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1. Overview and Results From the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover's First Science Campaign on the Jezero Crater Floor

Author

Vivian Z. Sun, Kevin P. Hand, Kathryn M. Stack, Ken A. Farley, Justin I. Simon, Claire Newman, Sunanda Sharma, Yang Liu, Roger C. Wiens, Amy J. Williams, Nicholas Tosca, Sanna Alwmark, Olivier Beyssac, Adrian Brown, Fred Calef, Emily L. Cardarelli, Elise Clavé, Barbara Cohen, Andrea Corpolongo, Andrew D. Czaja, Tyler Del Sesto, Alberto Fairen, Teresa Fornaro, Thierry Fouchet, Brad Garczynski, Sanjeev Gupta, Chris D. K. Herd, Keyron Hickman-Lewis, Briony Horgan, Jeffrey Johnson, Kjartan Kinch, Tanya Kizovski, Rachel Kronyak, Robert Lange, Lucia Mandon, Sarah Milkovich, Robert Moeller, Jorge Núñez, Gerhard Paar, Guy Pyrzak, Cathy Quantin-Nataf, David L. Shuster, Sandra Siljestroem, Andrew Steele, Michael Tice, Olivier Toupet, Arya Udry, Alicia Vaughan, and Brittan Wogsland

Subjects
Lunar And Planetary Science And Exploration
Abstract

The Mars 2020 Perseverance rover landed in Jezero crater on 18 February 2021. After a 100-sol period of commissioning and the Ingenuity Helicopter technology demonstration, Perseverance began its first science campaign to explore the enigmatic Jezero crater floor, whose igneous or sedimentary origins have been much debated in the scientific community. This paper describes the campaign plan developed to explore the crater floor's Máaz and Séítah formations and summarizes the results of the campaign between sols 100–379. By the end of the campaign, Perseverance had traversed more than 5 km, created seven abrasion patches, and sealed nine samples and a witness tube. Analysis of remote and proximity science observations show that the Máaz and Séítah formations are igneous in origin and composed of five and two geologic members, respectively. The Séítah formation represents the olivine-rich cumulate formed from differentiation of a slowly cooling melt or magma body, and the Máaz formation likely represents a separate series of lava flows emplaced after Séítah. The Máaz and Séítah rocks also preserve evidence of multiple episodes of aqueous alteration in secondary minerals like carbonate, Fe/Mg phyllosilicates, sulfates, and perchlorate, and surficial coatings. Post-emplacement processes tilted the rocks near the Máaz-Séítah contact and substantial erosion modified the crater floor rocks to their present-day expressions. Results from this crater floor campaign, including those obtained upon return of the collected samples, will help to build the geologic history of events that occurred in Jezero crater and provide time constraints on the formation of the Jezero delta.

Published
2023
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2. Overview and Results From the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover's First Science Campaign on the Jezero Crater Floor

Author

Vivian Z. Sun, Kevin P. Hand, Kathryn M. Stack, Ken A. Farley, Justin I. Simon, Claire Newman, Sunanda Sharma, Yang Liu, Roger C. Wiens, Amy J. Williams, Nicholas Tosca, Sanna Alwmark, Olivier Beyssac, Adrian Brown, Fred Calef, Emily L. Cardarelli, Elise Clavé, Barbara Cohen, Andrea Corpolongo, Andrew D. Czaja, Tyler Del Sesto, Alberto Fairen, Teresa Fornaro, Thierry Fouchet, Brad Garczynski, Sanjeev Gupta, Chris D. K. Herd, Keyron Hickman‐Lewis, Briony Horgan, Jeffrey Johnson, Kjartan Kinch, Tanya Kizovski, Rachel Kronyak, Robert Lange, Lucia Mandon, Sarah Milkovich, Robert Moeller, Jorge Núñez, Gerhard Paar, Guy Pyrzak, Cathy Quantin‐Nataf, David L. Shuster, Sandra Siljestrom, Andrew Steele, Michael Tice, Olivier Toupet, Arya Udry, Alicia Vaughan, Brittan Wogsland, Sun, VZ [0000-0003-1480-7369], Hand, KP [0000-0002-3225-9426], Simon, JI [0000-0002-3969-8958], Newman, C [0000-0001-9990-8817], Wiens, RC [0000-0002-3409-7344], Tosca, N [0000-0003-4415-4231], Alwmark, S [0000-0002-0146-9324], Beyssac, O [0000-0001-8879-4762], Brown, A [0000-0002-9352-6989], Calef, F [0000-0002-5132-3980], Cardarelli, EL [0000-0001-5451-2309], Clavé, E [0000-0002-9514-8168], Cohen, B [0000-0001-5896-5903], Corpolongo, A [0000-0002-8623-358X], Czaja, AD [0000-0002-2450-0734], Fairen, A [0000-0002-2938-6010], Fornaro, T [0000-0001-7705-9658], Fouchet, T [0000-0001-9040-8285], Herd, CDK [0000-0001-5210-4002], Horgan, B [0000-0001-6314-9724], Johnson, J [0000-0002-5586-4901], Kinch, K [0000-0002-4629-8880], Kronyak, R [0000-0002-2740-5660], Mandon, L [0000-0002-9310-0742], Núñez, J [0000-0003-0930-6674], Paar, G [0000-0003-3198-8640], Pyrzak, G [0000-0001-7094-9770], Steele, A [0000-0001-9643-2841], Toupet, O [0000-0003-4993-7390], Udry, A [0000-0002-0074-8110], Wogsland, B [0000-0002-7829-5094], and Apollo - University of Cambridge Repository

Subjects
Geophysics, Space and Planetary Science, Geochemistry and Petrology, 5101 Astronomical Sciences, Earth and Planetary Sciences (miscellaneous), 37 Earth Sciences, 3705 Geology, 51 Physical Sciences, 3703 Geochemistry
Abstract

The Mars 2020 Perseverance rover landed in Jezero crater on 18 February 2021. After a 100‐sol period of commissioning and the Ingenuity Helicopter technology demonstration, Perseverance began its first science campaign to explore the enigmatic Jezero crater floor, whose igneous or sedimentary origins have been much debated in the scientific community. This paper describes the campaign plan developed to explore the crater floor's Máaz and Séítah formations and summarizes the results of the campaign between sols 100–379. By the end of the campaign, Perseverance had traversed more than 5 km, created seven abrasion patches, and sealed nine samples and a witness tube. Analysis of remote and proximity science observations show that the Máaz and Séítah formations are igneous in origin and composed of five and two geologic members, respectively. The Séítah formation represents the olivine‐rich cumulate formed from differentiation of a slowly cooling melt or magma body, and the Máaz formation likely represents a separate series of lava flows emplaced after Séítah. The Máaz and Séítah rocks also preserve evidence of multiple episodes of aqueous alteration in secondary minerals like carbonate, Fe/Mg phyllosilicates, sulfates, and perchlorate, and surficial coatings. Post‐emplacement processes tilted the rocks near the Máaz‐Séítah contact and substantial erosion modified the crater floor rocks to their present‐day expressions. Results from this crater floor campaign, including those obtained upon return of the collected samples, will help to build the geologic history of events that occurred in Jezero crater and provide time constraints on the formation of the Jezero delta.

Published
2023

4. Orbital and In‐Situ Investigation of Periodic Bedrock Ridges in Glen Torridon, Gale Crater, Mars

Author

Kathryn M. Stack, William E. Dietrich, Michael P. Lamb, Robert J. Sullivan, John R. Christian, Claire E. Newman, Catherine D. O’Connell‐Cooper, Jonathan W. Sneed, Mackenzie Day, Mariah Baker, Raymond E. Arvidson, Christopher M. Fedo, Sabrina Khan, Rebecca M. E. Williams, Kristen A. Bennett, Alexander B. Bryk, Shannon Cofield, Lauren A. Edgar, Valerie K. Fox, Abigail A. Fraeman, Christopher H. House, David M. Rubin, Vivian Z. Sun, and Jason K. Van Beek

Subjects
Geophysics, Space and Planetary Science, Geochemistry and Petrology, Earth and Planetary Sciences (miscellaneous)
Abstract

Gale crater, the field site for NASA's Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover, contains a diverse and extensive record of aeolian deposition and erosion. This study focuses on a series of regularly spaced, curvilinear, and sometimes branching bedrock ridges that occur within the Glen Torridon region on the lower northwest flank of Aeolis Mons, the central mound within Gale crater. During Curiosity's exploration of Glen Torridon between sols ∼2300-3080, the rover drove through this field of ridges, providing the opportunity for in situ observation of these features. This study uses orbiter and rover data to characterize ridge morphology, spatial distribution, compositional and material properties, and association with other aeolian features in the area. Based on these observations, we find that the Glen Torridon ridges are consistent with an origin as wind-eroded bedrock ridges, carved during the exhumation of Mount Sharp. Erosional features like the Glen Torridon ridges observed elsewhere on Mars, termed periodic bedrock ridges (PBRs), have been interpreted to form transverse to the dominant wind direction. The size and morphology of the Glen Torridon PBRs are consistent with transverse formative winds, but the orientation of nearby aeolian bedforms and bedrock erosional features raise the possibility of PBR formation by a net northeasterly wind regime. Although several formation models for the Glen Torridon PBRs are still under consideration, and questions persist about the nature of PBR-forming paleowinds, the presence of PBRs at this site provides important constraints on the depositional and erosional history of Gale crater.

Published
2022

6. Characterizing the Mineral Assemblages of Hot Spring Environments and Applications to Mars Orbital Data

Author

Ralph E. Milliken and Vivian Z. Sun

Subjects
inorganic chemicals, Geologic Sediments, 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, Earth, Planet, Mars, complex mixtures, 01 natural sciences, Hot Springs, Astrobiology, chemistry.chemical_compound, 0103 physical sciences, 010303 astronomy & astrophysics, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences, Martian, Minerals, Hot spring, Spectroscopy, Near-Infrared, Mineral, Hydrated silica, fungi, Water, Quartz, Mars Exploration Program, Hydrogen-Ion Concentration, equipment and supplies, Agricultural and Biological Sciences (miscellaneous), CRISM, chemistry, Space and Planetary Science, Opaline silica, bacteria, Earth (classical element), Geology
Abstract

Certain martian hydrated silica deposits have been hypothesized to represent ancient hot spring environments, but many environments can produce hydrated silica on Earth. This study compares the mineral assemblages produced in terrestrial hot springs to those observed in silica-producing volcanic fumarolic environments to determine which diagnostic features of hot springs could be remotely sensed on Mars. We find that hot spring environments are more likely to produce geochemically mature silica (

Published
2020

8. Perseverance rover reveals an ancient delta-lake system and flood deposits at Jezero crater, Mars

Author

C. Quantin-Nataf, Keyron Hickman-Lewis, Adrian J. Brown, Tanja Bosak, Scott M. McLennan, David L. Shuster, Kenneth H. Williford, R. A. Yingst, Kenneth A. Farley, Benjamin P. Weiss, James F. Bell, Sylvestre Maurice, Amy J. Williams, Linda C. Kah, S. F. Sholes, Gilles Dromart, Vivian Z. Sun, Justin I. Simon, S. Holm-Alwmark, Jorge I. Nunez, Olivier Gasnault, Sunetra Gupta, Ann Ollila, Melissa S. Rice, Allan H. Treiman, K. M. Stack, John P. Grotzinger, N. Mangold, J. Martinez-Frias, Bethany L. Ehlmann, Roger C. Wiens, J. W. Rice, Olivier Beyssac, P. Pilleri, Fred Calef, Briony Horgan, J. D. Tarnas, Nathan R. Williams, S. Le Mouélic, Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géodynamique [UMR 6112] (LPG), Université d'Angers (UA)-Université de Nantes - UFR des Sciences et des Techniques (UN UFR ST), Université de Nantes (UN)-Université de Nantes (UN)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Laboratoire de Géologie de Lyon - Terre, Planètes, Environnement [Lyon] (LGL-TPE), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 (UCBL), Université de Lyon-Université de Lyon-École normale supérieure - Lyon (ENS Lyon), Institut de minéralogie, de physique des matériaux et de cosmochimie (IMPMC), Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (MNHN)-Institut de recherche pour le développement [IRD] : UR206-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Institut de recherche en astrophysique et planétologie (IRAP), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées (OMP), Météo France-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Météo France-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Laboratoire de Géologie de Lyon - Terre, Planètes, Environnement (LGL-TPE), École normale supérieure de Lyon (ENS de Lyon)-Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 (UCBL), Université de Lyon-Université de Lyon-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Jean Monnet - Saint-Étienne (UJM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées (OMP), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), and Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Météo-France -Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Météo-France -Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)

Subjects
Delta, Hydrology Geomorphology fluvial 1625, 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, Geochemistry, [SDU.ASTR.EP]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Astrophysics [astro-ph]/Earth and Planetary Astrophysics [astro-ph.EP], Mars, 01 natural sciences, Jezero crater, [SDU.STU.PL]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Planetology, Impact crater, Margin (machine learning), 0103 physical sciences, 010303 astronomy & astrophysics, CORINTH, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences, ARCHITECTURE, Multidisciplinary, Flood myth, ORIGIN, Mars Exploration Program, SCIENCE, Sedimentology, 13. Climate action, RIFT, Sedimentary rock, Geology
Abstract

Perseverance images of a delta on Mars The Perseverance rover landed in Jezero crater, Mars, in February 2021. Earlier orbital images showed that the crater contains an ancient river delta that was deposited by water flowing into a lake billions of years ago. Mangold et al . analyzed rover images taken shortly after landing that show distant cliff faces at the edge of the delta. The exposed stratigraphy and sizes of boulders allowed them to determine the past lake level and water discharge rates. An initially steady flow transitioned into intermittent floods as the planet dried out. This history of the delta’s geology provides context for the rest of the mission and improves our understanding of Mars’ ancient climate. —KTS

Published
2021

9. Stratigraphic relationships in Jezero crater, Mars: constraints on the timing of fluvial‐lacustrine activity from orbital observations

Author

Kjartan M. Kinch, K. M. Stack, Ryan B. Anderson, J. Knade, Linda C. Kah, William Abbey, Ernst Hauber, Vivian Z. Sun, Fred Calef, S. Holm-Alwmark, N. B. Miklusicak, S. Shahrzad, Briony Horgan, J. D. Tarnas, C. Quantin-Nataf, Sanjeev Gupta, K. Svennevig, M Hansen, UK Space Agency, Laboratoire de Géologie de Lyon - Terre, Planètes, Environnement (LGL-TPE), École normale supérieure de Lyon (ENS de Lyon)-Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 (UCBL), and Université de Lyon-Université de Lyon-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Jean Monnet - Saint-Étienne (UJM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)

Subjects
Delta, SURFACE, Fluvial, Mars, Structural basin, DEPOSITS, VALLEYS, Deposition (geology), HRSC, Paleontology, delta, Jezero crater, Impact crater, FLUID TRANSPORT, Geochemistry and Petrology, 0201 Astronomical and Space Sciences, Earth and Planetary Sciences (miscellaneous), Assemblage (archaeology), 0402 Geochemistry, NETWORK, EROSION RATES, BASIN, DELTA, ORIGIN, Mars 2020, sedimentology, stratigraphy, Mars Exploration Program, Geophysics, Stratigraphy, ROCKS, 0403 Geology, [SDU]Sciences of the Universe [physics], Space and Planetary Science, rover, Geology
Abstract

International audience; On February 18, 2021 NASA's Perseverance rover landed in Jezero crater, located at the northwestern edge of the Isidis basin on Mars. The uppermost surface of the present-day crater floor is dominated by a distinct geologic assemblage previously referred to as the dark-toned floor. It consists of a smooth, dark-toned unit overlying and variably covering light-toned, roughly eroded deposits showing evidence of discrete layers. In this study, we investigated the stratigraphic relations between materials that comprise this assemblage, the main western delta deposit, as well as isolated mesas located east of the main delta body that potentially represent delta remnants. A more detailed classification and differentiation of crater floor units in Jezero and determination of their relative ages is vital for the understanding of the geologic evolution of the crater system, and determination of the potential timeline and environments of habitability. We have investigated unit contacts using topographic profiles and DEMs as well as the distribution of small craters and fractures on the youngest portions of the crater floor. Our results indicate that at least some of the deltaic deposition in Jezero postdates emplacement of the uppermost surface of the crater floor assemblage. The inferred age of the floor assemblage can therefore help to constrain the timing of the Jezero fluviolacustrine system, wherein at least some lake activity postdates the age of the uppermost crater floor. We present hypotheses that can be tested by Perseverance and can be used to advance our knowledge of the geologic evolution of the area.

Published
2021

10. Extensive Polygonal Fracture Network in Siccar Point group Strata: Fracture Mechanisms and Implications for Fluid Circulation in Gale Crater, Mars

Author

Vivian Z. Sun, Alexander B. Bryk, R. E. Kronyak, Rebecca M. E. Williams, Linda C. Kah, Kenneth S. Edgett, and N. B. Miklusicak

Subjects
Geophysics, Space and Planetary Science, Geochemistry and Petrology, Group (stratigraphy), Earth and Planetary Sciences (miscellaneous), Fracture (geology), Fluid dynamics, Gale crater, Point (geometry), Fluid circulation, Mars Exploration Program, Petrology, Geology
Published
2019

12. X-ray amorphous components in sedimentary rocks of Gale crater, Mars: Evidence for ancient formation and long-lived aqueous activity

Author

E. B. Rampe, Cherie N. Achilles, Briony Horgan, Erwin Dehouck, Mark R. Salvatore, R. J. Smith, Vivian Z. Sun, N. Mangold, Kirsten L. Siebach, Scott M. McLennan, State University of New York, Stonybrook, State University of New York (SUNY), Laboratoire de Géologie de Lyon - Terre, Planètes, Environnement [Lyon] (LGL-TPE), École normale supérieure - Lyon (ENS Lyon)-Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 (UCBL), Université de Lyon-Université de Lyon-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géodynamique [UMR 6112] (LPG), Université d'Angers (UA)-Université de Nantes - UFR des Sciences et des Techniques (UN UFR ST), Université de Nantes (UN)-Université de Nantes (UN)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Laboratoire de Géologie de Lyon - Terre, Planètes, Environnement (LGL-TPE), École normale supérieure de Lyon (ENS de Lyon)-Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 (UCBL), Université de Lyon-Université de Lyon-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Jean Monnet - Saint-Étienne (UJM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université de Nantes - UFR des Sciences et des Techniques (UN UFR ST), and Université de Nantes (UN)-Université de Nantes (UN)-Université d'Angers (UA)

Subjects
geography, geography.geographical_feature_category, Noachian, Geochemistry, Mars, Context (language use), Diagenesis, Geophysics, [SDU.STU.PL]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Planetology, Volcano, Impact crater, Space and Planetary Science, Geochemistry and Petrology, [SDU]Sciences of the Universe [physics], X ray amorphous, aqueous alteration, Earth and Planetary Sciences (miscellaneous), Hesperian, curiosity rover, Sedimentary rock, gale crater, Lithification, diagenesis
Abstract

International audience; The CheMin instrument on the Mars Science Laboratory rover Curiosity detected ubiquitous high abundances (∼15-70 wt%) of X ray amorphous components (AmCs) in ancient sedimentary rocks of Gale crater. Mechanisms and timing of formation for the AmCs are poorly constrained, and could include volcanic, impact, or aqueous processes. We explore trends in AmC composition and abundance, and look for systematic compositional variation between sites within Gale crater. AmC compositions were estimated indirectly based on bulk chemistry and the nature and abundance of the crystalline phases for 19 sedimentary rock samples. AmC abundances positively correlate with AmC SiO2 contents, and a mixing relationship appears to exist between SiO2 rich and FeOT rich AmC endmembers. Endmember compositions are inconsistent with volcanic or impact glass alone, and so we conclude that the SiO2 and FeOT contents formed largely through aqueous processes. Cross cutting relationships and geologic context provide evidence that the most SiO2 rich AmCs observed in Gale crater thus far may result from interactions with localized fluids during late diagenesis. AmCs with moderate to low SiO2 contents likely formed earlier (before or soon after sediment deposition). Thus, the AmC SiO2 and FeOT contents in Gale crater rocks represent mixtures of sedimentary materials formed over most of the sedimentary history of Gale crater, starting before the first sediments were deposited in the crater (late Noachian), and ending well after the youngest sediments were lithified (at least mid Hesperian). However, it remains unclear how these metastable minerals have persisted through billions of years of diagenesis in Gale crater sediments.

Published
2021

14. Photogeologic Map of the Perseverance Rover Field Site in Jezero Crater Constructed by the Mars 2020 Science Team

Author

Kathryn M. Stack, Nathan R. Williams, Fred Calef, Vivian Z. Sun, Kenneth H. Williford, Kenneth A. Farley, Sigurd Eide, David Flannery, Cory Hughes, Samantha R. Jacob, Linda C. Kah, Forrest Meyen, Antonio Molina, Cathy Quantin Nataf, Melissa Rice, Patrick Russell, Eva Scheller, Christina H. Seeger, William J. Abbey, Jacob B. Adler, Hans Amundsen, Ryan B. Anderson, Stanley M. Angel, Gorka Arana, James Atkins, Megan Barrington, Tor Berger, Rose Borden, Beau Boring, Adrian Brown, Brandi L. Carrier, Pamela Conrad, Henning Dypvik, Sarah A. Fagents, Zachary E. Gallegos, Brad Garczynski, Keenan Golder, Felipe Gomez, Yulia Goreva, Sanjeev Gupta, Svein-Erik Hamran, Taryn Hicks, Eric D. Hinterman, Briony N. Horgan, Joel Hurowitz, Jeffrey R. Johnson, Jeremie Lasue, Rachel E. Kronyak, Yang Liu, Juan Manuel Madariaga, Nicolas Mangold, John McClean, Noah Miklusicak, Daniel Nunes, Corrine Rojas, Kirby Runyon, Nicole Schmitz, Noel Scudder, Emily Shaver, Jason SooHoo, Russell Spaulding, Evan Stanish, Leslie K. Tamppari, Michael M. Tice, Nathalie Turenne, Peter A. Willis, R. Aileen Yingst, Unidad de Excelencia Científica Centro de Astrobiología María de Maeztu del Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial y CSIC, MDM-2017-0737, Molina, A. [0000-0002-5038-2022], Hughes, C. [0000-0002-7061-1443], Jacob, S. [0000-0001-9950-1486], Arana, Gorka [0000-0001-7854-855X], Sun, V. Z. [0000-0003-1480-7369], Stack, K. [0000-0003-3444-6695], Williford, K. [0000-0003-0633-408X], Flannery, D. [0000-0001-8982-496X], Gupta, S. [0000-0001-6415-1332], Williams, N. [0000-0003-0602-484X], European Research Council (ERC), and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Subjects
010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, Mars, Fluvial, Perseverance, 01 natural sciences, Article, Impact crater, 0103 physical sciences, Rover, Impact structure, Digital elevation model, 010303 astronomy & astrophysics, Geomorphology, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences, geography, geography.geographical_feature_category, Bedrock, Astronomy and Astrophysics, Jezero, Mars Exploration Program, 15. Life on land, Geologic map, Planetary science, Space and Planetary Science, Geologic mapping, Geology
Abstract

Stack, K. et al., The Mars 2020 Perseverance rover landing site is located within Jezero crater, a ∼50km diameter impact crater interpreted to be a Noachian-aged lake basin inside the western edge of the Isidis impact structure. Jezero hosts remnants of a fluvial delta, inlet and outlet valleys, and infill deposits containing diverse carbonate, mafic, and hydrated minerals. Prior to the launch of the Mars 2020 mission, members of the Science Team collaborated to produce a photogeologic map of the Perseverance landing site in Jezero crater. Mapping was performed at a 1:5000 digital map scale using a 25 cm/pixel High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) orthoimage mosaic base map and a 1 m/pixel HiRISE stereo digital terrain model. Mapped bedrock and surficial units were distinguished by differences in relative brightness, tone, topography, surface texture, and apparent roughness. Mapped bedrock units are generally consistent with those identified in previously published mapping efforts, but this study’s map includes the distribution of surficial deposits and sub-units of the Jezero delta at a higher level of detail than previous studies. This study considers four possible unit correlations to explain the relative age relationships of major units within the map area. Unit correlations include previously published interpretations as well as those that consider more complex interfingering relationships and alternative relative age relationships. The photogeologic map presented here is the foundation for scientific hypothesis development and strategic planning for Perseverance’s exploration of Jezero crater., With funding from the Spanish government through the "María de Maeztu Unit of Excellence" accreditation (MDM-2017-0737)

Published
2020

15. Synergistic Ground and Orbital Observations of Iron Oxides on Mt. Sharp and Vera Rubin Ridge

Author

S. Jacob, Danika Wellington, James F. Bell, Briony Horgan, Melissa S. Rice, Jeffrey R. Johnson, Roger C. Wiens, Raymond E. Arvidson, R. V. Morris, Patrick Pinet, Valerie Fox, Vivian Z. Sun, Mark R. Salvatore, Abigail A. Fraeman, Ashwin R. Vasavada, Institut de recherche en astrophysique et planétologie (IRAP), Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées (OMP), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Météo-France -Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Météo-France -Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées (OMP), and Météo France-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Météo France-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)

Subjects
spectroscopy, curiosity, Surface Materials and Properties, 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, Infrared, Mineralogy, Mars, 01 natural sciences, Planetary Geochemistry, hematite, Remote Sensing, Planetary Sciences: Solar System Objects, Geochemistry and Petrology, Earth and Planetary Sciences (miscellaneous), medicine, Instruments and Techniques, Spectroscopy, Planetary Sciences: Solid Surface Planets, Research Articles, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences, Mineralogy and Petrology, CRISM<, geography, geography.geographical_feature_category, Bedrock, Mars Exploration Program, Hematite, CRISM, Planetary Mineralogy and Petrology, Geophysics, Geochemistry, 13. Climate action, Space and Planetary Science, Ridge, [SDU]Sciences of the Universe [physics], visual_art, [SDE]Environmental Sciences, visual_art.visual_art_medium, Investigations of Vera Rubin Ridge, Gale Crater, Ferric, Geology, medicine.drug, Composition, Research Article
Abstract

Visible/short‐wave infrared spectral data from the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) show absorptions attributed to hematite at Vera Rubin ridge (VRR), a topographic feature on northwest Mt. Sharp. The goals of this study are to determine why absorptions caused by ferric iron are strongly visible from orbit at VRR and to improve interpretation of CRISM data throughout lower Mt. Sharp. These goals are achieved by analyzing coordinated CRISM and in situ spectral data along the Curiosity Mars rover's traverse. VRR bedrock within areas that have the deepest ferric absorptions in CRISM data also has the deepest ferric absorptions measured in situ. This suggests strong ferric absorptions are visible from orbit at VRR because of the unique spectral properties of VRR bedrock. Dust and mixing with basaltic sand additionally inhibit the ability to measure ferric absorptions in bedrock stratigraphically below VRR from orbit. There are two implications of these findings: (1) Ferric absorptions in CRISM data initially dismissed as noise could be real, and ferric phases are more widespread in lower Mt. Sharp than previously reported. (2) Patches with the deepest ferric absorptions in CRISM data are, like VRR, reflective of deeper absorptions in the bedrock. One model to explain this spectral variability is late‐stage diagenetic fluids that changed the grain size of ferric phases, deepening absorptions. Curiosity's experience highlights the strengths of using CRISM data for spectral absorptions and associated mineral detections and the caveats in using these data for geologic interpretations and strategic path planning tools., Key Points Areas on Vera Rubin ridge with deep ferric absorptions from orbit also have deep ferric absorptions in Curiosity spectral data setsFerric phases are more widespread on Mt. Sharp than originally reported. Diagenesis deepened ferric absorptions in several locationsCombining orbital and in situ observations enhances planetary exploration

Published
2020

16. Evidence for a diagenetic origin of vera rubin ridge, gale crater, Mars: summary and synthesis of curiosity's exploration campaign

Author

Craig Hardgrove, Kirsten L. Siebach, John P. Grotzinger, Christopher S. Edwards, Alexander B. Bryk, Susanne P. Schwenzer, Sarah Stewart Johnson, William E. Dietrich, Lauren A. Edgar, Sunetra Gupta, Steven G. Banham, Jeffrey G. Catalano, S. Czarnecki, K. M. Stack, Ashwin R. Vasavada, R. V. Morris, Danika Wellington, John Bridges, Christopher H. House, Kristen A. Bennett, S. M. R. Turner, David M. Rubin, Jonas L'Haridon, Jeffrey R. Johnson, Roger C. Wiens, Valerie Fox, S. Jacob, Raymond E. Arvidson, Amy J. Williams, Vivian Z. Sun, Christopher M. Fedo, Jens Frydenvang, Travis Gabriel, Briony Horgan, Woodward W. Fischer, E. B. Rampe, Abigail A. Fraeman, Lucy M. Thompson, N. Mangold, G. M. Wong, Mark R. Salvatore, Nathaniel Stein, G. David, Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), UK Space Agency, Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), NASA-California Institute of Technology (CALTECH), Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géodynamique [UMR 6112] (LPG), Université d'Angers (UA)-Université de Nantes - UFR des Sciences et des Techniques (UN UFR ST), and Université de Nantes (UN)-Université de Nantes (UN)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)

Subjects
Geochemistry & Geophysics, 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, Outcrop, Lacustrine, Geochemistry, [SDU.ASTR.EP]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Astrophysics [astro-ph]/Earth and Planetary Astrophysics [astro-ph.EP], Mars, Hematite, FLUID-FLOW, Geologic record, 01 natural sciences, Diagenesis, Geochemistry and Petrology, 0201 Astronomical and Space Sciences, Earth and Planetary Sciences (miscellaneous), 0402 Geochemistry, CHEMCAM INSTRUMENT SUITE, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences, geography, geography.geographical_feature_category, Spectral signature, Science & Technology, SEDIMENTARY-ROCKS, MOUNT SHARP, Bedrock, DYNAMIC ALBEDO, Gale crater, Mars Exploration Program, MURRAY FORMATION, 15. Life on land, ATOM EXCHANGE, Geophysics, Curiosity, 0403 Geology, Space and Planetary Science, visual_art, Physical Sciences, visual_art.visual_art_medium, PAHRUMP HILLS, (U-TH)/HE DATES, Geology
Abstract

This paper provides an overview of the Curiosity rover's exploration at Vera Rubin ridge and summarizes the science results. Vera Rubin ridge (VRR) is a distinct geomorphic feature on lower Aeolis Mons (informally known as Mt. Sharp) that was identified in orbital data based on its distinct texture, topographic expression, and association with a hematite spectral signature. Curiosity conducted extensive remote sensing observations, acquired data on dozens of contact science targets, and drilled three outcrop samples from the ridge, as well as one outcrop sample immediately below the ridge. Our observations indicate that strata composing VRR were deposited in a predominantly lacustrine setting and are part of the Murray formation. The rocks within the ridge are chemically in family with underlying Murray formation strata. Red hematite is dispersed throughout much of the VRR bedrock, and this is the source of the orbital spectral detection. Gray hematite is also present in isolated, gray‐colored patches concentrated towards the upper elevations of VRR, and these gray patches also contain small, dark Fe‐rich nodules. We propose that VRR formed when diagenetic event(s) preferentially hardened rocks, which were subsequently eroded into a ridge by wind. Diagenesis also led to enhanced crystallization and/or cementation that deepened the ferric‐related spectral absorptions on the ridge, which helped make them readily distinguishable from orbit. Results add to existing evidence of protracted aqueous environments at Gale crater and give new insight into how diagenesis shaped Mars’ rock record.

Published
2020

17. Mineralogy and geochemistry of sedimentary rocks and eolian sediments in Gale crater, Mars: A review after six Earth years of exploration with Curiosity

Author

J. M. Morookian, B. Lafuente, John P. Grotzinger, N. Castle, G. W. Downs, Horton E. Newsom, T. S. Peretyazhko, Vivian Z. Sun, R. Walroth, Ashwin R. Vasavada, Christopher M. Fedo, David J. Des Marais, R. M. Hazen, Kirsten L. Siebach, P. R. Mahaffy, A. H. Treiman, John Bridges, Juergen Schieber, R. Gellert, Roger C. Wiens, C. N. Achilles, C. Freissinet, D. F. Blake, Steve J. Chipera, Robert T. Downs, Joy A. Crisp, Jeffrey R. Johnson, Elizabeth B. Rampe, Philippe Sarrazin, Shaunna M. Morrison, Linda C. Kah, D. T. Vaniman, Lauren A. Edgar, P. I. Craig, V. Tu, D. W. Ming, Albert S. Yen, T. F. Bristow, R. V. Morris, Michael T. Thorpe, Danika Wellington, NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC), NASA, NASA Ames Research Center (ARC), Planetary Science Institute [Tucson] (PSI), NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), Geophysical Laboratory [Carnegie Institution], Carnegie Institution for Science [Washington], Jacobs Technology ESCG, Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), California Institute of Technology (CALTECH)-NASA, University of Arizona, California Institute of Technology (CALTECH), Lunar and Planetary Institute [Houston] (LPI), SETI Institute, Space Research Centre [Leicester], University of Leicester, Astrogeology Science Center [Flagstaff], United States Geological Survey [Reston] (USGS), The University of Tennessee [Knoxville], PLANETO - LATMOS, Laboratoire Atmosphères, Milieux, Observations Spatiales (LATMOS), Sorbonne Université (SU)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS), Department of Physics [Guelph], University of Guelph, The University of New Mexico [Albuquerque], Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory [Laurel, MD] (APL), Rice University [Houston], Department of Geological Sciences [Bloomington], Indiana University [Bloomington], Indiana University System-Indiana University System, ASU School of Earth and Space Exploration (SESE), Arizona State University [Tempe] (ASU), and Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL)

Subjects
Basalt, Olivine, 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, Geochemistry, Mineralogy, Mars, Mars Science Laboratory, Mars Exploration Program, engineering.material, 01 natural sciences, Diagenesis, CheMin, Sedimentary depositional environment, Igneous rock, Geophysics, 13. Climate action, Geochemistry and Petrology, [SDU]Sciences of the Universe [physics], 0103 physical sciences, engineering, Sedimentary rock, Sedimentology, 010303 astronomy & astrophysics, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences
Abstract

International audience; 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 was sent to Gale crater to study a sequence of ∼3.5 Ga old sedimentary rocks that, based on orbital visible and near- to short-wave infrared reflectance spectra, contain secondary minerals that suggest deposition and/or alteration in liquid water. The sedimentary sequence in the lower slopes of Mount Sharp in Gale crater preserves 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 instruments to examine the sedimentology and identify compositional changes in the stratigraphy. 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. CheMin measures loose sediment samples scooped from the surface and drilled rock powders, and the XRD provides quantitative mineralogy to a detection limit of ∼1 wt.% for crystalline phases. Curiosity has traversed >20 km since landing and has primarily been exploring an ancient lake environment fed by streams and groundwater. Of the 19 drilled rock samples analyzed by CheMin as of sol 2300 (January 2019), 15 are from fluvio-lacustrine deposits that comprise the Bradbury and Murray formations. Most of these samples were drilled from units that did not have a clear mineralogical signature from orbit. Results from CheMin demonstrate an astounding diversity in the mineralogy of these rocks that signifies geochemical variations in source rocks, transportation mechanisms, and depositional and diagenetic fluids. Most detrital igneous minerals are basaltic, but the discovery in a few samples of abundant silicate minerals that usually crystallize from evolved magmas on Earth remains enigmatic. Trioctahedral smectite and magnetite at the base of the section may have formed from low-salinity pore waters with a circumneutral pH in lake sediments. A transition to dioctahedral smectite, hematite, and Ca-sulfate going up section suggests a change to more saline and oxidative aqueous conditions in the lake waters themselves and/or in diagenetic fluids. Perhaps one of the biggest mysteries revealed by CheMin is the high abundance of X-ray amorphous materials (15–73 wt.%) in all samples drilled or scooped to date. CheMin has analyzed three modern eolian sands, which have helped constrain sediment transport and mineral segregation across the active Bagnold Dune Field. Ancient eolian sandstones drilled from the Stimson formation differ from modern eolian sands in that they contain abundant magnetite but no olivine, suggesting that diagenetic processes led to the alteration of olivine to release Fe(II) and precipitate magnetite. Fracture-associated halos in the Stimson and the Murray formations are evidence for complex aqueous processes long after the streams and lakes vanished from Gale crater. 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.

Published
2020

18. MAARS: Machine learning-based Analytics for Automated Rover Systems

Author

Hiya Roy, Hyoshin Park, Shoya Higa, Virisha Timmaraju, Jacek Sawoniewicz, Chris A. Mattmann, Kyohei Otsu, Shunichiro Nomura, Yumi Iwashita, Larkin Folsom, Gabrielle Hedrick, Sami Sahnoune, Sourish Ghosh, Olivier Lamarre, Kathryn M. Stack, Hemanth Sarabu, Shreyansh Daftry, Masahiro Ono, Sean Suehr, Brandon Rothrock, Dicong Qiu, Christopher Laporte, Annie Didier, Tanvir Islam, and Vivian Z. Sun

Subjects
0209 industrial biotechnology, business.industry, Computer science, 010401 analytical chemistry, 02 engineering and technology, Mars Exploration Program, Kinematics, Spaceflight, 01 natural sciences, 0104 chemical sciences, law.invention, 020901 industrial engineering & automation, Planetary rover, Software, ROVER, Analytics, law, Planet, Systems engineering, Motion planning, business
Abstract

MAARS (Machine leaning-based Analytics for Automated Rover Systems) is an ongoing JPL effort to bring the latest self-driving technologies to Mars, Moon, and beyond. The ongoing AI revolution here on Earth is finally propagating to the red planet as the High Performance Spaceflight Computing (HPSC) and commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) system-on-a-chip (SoC), such as Qualcomm's Snapdragon, become available to rovers. In this three year project, we are developing, implementing, and benchmarking a wide range of autonomy algorithms that would significantly enhance the productivity and safety of planetary rover missions. This paper is to provide the latest snapshot of the project with broad and high-level description of every capability that we are developing, including scientific scene interpretation, vision-based traversability assessment, resource-aware path planning, information-theoretic path planning, on-board strategic path planning, and on-board optimal kinematic settling for accurate collision checking. All of the onboard software capabilities will be integrated into JPL's Athena test rover using ROS (Robot Operating System).

Published
2020

19. A Lacustrine Paleoenvironment Recorded at Vera RubinRidge, Gale Crater: Overview of the Sedimentology and Stratigraphy Observed by the Mars ScienceLaboratory Curiosity Rover

Author

Frances Rivera-Hernandez, Abigail A. Fraeman, Kristen A. Bennett, Sunetra Gupta, Christopher H. House, J. Van Beek, David M. Rubin, Kenneth S. Edgett, John P. Grotzinger, Vivian Z. Sun, Christopher M. Fedo, Kathryn M. Stack, Lauren A. Edgar, Steven G. Banham, and Nathaniel Stein

Subjects
Martian, 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, Outcrop, Mars Exploration Program, 01 natural sciences, Diagenesis, Paleontology, Geophysics, Space and Planetary Science, Geochemistry and Petrology, Facies, Earth and Planetary Sciences (miscellaneous), Sedimentology, Transect, Slumping, Geology, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences
Abstract

For ~500 Martian solar days (sols), the Mars Science Laboratory team explored Vera Rubin ridge (VRR), a topographic feature on the northwest slope of Aeolis Mons. Here we review the sedimentary facies and stratigraphy observed during sols 1,800–2,300, covering more than 100 m of stratigraphic thickness. Curiosity's traverse includes two transects across the ridge, which enables investigation of lateral variability over a distance of ~300 m. Three informally named stratigraphic members of the Murray formation are described: Blunts Point, Pettegrove Point, and Jura, with the latter two exposed on VRR. The Blunts Point member, exposed just below the ridge, is characterized by a recessive, fine‐grained facies that exhibits extensive planar lamination and is crosscut by abundant curvi‐planar veins. The Pettegrove Point member is more resistant, fine‐grained, thinly planar laminated, and contains a higher abundance of diagenetic concretions. Conformable above the Pettegrove Point member is the Jura member, which is also fine‐grained and parallel stratified, but is marked by a distinct step in topography, which coincides with localized meter‐scale inclined strata, a thinly and thickly laminated facies, and occasional crystal molds. All members record low‐energy lacustrine deposition, consistent with prior observations of the Murray formation. Uncommon outcrops of low‐angle stratification suggest possible subaqueous currents, and steeply inclined beds may be the result of slumping. Collectively, the rocks exposed at VRR provide additional evidence for a long‐lived lacustrine environment (in excess of 106 years via comparison to terrestrial records of sedimentation), which extends our understanding of the duration of habitable conditions in Gale crater.

Published
2020

21. Diagenesis of Vera Rubin ridge, Gale crater, Mars from Mastcam multispectral images

Author

Lucy M. Thompson, S. Jacob, Jens Frydenvang, Elizabeth B. Rampe, Nicolas Mangold, Edward A. Cloutis, James F. Bell, Frances Rivera-Hernandez, Lauren A. Edgar, Abigail A. Fraeman, Jeffrey R. Johnson, John P. Grotzinger, Briony Horgan, Jonas L'Haridon, Vivian Z. Sun, Danika Wellington, C. H. Seeger, Kristen A. Bennett, Melissa S. Rice, Purdue University [West Lafayette], Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géodynamique [UMR 6112] (LPG), Université d'Angers (UA)-Université de Nantes - UFR des Sciences et des Techniques (UN UFR ST), and Université de Nantes (UN)-Université de Nantes (UN)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)

Subjects
spectroscopy, 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, Multispectral image, Geochemistry, [SDU.ASTR.EP]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Astrophysics [astro-ph]/Earth and Planetary Astrophysics [astro-ph.EP], Mars, 01 natural sciences, Remote Sensing, Planetary Sciences: Solar System Objects, Geochemistry and Petrology, 0103 physical sciences, Earth and Planetary Sciences (miscellaneous), 010303 astronomy & astrophysics, Planetary Sciences: Solid Surface Planets, Research Articles, Mineralogy and Petrology, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences, Martian, Spectral properties, Gale crater, Mars Exploration Program, Hematite, 15. Life on land, Mineral Physics, Optical, infrared, and Raman spectroscopy, Diagenesis, Planetary Mineralogy and Petrology, Geophysics, Space and Planetary Science, visual_art, visual_art.visual_art_medium, Investigations of Vera Rubin Ridge, Gale Crater, Sedimentary rock, mineralogy, Alteration and Weathering Processes, diagenesis, Composition, Research Article
Abstract

Images from the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission of lacustrine sedimentary rocks of Vera Rubin ridge on “Mt. Sharp” in Gale crater, Mars, have shown stark color variations from red to purple to gray. These color differences crosscut stratigraphy and are likely due to diagenetic alteration of the sediments after deposition. However, the chemistry and timing of these fluid interactions is unclear. Determining how diagenetic processes may have modified chemical and mineralogical signatures of ancient Martian environments is critical for understanding the past habitability of Mars and achieving the goals of the MSL mission. Here we use visible/near‐infrared spectra from Mastcam and ChemCam to determine the mineralogical origins of color variations in the ridge. Color variations are consistent with changes in spectral properties related to the crystallinity, grain size, and texture of hematite. Coarse‐grained gray hematite spectrally dominates in the gray patches and is present in the purple areas, while nanophase and fine‐grained red crystalline hematite are present and spectrally dominate in the red and purple areas. We hypothesize that these differences were caused by grain‐size coarsening of hematite by diagenetic fluids, as observed in terrestrial analogs. In this model, early primary reddening by oxidizing fluids near the surface was followed during or after burial by bleaching to form the gray patches, possibly with limited secondary reddening after exhumation. Diagenetic alteration may have diminished the preservation of biosignatures and changed the composition of the sediments, making it more difficult to interpret how conditions evolved in the paleolake over time., Key Points Vera Rubin ridge exhibits strong color differences that crosscut stratigraphy, consistent with postdepositional alteration (diagenesis)Color differences correspond to variations in spectral signatures of nanophase, fine‐grained, and coarse‐grained hematiteBased on terrestrial analogs, these variations can be explained by early oxidation and later coarsening of hematite by diagenetic fluids

Published
2019

22. Widespread hematite at high latitudes of the Moon

Author

Andrew R. Poppe, Abigail A. Fraeman, Paul G. Lucey, Shuai Li, Dana M. Hurley, Vivian Z. Sun, and Peter H. Schultz

Subjects
010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, genetic structures, chemistry.chemical_element, 01 natural sciences, Oxygen, Isotopes of oxygen, Astrobiology, Atmosphere, Impact crater, 0103 physical sciences, 010303 astronomy & astrophysics, Research Articles, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences, Multidisciplinary, Mineral, SciAdv r-articles, Geology, Mars Exploration Program, Hematite, eye diseases, chemistry, Asteroid, visual_art, Physics::Space Physics, visual_art.visual_art_medium, Astrophysics::Earth and Planetary Astrophysics, Planetary Science, Research Article
Abstract

Moon orbital data analysis reveals the unexpected presence of Hematite, an oxidization product under highly reducing conditions., Hematite (Fe2O3) is a common oxidization product on Earth, Mars, and some asteroids. Although oxidizing processes have been speculated to operate on the lunar surface and form ferric iron–bearing minerals, unambiguous detections of ferric minerals forming under highly reducing conditions on the Moon have remained elusive. Our analyses of the Moon Mineralogy Mapper data show that hematite, a ferric mineral, is present at high latitudes on the Moon, mostly associated with east- and equator-facing sides of topographic highs, and is more prevalent on the nearside than the farside. Oxygen delivered from Earth’s upper atmosphere could be the major oxidant that forms lunar hematite. Hematite at craters of different ages may have preserved the oxygen isotopes of Earth’s atmosphere in the past billions of years. Future oxygen isotope measurements can test our hypothesis and may help reveal the evolution of Earth’s atmosphere.

Published
2019

23. Late-Stage Diagenetic Concretions in the Murray Formation, Gale Crater, Mars

Author

Christopher H. House, Lucy M. Thompson, K. Stack, Woodward W. Fischer, Roger C. Wiens, Amy J. Williams, Marion Nachon, Vivian Z. Sun, Sarah Stewart Johnson, Linda C. Kah, Scott VanBommel, and R. E. Kronyak

Subjects
010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, Geochemistry, Late stage, Gale crater, Astronomy and Astrophysics, Mars Exploration Program, Sediment compaction, engineering.material, Cementation (geology), 01 natural sciences, Diagenesis, Space and Planetary Science, Concretion, 0103 physical sciences, engineering, 010303 astronomy & astrophysics, Lithification, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences
Abstract

Concretions are prevalent features in the generally lacustrine deposits of the Murray formation in Gale crater. In this work, we document the morphologic, textural, and chemical properties of these concretions throughout 300 m of Murray formation stratigraphy from Mars Science Laboratory observations between Sols 750–1900. We interpret these observations to constrain the timing and composition of post-depositional fluid events at Gale crater. We determine that the overall diversity of concretion morphology, size, texture, and chemistry throughout the Murray formation indicates that concretions formed in multiple, likely late diagenetic, episodes with varying fluid chemistries. Four major concretion assemblages are observed at distinct stratigraphic intervals and approximately correlate with major distinct chemical enrichments in Mg-S-Ni-Cl, Mn-P, and Ca-S, among other local enrichments. Different concretion size populations and complex relationships between concretions and veins also suggest multiple precipitation events at Gale crater. Many concretions likely formed during late diagenesis after sediment compaction and lithification, based on observations of concretions preserving primary host rock laminations without differential compaction. An upsection decrease in overall concretion size corresponds to an inferred upsection decrease in porosity and permeability, thus constraining concretion formation as postdating fluid events that produced initial cementation and porosity loss. The combined observations of late diagenetic concretions and distinct chemical enrichments related to concretions allow constraints to be placed on the chemistry of late stage fluids at Gale crater. Collectively, concretion observations from this work and previous studies of other diagenetic features (veins, alteration halos) suggest at least six post-depositional events that occurred at Gale crater after the deposition of the Murray formation.

Published
2019

25. Corrigendum to 'Mineralogy and geochemistry of sedimentary rocks and eolian sediments in Gale crater, Mars: A review after six earth years of exploration with Curiosity' [Geochemistry 80 (2) (2020) 125605]

Author

Danika Wellington, R. V. Morris, J. M. Morookian, T. S. Peretyazhko, Albert S. Yen, David J. Des Marais, G. W. Downs, R. C. Walroth, N. Castle, Juergen Schieber, Caroline Freissinet, R. Gellert, Jeffrey R. Johnson, B. Lafuente, Robert M. Hazen, Horton E. Newsom, Paul R. Mahaffy, S. J. Chipera, John Bridges, D. W. Ming, C. Fedo, John P. Grotzinger, Allan H. Treiman, Joy A. Crisp, Kirsten L. Siebach, Cherie N. Achilles, Thomas F. Bristow, Linda C. Kah, Ashwin R. Vasavada, Vivian Z. Sun, Robert T. Downs, Philippe Sarrazin, Shaunna M. Morrison, E. B. Rampe, Michael T. Thorpe, P. I. Craig, Lauren A. Edgar, V. Tu, Roger C. Wiens, David F. Blake, and D. T. Vaniman

Subjects
Geophysics, Geochemistry and Petrology, Geochemistry, Gale crater, Sedimentary rock, Mars Exploration Program, Earth (classical element), Geology, Eolian sediments
Published
2020

26. Ancient and recent clay formation on Mars as revealed from a global survey of hydrous minerals in crater central peaks

Author

Ralph E. Milliken and Vivian Z. Sun

Subjects
Amazonian, Noachian, Geochemistry, Authigenic, Mars Exploration Program, Diagenesis, Geophysics, Impact crater, Space and Planetary Science, Geochemistry and Petrology, Earth and Planetary Sciences (miscellaneous), Hesperian, Clay minerals, Geology
Abstract

Clay minerals on Mars have commonly been interpreted as the remnants of pervasive water-rock interaction during the Noachian period (>3.7 Ga). This history has been partly inferred by observations of clays in central peaks of impact craters, which often are presumed uplifted from depth. However, combined mineralogical and morphological analyses of individual craters have shown that some central peak clays may represent post-impact, possibly authigenic processes. Here we present a global survey of 633 central peaks to assess their hydrous minerals and the prevalence of uplifted, detrital, and authigenic clays. Central peak regions are examined using high-resolution Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars and High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment data to identify hydrous minerals and place their detections in a stratigraphic and geologic context. We find that many occurrences of Fe/Mg clays and hydrated silica are associated with potential impact melt deposits. Over 35% of central peak clays are not associated with uplifted rocks; thus, caution must be used when inferring deeper crustal compositions from surface mineralogy of central peaks. Uplifted clay-bearing rocks suggest the Martian crust hosts clays to depths of at least 7 km. We also observe evidence for increasing chloritization with depth, implying the presence of fluids in the upper portions of the crust. Our observations are consistent with widespread Noachian/Early Hesperian clay formation, but a number of central peak clays are also suggestive of clay formation during the Amazonian. These results broadly support current paradigms of Mars' aqueous history while adding insight to global crustal and diagenetic processes associated with clay mineral formation and stability.

Published
2015

27. SCOTI: Science Captioning of Terrain Images for data prioritization and local image search

Author

Chris A. Mattmann, Masahiro Ono, Brandon Rothrock, Dicong Qiu, Annie Didier, Tanvir Islam, and Vivian Z. Sun

Subjects
Prioritization, Closed captioning, Database server, Information retrieval, 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, Computer science, Bandwidth (signal processing), ComputerApplications_COMPUTERSINOTHERSYSTEMS, Astronomy and Astrophysics, Terrain, 01 natural sciences, Image (mathematics), Space and Planetary Science, 0103 physical sciences, 010303 astronomy & astrophysics, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences
Abstract

Planetary exploration is full of challenges. Data bandwidth is very limited between planetary rovers and ground-based data system. What’s worse, even though NASA has accumulated over 34 million images from various missions, it requires significant effort and is hardly possible for any scientist to go through all of them. In order to improve the degree of automation and the efficiency of these processes, we propose a system leveraging machine learning for planetary rovers to actively look for scientifically interesting and valuable features according to text instructions from scientists and prioritize the images captured onboard with those features for downlink. Such an image prioritization mechanism can also be naturally applied to content-based image search through text description in any local planetary image data server, allowing scientists to search for images with desired features without going through them one by one. Besides theoretical and engineering details of our proposed approach, we also present both quantitative and qualitative evaluation of the system along with some concrete examples.

Published
2020

28. Distinct Geologic Settings of Opal‐A and More Crystalline Hydrated Silica on Mars

Author

Ralph E. Milliken and Vivian Z. Sun

Subjects
010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, Hydrated silica, Mineralogy, Mars Exploration Program, 01 natural sciences, Diagenesis, chemistry.chemical_compound, Geophysics, chemistry, Remote sensing (archaeology), 0103 physical sciences, General Earth and Planetary Sciences, Spectroscopy, 010303 astronomy & astrophysics, Geology, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences
Published
2018

31. THEO Concept Mission: Testing the Habitability of Enceladus's Ocean

Author

Kristen K. John, Charity M. Phillips-Lander, Jasmeet K. Dhaliwal, K. E. Powell, Cecilia W.S. Leung, Casey Steuer, Vivian Z. Sun, Shannon MacKenzie, J. Judson Wynne, Matteo Crismani, Joseph O'Rourke, Jason D. Hofgartner, Akshata Krishnamurthy, Charles Budney, T. E. Caswell, Elaine M. Petro, Karl L. Mitchell, E. Natasha Stavros, Kevin DeBruin, and Samson Phan

Subjects
Atmospheric Science, Solar System, 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, Aerospace Engineering, FOS: Physical sciences, Context (language use), 01 natural sciences, law.invention, Astrobiology, Orbiter, law, Saturn, 0103 physical sciences, Enceladus, 010303 astronomy & astrophysics, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences, Earth and Planetary Astrophysics (astro-ph.EP), Habitability, Astronomy and Astrophysics, Geophysics, Planetary science, Space and Planetary Science, General Earth and Planetary Sciences, Energy source, Geology, Astrophysics - Earth and Planetary Astrophysics
Abstract

Saturn's moon Enceladus offers a unique opportunity in the search for life and habitable environments beyond Earth, a key theme of the National Research Council's 2013-2022 Decadal Survey. A plume of water vapor and ice spews from Enceladus's south polar region. Cassini data suggest that this plume, sourced by a liquid reservoir beneath the moon's icy crust, contain organics, salts, and water-rock interaction derivatives. Thus, the ingredients for life as we know it-- liquid water, chemistry, and energy sources-- are available in Enceladus's subsurface ocean. We have only to sample the plumes to investigate this hidden ocean environment. We present a New Frontiers class, solar-powered Enceladus orbiter that would take advantage of this opportunity, Testing the Habitability of Enceladus's Ocean (THEO). Developed by the 2015 Jet Propulsion Laboratory Planetary Science Summer School student participants under the guidance of TeamX, this mission concept includes remote sensing and in situ analyses with a mass spectrometer, a sub-mm radiometer-spectrometer, a camera, and two magnetometers. These instruments were selected to address four key questions for ascertaining the habitability of Enceladus's ocean within the context of the moon's geological activity: (1) How are the plumes and ocean connected? (2) Are the abiotic conditions of the ocean suitable for habitability? (3) How stable is the ocean environment? (4) Is there evidence of biological processes? By taking advantage of the opportunity Enceladus's plumes offer, THEO represents a viable, solar-powered option for exploring a potentially habitable ocean world of the outer solar system., JPL Summer School 2015

Published
2016

32. Volatile and Organic Compositions of Sedimentary Rocks in Yellowknife Bay, Gale Crater, Mars

Author

M. A. Meyer, Mark I. Richardson, Robert C. Anderson, Marisa C. Palucis, Sara Navarro Lopez, Rodney C. Ewing, Sanjeev Gupta, Caroline Freissinet, Edward M. Stolper, James F. Bell, M. A. Ravine, I. G. Mitrofanov, Thomas F. Bristow, Dawn Y. Sumner, Joel A. Hurowitz, Robert M. Haberle, Claire E. Newman, Andrew Steele, Muriel Saccoccio, Leslie Keely, E. Pallier, Jason P. Dworkin, Claude Geffroy, Mary A. Voytek, Michael Caplinger, Fred Goesmann, Yann Parot, Maria-Paz Zorzano Mier, A. B. Sanin, S. W. Squyres, Javier Caride Rodriguez, J. L. Griffes, Julio José Romeral-Planello, Jason Feldman, Katherine L. French, V. Sautter, Nicolas Mangold, David L. Bish, Vivian Lafaille, Michael D. Smith, François Raulin, V. Prokhorov, Gilles Berger, S. Slavney, Heather B. Franz, S. Johnstone, Susanne P. Schwenzer, Felipe Gómez, Harri Haukka, Francis A. Cucinotta, J. Hudgins, T. Cleghorn, Pascaline Francois, Alain Lepinette Malvitte, Shuai Li, Paul R. Mahaffy, K. M. Robertson, Bruce M. Jakosky, J. Guo, Juergen Schieber, Rafael Navarro-González, G. J. Flesch, Scott M. McLennan, Jennifer G. Blank, M. Carmosino, Kenneth A. Farley, Yves Langevin, P. D. Archer, A. E. Brunner, M. D. Dyar, S. Le Mouélic, V. Hipkin, Sara Alejandra Sans Fuentes, Kenneth S. Edgett, Sabrina Feldman, Gale Paulsen, Paul Herrera, Alberto G. Fairén, Kirsten L. Siebach, Jan-Peter Muller, M. J. Schoppers, Eldar Noe Dobrea, Nina Lanza, Marc Gailhanou, Genevieve Marchand, Sönke Burmeister, Craig Hardgrove, Justin N. Maki, Ari-Matti Harri, Michael C. Malin, M. J. Wolff, Roger E. Summons, H. Blau, Jacqueline Cameron, Jeff A. Berger, Didier Keymeulen, Agnes Cousin, Guillermo M. Muñoz Caro, Eric Lyness, Cedric Pilorget, Michael B. Baker, Christopher S. Edwards, M. L. Litvak, Brian M. Duston, Rebecca M. E. Williams, T. Nolan, Robert T. Downs, V. E. Hamilton, Walter Goetz, Pamela G. Conrad, J. Baroukh, Nathan T. Bridges, Meenakshi Wadhwa, Roger C. Wiens, Samuel M. Clegg, Philippe Sarrazin, L. Bleacher, Eric Lorigny, Mike Toplis, Michael H. Wong, Timothy H. McConnochie, Ian Mcewan, Kiran Patel, Mary Beth Wilhelm, John P. Grotzinger, Jeffrey E. Moersch, Michael A. Wilson, Mark Paton, I. Plante, Eric Lewin, Franck Poitrasson, Tori M. Hoehler, P. Guillemot, Mackenzie Day, David F. Blake, José Antonio Rodríguez Manfredi, G. W. Lugmair, Robert F. Wimmer-Schweingruber, Dorothy Z. Oehler, Samuel Teinturier, Bent Ehresmann, Jérémie Lasue, K. E. Herkenhoff, Daniel C. Berman, Scott VanBommel, Jeffrey R. Johnson, Emily M. McCullough, A. A. Fraeman, Ezat Heydari, Penelope L. King, K. M. Stack, Diana L. Blaney, A. Salamon, John G. Spray, L. Posiolova, Jeff Hollingsworth, David Choi, Kevin W. Lewis, B. D. Prats, Tonci Balic-Zunic, Mehdi Benna, H. M. Elliott, Jesús Martínez-Frías, R. Mueller-Mellin, William V. Boynton, Lance E. Christensen, Richard Leveille, John A. Grant, David E. Harker, J. M. Morookian, Caleb I. Fassett, S. Jacob, Donald Fay, R. Perez, Horton E. Newsom, Morten Madsen, M. G. Trainer, G. Israel, B. E. Nixon, Claude d’Uston, John E. Moores, Olivier Gasnault, Daniel J. Krysak, Vladislav Tretyakov, G. M. Perrett, Andrew D. Aubrey, L. E. Kirkland, F. Stalport, B. L. Barraclough, Alain Cros, Stephan Böttcher, Michel Cabane, William B. Brinckerhoff, Jack D. Farmer, James J. Wray, P. Y. Meslin, Arnaud Buch, Allan H. Treiman, S. C. R. Rafkin, B. C. Clark, Noureddine Melikechi, R. Jackson, Luther W. Beegle, Angela Lundberg, Bethany L. Ehlmann, William E. Dietrich, Karl Iagnemma, K. Supulver, Radu Popa, R. Zimdar, Melissa Floyd, Wesley T. Huntress, Paul B. Niles, D. M. Delapp, C. N.. Achilles, Darrell Drake, T. Nelson, Alain Gaboriaud, Verónica Peinado-Gonzalez, Edward P. Vicenzi, T. Boucher, Jennifer L. Eigenbrode, C. Tate, David J. Des Marais, F. Javier Martin-Torres, Antoine Charpentier, Chris Webster, Mildred P. Martin, Robert M. Sucharski, Lucy M. Thompson, Cyril Szopa, D. Halleaux, Antonio Molina Jurado, Richard V. Morris, Andrey Vostrukhin, Peter C. Thomas, Ara V. Nefian, Pablo Sobron Sanchez, Manuel de la Torre Juárez, B. Elliott, Hannu Savijärvi, J. Bentz, Sergey Nikiforov, S. Gordon, Shaunna M. Morrison, Jean-Luc Lacour, Günter Reitz, M. E. Newcombe, David E. Brinza, C. Yana, Gary Kocurek, L. J. Lipkaman, C. M. Garcia, Maria Genzer, Fred Calef, A. Godber, Stubbe F. Hviid, C. Donny, T. Van Beek, Ruslan O. Kuzmin, Alexander Hayes, T. S. Olson, George D. Cody, J. Martín-Soler, N. Karpushkina, John Bridges, Mercedes Jiménez, M. Lefavor, Sylvestre Maurice, H. L. K. Manning, Ralph E. Milliken, Susanne Schröder, N. Spanovich, L. J. Edwards, A. Koefoed, Roser Urqui-O'Callaghan, Eduardo Sebastian Martinez, Cary Zeitlin, Noël Stewart, David T. Vaniman, E. A. Breves, Laurent Favot, A. Varenikov, Gérard Manhès, R. B. Williams, David Martin, Steven J. Rowland, E. Boehm, Adrian P. Jones, Alexis Paillet, R. Francis, Sushil K. Atreya, Mariek E. Schmidt, David Baratoux, N. I. Boyd, Qiu-Mei Lee, I. L. ten Kate, Bernard Hallet, K. Stoiber, Vivian Z. Sun, M. R. Kennedy, Gillian M. Krezoski, Mark A. Bullock, T. Stein, Michelle E. Minitti, I. Pradler, Susan L. S. Stipp, Scott Davis, Robert O. Pepin, B. L. Ehlmann, Janne Kauhanen, Dmitry Golovin, Steve J. Chipera, Raymond E. Arvidson, Javier Gómez-Elvira, L. C. Kah, Melissa S. Rice, Isaias Carrasco Blazquez, Cécile Fabre, John J. Simmonds, Joy A. Crisp, Jens Frydenvang, Florence Tan, Julia DeMarines, S. P. Gorevan, Elizabeth B. Rampe, E. McCartney, Lauren DeFlores, K. Harshman, D. N. Harpold, J. Van Beek, Luis Mora-Sotomayor, Douglas W. Ming, Kristen E. Miller, John Campbell, Amy McAdam, L. Saper, Robert Sullivan, Lorenzo Fluckiger, Kjartan M. Kinch, Arik Posner, H. Bower, A. A. Pavlov, D. Scholes, Insoo Jun, Brigitte Gondet, Patrice Coll, Burt Baker, Donald M. Hassler, Ralf Gellert, Laurie A. Leshin, T. Siili, Gilles Dromart, Lauren A. Edgar, Ryan B. Anderson, Robert Dingler, Leon Radziemski, Jean-Baptiste Sirven, G. Weigle, Cynthia K. Little, A. Mezzacappa, Olivier Forni, A. S. Kozyrev, Edward A. Cloutis, Ashwin Vasavada, A. Behar, François Robert, D. M. Rubin, Alexey Malakhov, E. Jensen, T. C. Owen, Sebastien Hettrich, Miguel Ramos, B. Sutter, Melinda A. Kahre, Patrick Pinet, John H. Jones, Claude Brunet, B. Pavri, Nilton O. Renno, Evgeny Atlaskin, Laurent Peret, Maxim Mokrousov, David Lees, J. J. B. Avalos, Jennifer C. Stern, Ann Ollila, Josefina Torres Redondo, Miles J. Johnson, M. A. D. P. Hernandez, Daniel P. Glavin, Albert S. Yen, Christophe Agard, Jouni Polkko, Christopher P. McKay, J. Peterson, Oliver Botta, Mark T. Lemmon, Marion Nachon, K. M. Bean, Bruce A. Cantor, Jan Köhler, M. Fitzgibbon, Carlos Armiens-Aparicio, Jorge Pla-Garcia, Henrik Kahanpää, Frances Westall, Walter Schmidt, M.-H. Kim, Kenneth G. Miller, Sharon A. Wilson, S. McNair, O. Kortmann, David Grinspoon, E. M. Lee, S. Indyk, Osku Kemppinen, E. Raaen, Michael Mischna, R. S. Sletten, James B. Garvin, John M. Ward, R. L. Tokar, Paulo M. Vasconcelos, Charles Malespin, T. J. Parker, Aaron J. Sengstacken, S. Bender, Jean-Pierre Williams, F. Fedosov, Patrick Mauchien, Audrey Dupont, R. A. Yingst, David Coscia, David A. Cremers, Danika Wellington, Kenneth H. Nealson, J. K. Jensen, Martin R. Fisk, J. Joseph, Amy J. Williams, W. Brunner, NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC), NASA, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), Center for Research and Exploration in Space Science and Technology [GSFC] (CRESST), PLANETO - LATMOS, Laboratoire Atmosphères, Milieux, Observations Spatiales (LATMOS), Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6 (UPMC)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6 (UPMC)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Laboratoire Interuniversitaire des Systèmes Atmosphériques (LISA (UMR_7583)), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Paris Diderot - Paris 7 (UPD7)-Université Paris-Est Créteil Val-de-Marne - Paris 12 (UPEC UP12)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Department of Physics [Guelph], University of Guelph, Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic, and Space Sciences [Ann Arbor] (AOSS), University of Michigan [Ann Arbor], University of Michigan System-University of Michigan System, ASU School of Earth and Space Exploration (SESE), Arizona State University [Tempe] (ASU), Laboratoire de Génie des Procédés et Matériaux - EA 4038 (LGPM), CentraleSupélec, Space Science and Astrobiology Division at Ames, NASA Ames Research Center (ARC), Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences [Pasadena], California Institute of Technology (CALTECH), Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), NASA-California Institute of Technology (CALTECH), Department of Astronomy [Ithaca], Cornell University [New York], Center for Earth and Planetary Studies [Washington] (CEPS), Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution-Smithsonian Institution, Department of Earth Science and Technology [Imperial College London], Imperial College London, United States Geological Survey [Reston] (USGS), Department of Geosciences [Stony Brook], Stony Brook University [SUNY] (SBU), State University of New York (SUNY)-State University of New York (SUNY), Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), Princeton University, State University of New York (SUNY), Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences [MIT, Cambridge] (EAPS), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences [Knoxville], The University of Tennessee [Knoxville], Instituto de Ciencias Nucleares [Mexico], Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México = National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), Geophysical Laboratory [Carnegie Institution], Carnegie Institution for Science, Department of Earth and Planetary Science [UC Berkeley] (EPS), University of California [Berkeley] (UC Berkeley), University of California (UC)-University of California (UC), NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory (ESRL), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Lunar and Planetary Institute [Houston] (LPI), Planetary Science Institute [Tucson] (PSI), School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences [Atlanta], Georgia Institute of Technology [Atlanta], Aalto University, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory [Laurel, MD] (APL), Applied Research Associates, Inc. (ARA), Center for Meteorite Studies [Tempe], Ashima Research, ATOS Origin, Australian National University (ANU), Bay Area Environmental Research Institute (BAER), Big Head Endian LLC, Brock University [Canada], Brown University, Canadian Space Agency (CSA), Capgemini Consulting [Paris], Carnegie Mellon University [Pittsburgh] (CMU), Catholic University of America, Institut des Matériaux, de Microélectronique et des Nanosciences de Provence (IM2NP), Aix Marseille Université (AMU)-Université de Toulon (UTLN)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Centre de biophysique moléculaire (CBM), Université d'Orléans (UO)-Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM)-Institut de Chimie du CNRS (INC)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES), Centro de Astrobiologia [Madrid] (CAB), Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial (INTA)-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas [Madrid] (CSIC), Chesapeake Energy Corporation, Service de la Corrosion et du Comportement des Matériaux dans leur Environnement (SCCME), Département de Physico-Chimie (DPC), CEA-Direction des Energies (ex-Direction de l'Energie Nucléaire) (CEA-DES (ex-DEN)), Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Université Paris-Saclay-CEA-Direction des Energies (ex-Direction de l'Energie Nucléaire) (CEA-DES (ex-DEN)), Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Université Paris-Saclay, Laboratoire d'Interaction Laser Matière (LILM), Concordia College, Moorhead, CS-Systèmes d'Information [Toulouse] (CS-SI), Delaware State University (DSU), Denver Museum of Nature and Science, Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR), Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI), GeoRessources, Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre de recherches sur la géologie des matières premières minérales et énergétiques (CREGU)-Université de Lorraine (UL)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Géosciences Environnement Toulouse (GET), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées (OMP), Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Météo-France -Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Météo-France -Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Global Science and Technology, Inc., Honeybee Robotics Ltd, Indiana University [Bloomington], Indiana University System, Institut d'astrophysique spatiale (IAS), Université Paris-Sud - Paris 11 (UP11)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Institut de Chimie des Milieux et Matériaux de Poitiers (IC2MP), Université de Poitiers-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Institut de Chimie du CNRS (INC)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Institut de recherche en astrophysique et planétologie (IRAP), Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Institut des Sciences de la Terre (ISTerre), Université Joseph Fourier - Grenoble 1 (UJF)-Institut Français des Sciences et Technologies des Transports, de l'Aménagement et des Réseaux (IFSTTAR)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Institut de recherche pour le développement [IRD] : UR219-PRES Université de Grenoble-Université Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB [Université de Savoie] [Université de Chambéry])-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Jackson State University (JSU), Jacobs Technology ESCG, Laboratoire de Géologie de Lyon - Terre, Planètes, Environnement [Lyon] (LGL-TPE), École normale supérieure - Lyon (ENS Lyon)-Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 (UCBL), Université de Lyon-Université de Lyon-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Laboratoire de Minéralogie et Cosmochimie du Muséum (LMCM), Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (MNHN)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géodynamique [UMR 6112] (LPG), Université d'Angers (UA)-Université de Nantes - UFR des Sciences et des Techniques (UN UFR ST), Université de Nantes (UN)-Université de Nantes (UN)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Space Remote Sensing Group (ISR-2), Malin Space Science Systems (MSSS), Depertment of Polymer Chemistry, Max-Planck-Institut für Sonnensystemforschung (MPS), Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, DLR Institute of Planetary Research, German Aerospace Center (DLR), NASA Headquarters, Oregon State University (OSU), Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence Institute (SETI), Smithsonian Institution, Department of Space Studies [Boulder], Southwest Research Institute [Boulder] (SwRI), Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IKI), Russian Academy of Sciences [Moscow] (RAS), TechSource Inc., Texas A&M University [College Station], The Open University [Milton Keynes] (OU), University of Arizona, Met Office Hadley Centre for Climate Change (MOHC), United Kingdom Met Office [Exeter], Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics [Boulder] (LASP), University of Colorado [Boulder], Niels Bohr Institute [Copenhagen] (NBI), Faculty of Science [Copenhagen], University of Copenhagen = Københavns Universitet (UCPH)-University of Copenhagen = Københavns Universitet (UCPH), Institute for Astronomy [Honolulu], University of Hawai‘i [Mānoa] (UHM), California Institute of Technology (CALTECH)-NASA, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Carnegie Institution for Science [Washington], University of California [Berkeley], University of California-University of California, Université de Toulon (UTLN)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Aix Marseille Université (AMU), Université d'Orléans (UO)-Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Chimie du CNRS (INC), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Lorraine (UL)-Centre de recherches sur la géologie des matières premières minérales et énergétiques (CREGU)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées (OMP), Météo France-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Météo France-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Météo France-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Météo France-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-PRES Université de Grenoble-Université Joseph Fourier - Grenoble 1 (UJF)-Institut Français des Sciences et Technologies des Transports, de l'Aménagement et des Réseaux (IFSTTAR)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Institut de recherche pour le développement [IRD] : UR219-Université Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB [Université de Savoie] [Université de Chambéry]), University of Copenhagen = Københavns Universitet (KU)-University of Copenhagen = Københavns Universitet (KU), Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées (OMP), Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Météo-France -Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Météo-France -Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université Paris-Sud - Paris 11 (UP11)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Centre National d’Études Spatiales [Paris] (CNES), Laboratoire de Géologie de Lyon - Terre, Planètes, Environnement (LGL-TPE), École normale supérieure de Lyon (ENS de Lyon)-Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 (UCBL), Université de Lyon-Université de Lyon-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Jean Monnet - Saint-Étienne (UJM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Max-Planck-Institut für Sonnensystemforschung = Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (MPS), NWO-NSO: The role of perchlorates in the preservation of organic compounds on Mars, Petrology, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas [Madrid] (CSIC)-Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial (INTA), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 (UCBL), Université de Lyon-Université de Lyon-École normale supérieure - Lyon (ENS Lyon), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (MNHN), and Kruch, Catherine

Subjects
Geologic Sediments, 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, Extraterrestrial Environment, Curiosity rover, [SDU.ASTR.EP]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Astrophysics [astro-ph]/Earth and Planetary Astrophysics [astro-ph.EP], Mineralogy, [SDU.ASTR.EP] Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Astrophysics [astro-ph]/Earth and Planetary Astrophysics [astro-ph.EP], Mars, Sulfides, 01 natural sciences, organic compositions, Bassanite, 0103 physical sciences, Exobiology, [SDU.ASTR.SR] Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Astrophysics [astro-ph]/Solar and Stellar Astrophysics [astro-ph.SR], Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated, MSL, 010303 astronomy & astrophysics, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences, Total organic carbon, Martian, mudstone samples, Volatile Organic Compounds, Multidisciplinary, [SDU.ASTR.SR]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Astrophysics [astro-ph]/Solar and Stellar Astrophysics [astro-ph.SR], Water, Mars Exploration Program, Carbon Dioxide, Oxygen, Bays, 13. Climate action, Rocknest, Sample Analysis at Mars, Sedimentary rock, Pyrolysis
Abstract

H 2 O, CO 2 , SO 2 , O 2 , H 2 , H 2 S, HCl, chlorinated hydrocarbons, NO, and other trace gases were evolved during pyrolysis of two mudstone samples acquired by the Curiosity rover at Yellowknife Bay within Gale crater, Mars. H 2 O/OH-bearing phases included 2:1 phyllosilicate(s), bassanite, akaganeite, and amorphous materials. Thermal decomposition of carbonates and combustion of organic materials are candidate sources for the CO 2 . Concurrent evolution of O 2 and chlorinated hydrocarbons suggests the presence of oxychlorine phase(s). Sulfides are likely sources for sulfur-bearing species. Higher abundances of chlorinated hydrocarbons in the mudstone compared with Rocknest windblown materials previously analyzed by Curiosity suggest that indigenous martian or meteoritic organic carbon sources may be preserved in the mudstone; however, the carbon source for the chlorinated hydrocarbons is not definitively of martian origin.

Published
2014

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