (Highfield, HF) and a red (Rock Hall, RH) Jura sample were drilled. Here we will give an overview of results from SAM EGA-MS analyses of VRR materials, with some comparisons to analyses of samples of the underlying Murray.

The Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover landed in Gale crater in August 2012 to characterize modern and ancient surface environments. Curiosity executed a two-phase campaign to study the morphology, activity, physical properties, and chemical and mineralogical composition of the Bagnold Dune Field, an active eolian dune field on the lower slopes of Aeolis Mons (Mount Sharp). Detectable aspects of dune sand mineralogy have been examined from orbit with the visible/short-wave infrared spectrometer CRISMand the thermal-infrared spectrometers THEMIS and TES. CRISM data demonstrate variations in plagioclase, pyroxene, and olivine abundances across the dune field. Curiosity analyzed sediments from two locations in the dune field to evaluate the causes of the mineralogical differences observed from orbit. The Gobabeb sample was collected from Namib Dune, a barchanoidal dune on the upwind margin of the dune field, and the Ogunquit Beach sample was collected from the Mount Desert Island sand patch located downwind from Namib. These samples were sieved to <150 μm and delivered to the CheMin X-ray diffraction instrument for quantitative mineralogical analysis. CRISM-derived mineralogy of the Namib Dune and Mount Desert Island and CheMin-derived mineralogy of the Gobabeb and Ogunquit Beach samples can be used in a value-added manner to interpret grain segregation at the bedform to dune-field scale and evaluate contributions from local sediment sources. Models of CRISM data demonstrate that Mount Desert Island is more enriched in olivine and less enriched in plagioclase than Namib dune, suggesting that fine-grained mafic sediments are preferentially mobilized downwind. Curiosity data indicate olivine also forms a coarse lag on the lee sides of barchanoidal dunes. Minor abundances of hematite, quartz, and anhydrite and small differences in the crystal chemistry of plagioclase and pyroxene derived from CheMin data suggest that sediments from the underlying lacustrine rocks also contribute to the Bagnold sands.

Final Document is attached. Introduction: The Mars Science Laboratory Curi-osity rover landed in Gale crater in August 2012 to search for habitable enironments preserved in the rocks and sediments on the lower slopes of Aeolis Mons (i.e., Mount Sharp). Along the traverse, Curiosity encountered an active aeolian sand sheet, informally known as the Bagnold dune field. Orbital CRISM vis/near-IR data suggest that there are varying abun-dances of olivine and pyroxene across the dune field, where the barchan dunes on the edge of the dune field have stronger olivine signatures than the linear dunes.

The CheMin X-ray diffraction instrument on the Mars Science Laboratory rover has analyzed 18 rock and soil samples in Gale crater. Diffraction data allow for the identification of major crystalline phases based on the positions and intensities of well-defined peaks and also provides information regarding amorphous and poorly-ordered materials based on the shape and positions of broad scattering humps. The combination of diffraction data, elemental chemistry from APXS (Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer) and evolved gas analyses (EGA) from SAM (Sample Analysis at Mars) help constrain possible amorphous materials present in each sample (e.g., glass, opal, iron oxides, sulfates) but are model dependent. We present a novel method to characterize amorphous material in diffraction data and, through this approach, aim to characterize the phases collectively producing the amorphous profiles in CheMin diffraction data. This method may be applied to any diffraction data from samples containing X-ray amorphous materials, not just CheMin datasets, but we re-strict our discussion to Martian-relevant amorphous phases and diffraction data measured by CheMin or CheMin-like instruments.

The Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) rover Curiosity began investigating the layered deposits of Gale Crater, Mars, in August 2012. Among the many science instruments on the rover, the CheMin (Chemistry and Mineralogy) X-ray diffractometer (XRD) has been useful in definitively characterizing the mineralogy of samples collected by the rover.

The Mars Science Laboratory rover, Curiosity, is exploring the lowermost formation of Gale crater's central mound. Within this formation, three samples named Marimba, Quela, and Sebina have been analyzed by the CheMin X-ray diffractometer and the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) to determine mineralogy and bulk elemental chemistry, respectively. Marimba and Quela were also analyzed by the SAM (Sample Analysis at Mars) instrument to characterize the type and abundance of volatile phases detected in evolved gas analyses (EGA). CheMin data show similar proportions of plagioclase, hematite, and Ca-sulfates along with a mixture of di- and trioctahedral smectites at abundances of approximately 28, approximately 16, and approximately 18 wt% for Marimba, Quela, and Sebina. Approximately 50 wt% of each mudstone is comprised of X-ray amorphous and trace crystalline phases present below the CheMin detection limit (approximately 1 wt%). APXS measurements reveal a distinct bulk elemental chemistry that cannot be attributed to the clay mineral variation alone indicating a variable amorphous phase assemblage exists among the three mudstones. To explore the amorphous component, the calculated amorphous composition and SAM EGA results are used to identify amorphous phases unique to each mudstone. For example, the amorphous fraction of Marimba has twice the FeO wt% compared to Quela and Sebina yet, SAM EGA data show no evidence for Fe-sulfates. These data imply that Fe must reside in alternate Fe-bearing amorphous phases (e.g., nanophase iron oxides, ferrihydrite, etc.). Constraining the composition, abundances, and proposed identity of the amorphous fraction provides an opportunity to speculate on the past physical, chemical, and/or diagenetic processes which produced such phases in addition to sediment sources, lake chemistry, and the broader geologic history of Gale crater.

The CheMin XRD instrument aboard Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) has documented clay minerals in various drill samples during its traverse of Gale Crater's floor and ascent of Mt. Sharp. The most recent samples, named Marimba, Quela and Sebina were acquired from the Murray Formation in the Murray Buttes region of lower Mt. Sharp. Marimba and Quela come from a approx. 30 m package of finely laminated lacustrine mudstones. Sebina comes from an overlying package of heterolithic mudstone-sandstones. Clay minerals make up approx.15-25 wt.% of the bulk rock with similar contributions to XRD patterns in all three samples. Broad basal reflections at approx. 10deg 2(theta) CoK(alpha) indicate the presence of 2:1 group clay minerals. The 02(lambda) clay mineral band lies at approx. 22.9deg 2(theta), a region typically occupied by Fe-bearing dioctahedral 2:1 clay minerals like nontronite or Fe-illite. The low humidity within the CheMin instrument, which is open to the martian atmosphere, promotes loss of interlayer H2O and collapse of smectite interlayers making them difficult to distinguish from illites. However, based on the low K content of the bulk samples, it appears that smectitic clay minerals are dominant. Peak dehydroxylation of the Marimba sample measured by the SAM instrument on MSL occurred at 610C and 780C. Fe-bearing smectites are not consistent with these dehydroxylation temperatures. Thus, we suggest that a mixture of dioctahedral and trioctahedral smectite phases are present giving the appearance of intermediate octahedral occupancy in XRD. Dioctahedral smectites have not previously been reported in Gale Crater by MSL. Earlier in the mission, relatively clay mineral rich samples (approx. 20 wt.%) from lacustrine mudstones in Yellowknife Bay (YKB) were found to contain ferrian saponites. It is proposed that YKB saponites formed via isochemical aqueous alteration of detrital olivine close to the time of sediment deposition, under anoxic to poorly oxidizing conditions. In terrestrial settings where alteration sequences of basaltic rocks or sediments are observed, first-stage alteration clay minerals are typically trioctahedral smectite species, as reported from YKB. In later alteration stages trioctahedral clay minerals are replaced by dioctahedral clays as a result of removal and/or oxidation of Fe2+ and Mg. Observed changes in clay mineralogy between YKB and Murray Buttes samples correspond with differences in bulk mineralogy, including: 1) a transition from magnetite to hematite as the main Fe-oxide, 2) increasing abundances of Ca-sulfates and 3) a reduction in the quantity of reactive mafic minerals. This mineralogical change indicates an increasing degree of aqueous alteration and oxidation of mafic detritus in the upper part of the Murray Formation. These results broaden the spectrum of mineralogical facies documented by MSL. Together sedimentology and mineralogy indicate a long-lasting, dynamic fluvial-lacustrine system encompassing a range aqueous geochemical processes under varying redox conditions. Future work is needed to unravel the influence of global and local controls on the range of ancient conditions observed at Gale Crater.

The Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover landed in Gale crater in August 2012 to study the layered sediments of lower Aeolis Mons (i.e., Mount Sharp), which have signatures of phyllosilicates, hydrated sulfates, and iron oxides in orbital visible/near-infrared observations. The observed mineralogy within the stratigraphy, from phyllosilicates in lower units to sulfates in higher units, suggests an evolution in the environments in which these secondary phases formed. Curiosity is currently investigating the sedimentary structures, geochemistry, and mineralogy of the Murray formation, the lowest exposed unit of Mount Sharp. The Murray formation is dominated by laminated lacustrine mudstone and is approx.200 m thick. Curiosity previously investigated lacustrine mudstone early in the mission at Yellowknife Bay, which represents the lowest studied stratigraphic unit. Here, we present the minerals identified in lacus-trine mudstone from Yellowknife Bay and the Murray formation. We discuss trends in mineralogy within the stratigraphy and the implications for ancient lacustrine environments, diagenesis, and sediment sources.

The Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) rover, Curiosity, is analyzing rock and sediments in Gale crater to provide in situ sedimentological, geochemical, and mineralogical assessments of the crater's geologic history. Curiosity's recent traverse through an active, basaltic eolian deposit, informally named the Bagnold Dunes, provided the opportunity for a multi-instrument investigation of the dune field.

The Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover landed in Gale crater in August 2012 to assess the habitability of sedimentary deposits that show orbital evidence for diverse ancient aqueous environments. Gale crater contains a 5 km high mound of layered sedimentary rocks in its center, informally named Mount Sharp. The lowermost rocks of Mount Sharp contain minerals that are consistent with a dramatic climate change during Mars' early history. During the rover's traverse across the Gale crater plains to the base of Mount Sharp, Curiosity discovered sedimentary rocks consistent with a fluviolacustrine sequence. Curiosity studied ancient lacustrine deposits at Yellowknife Bay on the plains of Gale crater and continues to study ancient lacustrine deposits in the Murray formation, the lowermost unit of Mount Sharp. These investigations include drilling into the mudstone and delivering the sieved less than 150 micrometers fraction to the CheMin XRD/XRF instrument inside the rover. Rietveld refinement of XRD patterns measured by CheMin generates mineral abundances with a detection limit of 1-2 wt.% and refined unit-cell parameters of minerals present in abundances greater than approximately 5 wt.%. FULLPAT analyses of CheMin XRD patterns provide the abundance of X-ray amorphous materials and constrain the identity of these phases (e.g., opal-A vs. opal-CT). At the time of writing, CheMin has analyzed 14 samples, seven of which were drilled from lacustrine deposits. The mineralogy from CheMin, combined with in-situ geochemical measurements and sedimentological observations, suggest an evolution in the lake waters through time, including changes in pH and salinity and transitions between oxic and anoxic conditions. In addition to a geochemically dynamic lake environment, the igneous minerals discovered in the lake sediments indicate changes in source region through time, with input from mafic and silicic igneous sources. The Murray formation is predominantly comprised of lacustrine mudstone and is 150-200 m thick, suggesting long history of lake environments in Gale crater. Curiosity has traversed through the lowermost approximately 30 m of the Murray formation, and each additional sample provides clues about the climate on early Mars.

The Mars Science Laboratory rover Curiosity has been exploring outcrop and regolith in Gale crater since August 6, 2012. During this exploration, the mission has collected 10 samples for mineralogical analysis by X-ray diffraction (XRD), using the CheMin instrument. The CheMin (Chemistry and Mineralogy) instrument on the Mars Science Laboratory rover Curiosity uses a CCD detector and a Co-anode tube source to acquire both mineralogy (from the pat-tern of Co diffraction) and chemical information (from energies of fluoresced X-rays). A detailed description of CheMin is provided in [1]. As part of the rover checkout after landing, the first sample selected for analysis was an eolian sand deposit (the Rocknest "sand shadow"). This sample was selected in part to characterize unconsolidated eolian regolith, but primarily to prove performance of the scoop collection system on the rover. The focus of the mission after Rocknest was on the consolidated sediments of Gale crater, so all of the nine subsequent samples were collected by drilling into bedrock com-posed of lithified sedimentary materials, including mudstone and sandstone. No scoop samples have been collected since Rocknest, but at the time this abstract was written the mission stands poised to use the scoop again, to collect active dune sands from the Bagnold dune field. Several abstracts at this conference outline the Bagnold dune campaign and summarize preliminary results from analyses on approach to the Namib dune sampling site. In this abstract we review the mineralogy of Rocknest, contrast that with the mineralogy of local sediments, and anticipate what will be learned by XRD analysis of Bagnold dune sands.

The Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) rover, Curiosity, has been exploring sedimentary rocks within Gale crater since landing in August, 2012. On the lower slopes of Aeolis Mons (a.k.a. Mount Sharp), drill powder was collected from a high-silica (74 wt% SiO2) outcrop named Buckskin (BK). It was a surprise to find that the Buckskin sample contained significant amounts of the relatively rare silica polymorph tridymite. We describe the setting of the Buckskin sample, the detection of tridymite by the MSL Chemistry and Mineralogy (CheMin) X-ray diffraction instrument, and detection implications. Geologic setting: The Buckskin outcrop is part of the Murray formation exposed in the Marias Pass area. The formation was previously studied by CheMin in the Pahrump Hills member [1] where three samples of drill fines were analyzed (Confidence Hills (CH), Mojave2 (MJ) and Telegraph Peak (TP) [2]). Assuming approximately horizontal bedding, the Buckskin outcrop is approx.15 m stratigraphically above the bottom of the Pahrump Hills member. Mudstone, generally characterized by fine lamination, is the dominant depositional facies [1]. Buckskin Mineralogical and Chemical Composition: The CheMin instrument and XRD pattern analysis procedures have been previously discussed [3-6]. The diffraction pattern used for quantitative XRD analysis (Fig. 1) is the sum of the first 4 of 45 diffraction images. The remaining images are all characterized by both on-ring and off-ring diffraction spots that we attributed to poor grain motion and particle clumping. Coincident with particle clumping was a significant decrease in the intensity of the tridymite diffraction peaks (Fig. 2a). The derived mineralogical composition of the crystalline component (derived from the first 4 diffraction images) is given in Table 1. The tridymite is well-crystalline and its pattern is refined as monoclinic tridymite (Fig 1). Mineral chemical compositions were derived from XRD unit cell parameters or obtained from stoichiometry. The XRD-calculated amorphous component was 50 +/- 15 wt%. We constrained the value to 60 wt% because it is the minimum value necessary to give a positive Al2O3 concentration for the amorphous component using APXS data for the post-sieve dump pile (Table 2). The amorphous component has high SiO2 (approx.77 wt%) and high anion (SO3+P2O5+Cl ~10 wt%) concentrations. Calculation shows that a cation-anion balance is achieved if the cations in the amorphous component except SiO2 and TiO2, which do not readily form salts, are assumed to be present as amorphous mixed-cation sulfates, phosphates, and chlorides (or perchlorates/ chlorates).

The Pahrump Hills region of Gale crater is a approximately 12 millimeter thick section of sedimentary rock in the Murray formation, interpreted as the basal geological unit of Mount Sharp. The Mars Science Laboratory, Curiosity, arrived at the Pahrump Hills in September 2014 and performed a detailed six-month investigation of the sedimentary structures, geochemistry, and mineralogy of the area. During the campaign, Curiosity drilled and delivered three mudstone samples (targets Confidence Hills, Mojave 2, and Telegraph Peak) to its internal instruments, including the CheMin XRD/XRF.

The Pahrump Hills region of Gale crater is a approximately 12 millimeter thick section of sedimentary rocks in the Murray formation, interpreted as the basal geological unit of Mount Sharp. The Mars Science Laboratory, Curiosity, arrived at the Pahrump Hills in September, 2014, and performed a detailed six-month investigation of the sedimentary structures, geochemistry, and mineralogy of the area. During the campaign, Curiosity drilled and delivered three rock samples to its internal instruments, including the CheMin XRD/XRF. The three targets, Confidence Hills, Mojave 2, and Telegraph Peak, contain variable amounts of plagioclase, pyroxene, iron oxides, jarosite, phyllosilicates, and X-ray amorphous material. Hematite was predicted at the base of Mount Sharp from orbital visible/near-IR spectroscopy, and CheMin confirmed this detection. The presence of jarosite throughout Pahrump Hills suggests the sediments experienced acid-sulfate alteration, either in-situ or within the source region of the sediments. This acidic leaching environment is in stark contrast to the environment preserved within the Sheepbed mudstone on the plains of Gale crater. The minerals within Sheepbed, including Fe-saponite, indicate these sediments were deposited in a shallow lake with circumneutral pH that may have been habitable.

We have previously calculated the chemical compositions of the X-ray-diffraction (XRD) amorphous component of three solid samples (Rocknest (RN) soil, John Klein (JK) drill fines, and Cumberland (CB) drill fines) using major-element chemistry (APXS), volatile-element chemistry (SAM), and crystalline- phase mineralogy (CheMin) obtained by the Curiosity rover as a part of the ongoing Mars Science Laboratory mission in Gale Crater. According to CheMin analysis, the RN and the JK and CB samples are mineralogically distinct in that RN has no detectable clay minerals and both JK and CB have significant concentrations of high-Fe saponite. The chemical composition of the XRD amorphous component is the composition remaining after mathematical removal of the compositions of crystalline components, including phyllosilicates if present. Subsequent to, we have improved the unit cell parameters for Fe-forsterite, augite, and pigeonite, resulting in revised chemical compositions for the XRD-derived crystalline component (excluding clay minerals). We update here the calculated compositions of amorphous components using these revised mineral compositions.

The Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) rover Curiosity recently completed its fourth drill sampling of sediments on Mars. The Confidence Hills (CH) sample was drilled from a rock located in the Pahrump Hills region at the base of Mt. Sharp in Gale Crater. The CheMin X-ray diffractometer completed five nights of analysis on the sample, more than previously executed for a drill sample, and the data have been analyzed using Rietveld refinement and full-pattern fitting to determine quantitative mineralogy. Confidence Hills mineralogy has several important characteristics: 1) abundant hematite and lesser magnetite; 2) a 10 angstrom phyllosilicate; 3) multiple feldspars including plagioclase and alkali feldspar; 4) mafic silicates including forsterite, orthopyroxene, and two types of clinopyroxene (Ca-rich and Ca-poor), consistent with a basaltic source; and 5) minor contributions from sulfur-bearing species including jarosite.

The CheMin instrument on the Mars Science Laboratory rover Curiosity performed X-ray diffraction analyses on scooped soil at Rocknest and on drilled rock fines at Yellowknife Bay (John Klein and Cumberland samples), The Kimberley (Windjana sample), and Pahrump (Confidence Hills sample) in Gale crater, Mars. Samples were analyzed with the Rietveld method to determine the unit-cell parameters and abundance of each observed crystalline phase. Unit-cell parameters were used to estimate compositions of the major crystalline phases using crystal-chemical techniques. These phases include olivine, plagioclase and clinopyroxene minerals. Comparison of the CheMin sample unit-cell parameters with those in the literature provides an estimate of the chemical compositions of the major crystalline phases. Preliminary unit-cell parameters, abundances and compositions of crystalline phases found in Rocknest and Yellowknife Bay samples were reported in. Further instrument calibration, development of 2D-to- 1D pattern conversion corrections, and refinement of corrected data allows presentation of improved compositions for the above samples.

Soils on Mars have been analyzed by the Mars Exploration Rovers (MER) and most recently by the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) rover. Chemical analyses from a majority of soil samples suggest that there is a relatively uniform global soil composition across much of the planet. A soil site, Rocknest, was sampled by the MSL science payload including the CheMin X-ray diffractometer and the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS). Che- Min X-ray diffraction (XRD) data revealed crystalline phases and a broad, elevated background, indicating the presence of amorphous or poorly ordered materials (Fig 1). Based on the chemical composition of the bulk soil measured by APXS and the composition of crystalline phases derived from unit-cell parameters determined with CheMin data, the percentages of crystalline and amorphous phases were calculated at 51% and 49%, respectively. Attempts to model the amorphous contribution to CheMin XRD patterns were made using amorphous standards and full-pattern fitting methods and show that the broad, elevated background region can be fitted by basaltic glass, allophane, and palagonite. However, the modeling shows only that these phases have scattering patterns similar to that for the soil, not that they represent unique solutions. Here, we use pair distribution function (PDF) analysis to determine the short-range order of amorphous analogs in martian soils and better constrain the amorphous material detected by CheMin.

The Mars Science Laboratory rover Curiosity has encountered a variety of sedimentary rocks in Gale crater with different grain sizes, diagenetic features, sedimentary structures, and varying degrees of resistance to erosion. Curiosity has drilled three rocks to date and has analyzed the mineralogy, chemical composition, and textures of the samples with the science payload. The drilled rocks are the Sheepbed mudstone at Yellowknife Bay on the plains of Gale crater (John Klein and Cumberland targets), the Dillinger sandstone at the Kimberley on the plains of Gale crater (Windjana target), and a sedimentary unit in the Pahrump Hills in the lowermost rocks at the base of Mt. Sharp (Confidence Hills target). CheMin is the Xray diffractometer on Curiosity, and its data are used to identify and determine the abundance of mineral phases. Secondary phases can tell us about aqueous alteration processes and, thus, can help to elucidate past aqueous environments. Here, we present the secondary mineralogy of the rocks drilled to date as seen by CheMin and discuss past aqueous environments in Gale crater, the potential cementing agents in each rock, and how amorphous materials may play a role in cementing the sediments.

To obtain detailed mineralogy information, the Mars Science Laboratory rover Curiosity carries CheMin, the first X-ray diffraction (XRD) instrument used on a planet other than Earth. CheMin has provided the first in situ XRD analyses of full phase assemblages on another planet.

The CheMin X-ray diffraction (XRD) instrument onboard the Mars Science Laboratory rover Curiosity in Gale Crater, Mars, discovered smectite in drill fines of the Sheepbed mudstone at Yellowknife Bay (YNB). The mudstone has a basaltic composition, and the XRD powder diffraction pattern shows smectite 02l diffraction bands peaking at 4.59 A for targets John Klein and Cumberland, consistent with tri-octahedral smectites (saponite). From thermal analysis, the saponite abundance is ~20 wt. %. Among terrestrial analogues we have studied, ferrian saponite from Griffith Park (Los Angeles, CA) gives the best match to the position of the 02l diffraction band of YNB saponites. Here we describe iron-rich saponites from a terrestrial perspective, with a focus on Griffith saponite, and discuss their implications for the mineralogy of Sheepbed saponite and its formation pathways. Iron-rich saponite: Iron-rich saponite on the Earth is recognized as a low-temperature (<100 C), authigenic alteration product of basalt [e.g., 4-16]. In the discussion that follows, we reference the position of the 02l band because it is a measure of the unit cell 'b' dimension of the octahedral layer and thus the cations (including Fe redox state) in the octahedral layer. Ordinarily, the 06l band near 1.5 A is used to determine the 'b' dimension of smectite, but this band is not accessible with MSL CheMin instrument. For reference, a ferrosaponite (i.e., Fe2+ saponite) studied by [15] has a 02l spacing of 4.72 A and Fe3+/Fe = 0.27 [15]. Samples of terrestrial ferrosaponite, however, are reported to oxidize on the timescale of days when removed from their natural environment and not protected from oxidation. The Griffith saponite is Mg-rich ferrian saponite, and sample AMNH 89172 has an 02l spacing of 4.59 A (same as the Sheepbed saponites) and Fe3+/Fe = 0.64 [3]. This similarity suggests that Sheepbed saponites are ferrian (incompletely oxidized ferrosaponite). More oxidized Griffith saponites (Fe3+/Fe > 0.90) have somewhat smaller 02l d-spacings and also show Mossbauer evidence for an XRD amorphous Fe-bearing phase (e.g., ferrihydrite, hisingerite, superparamagnetic ferric oxides, etc.). The Griffith saponite occurs as vesicle fills, as replacements of olivine, and as replacements of mesostasis (basaltic glass). Similar occurrence modes are reported elsewhere. Hisingerite has been proposed by [13] as the alteration product of ferrian saponite whose precursor by oxidation was ferrosaponite.

Both primary (volcanic/impact glasses) and secondary (opal/silica, allophane, hisingerite, npOx, S-bearing) amorphous phases appear to be major components of martian surface materials based on orbital and in-situ measurements. A key observation is that whereas regional/global scale amorphous components include altered glass and npOx, local scale amorphous phases include hydrated silica/opal. This suggests widespread alteration at low water-to-rock ratios, perhaps due to snow/ice melt with variable pH, and localized alteration at high water-to-rock ratios. Orbital and in-situ measurements of the regional/global amorphous component on Mars suggests that it is made up of at least three phases: npOx, amorphous silicate (likely altered glass), and an amorphous S-bearing phase. Fundamental questions regarding the composition and the formation of the regional/global amorphous component(s) still remain: Do the phases form locally or have they been homogenized through aeolian activity and derived from the global dust? Is the parent glass volcanic, impact, or both? Are the phases separate or intimately mixed (e.g., as in palagonite)? When did the amorphous phases form? To address the question of source (local and/or global), we need to look for variations in the different phases within the amorphous component through continued modeling of the chemical composition of the amorphous phases in samples from Gale using CheMin and APXS data. If we find variations (e.g., a lack of or enrichment in amorphous silicate in some samples), this may imply a local source for some phases. Furthermore, the chemical composition of the weathering products may give insight into the formation mechanisms of the parent glass (e.g., impact glasses contain higher Al and lower Si [30], so we might expect allophane as a weathering product of impact glass). To address the question of whether these phases are separate or intimately mixed, we need to do laboratory studies of naturally altered samples made up of mixed phases (e.g., palagonite) and synthetic single phases to determine their short-range order structures and calculate their XRD patterns to use in models of CheMin data. Finally, to address the timing of the alteration, we need to study rocks on the martian surface of different ages that may contain glass (volcanic or impact) with MSL and future rovers to better understand how glass alters on the martian surface, if that alteration mechanism is universal, and if alteration spans across long periods of time or if there is a time past which unaltered glass remains.

A significant portion of the soil of the Rocknest dune is crystalline and is consistent with derivation from unweathered basalt. Minerals and their compositions are identified by X-ray diffraction (XRD) data from the CheMin instrument on MSL Curiosity. Basalt minerals in the soil include plagioclase, olivine, low- and high-calcium pyroxenes, magnetite, ilmenite, and quartz. The only minerals unlikely to have formed in an unaltered basalt are hematite and anhydrite. The mineral proportions and compositions of the Rocknest soil are nearly identical to those of the Adirondack-class basalts of Gusev Crater, Mars, inferred from their bulk composition as analyzed by the MER Spirit rover.

The Mars Science Laboratory rover Curiosity has been exploring Mars since August 5, 2012, conducting engineering and first-time activities with its mobility system, arm, sample acquisition and processing system (SA/SPaH-CHIMRA) and science instruments. Curiosity spent 54 sols at a location named "Rocknest," collecting and processing five scoops of loose, unconsolidated materials ("soil") acquired from an aeolian bedform (Fig. 1). The Chemistry and Mineralogy (CheMin) instrument analyzed portions of scoops 3, 4, and 5, to obtain the first quantitative mineralogical analysis of Mars soil, and to provide context for Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) measurements of volatiles, isotopes and possible organic materials.

X-ray diffraction (XRD) data collected of the Rocknest samples by the CheMin instrument on Mars Science Laboratory suggest the presence of poorly crystalline or amorphous materials [1], such as nanophase weathering products or volcanic and impact glasses. The identification of the type(s) of X-ray amorphous material at Rocknest is important because it can elucidate past aqueous weathering processes. The presence of volcanic and impact glasses would indicate that little chemical weathering has occurred because glass is highly susceptible to aqueous alteration. The presence of nanophase weathering products, such as allophane, nanophase iron-oxides, and/or palagonite, would indicate incipient chemical weathering. Furthermore, the types of weathering products present could help constrain pH conditions and identify which primary phases altered to form the weathering products. Quantitative analysis of phases from CheMin data is achieved through Reference Intensity Ratios (RIRs) and Rietveld refinement. The RIR of a mineral (or mineraloid) that relates the scattering power of that mineral (typically the most intense diffraction line) to the scattering power of a separate mineral standard such as corundum [2]. RIRs can be calculated from XRD patterns measured in the laboratory by mixing a mineral with a standard in known abundances and comparing diffraction line intensities of the mineral to the standard. X-ray amorphous phases (e.g., nanophase weathering products) have broad scattering signatures rather than sharp diffraction lines. Thus, RIRs of X-ray amorphous materials are calculated by comparing the area under one of these broad scattering signals with the area under a diffraction line in the standard. Here, we measured XRD patterns of nanophase weathering products (allophane, aluminosilicate gel, and ferrihydrite) mixed with a mineral standard (beryl) in the CheMinIV laboratory instrument and calculated their RIRs to help constrain the abundances of these phases in the Rocknest samples.

The CheMin (Chemistry and Mineralogy) instrument on the Mars Science Laboratory rover Curiosity uses a CCD detector and a Co-anode X-ray tube source to acquire both mineralogy (from the pattern of Co diffraction) and chemical information (from energies of fluoresced X-rays). A key component of the CheMin instrument is the ability to move grains within sample cells during analysis, providing multiple, random grain orientations that disperse diffracted X-ray photons along Debye rings rather than producing discrete Laue spots. This movement is accomplished by piezoelectric vibration of the sample cells. A cryocooler is used to maintain the CCD at a temperature at about -50 C in order to obtain energy resolution better than 250 eV, allowing discrimination of diffracted Co K X-rays from Fe K and other fluorescent X-rays. A detailed description of CheMin is provided in [1]. The CheMin flight model (FM) is mounted within the body of Curiosity and has been operating on Mars since August 6, 2012. An essentially identical sister instrument, the CheMin demonstration model (DM), is operated in a Mars environment chamber at JPL.