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1. Exploring Martian Magnetic Fields with a Helicopter

Author

Anna Mittelholz, Lindsey Heagy, Catherine L. Johnson, Jonathan Bapst, Jared Espley, Abigail A. Fraeman, Benoit Langlais, Robert Lillis, and William Rapin

Subjects
Mars, Solar system terrestrial planets, Planetary magnetospheres, Planetary science, Planetary interior, Planetary structure, Astronomy, QB1-991
Abstract

The era of helicopter-based surveys on Mars has already begun, creating opportunities for future aerial science investigations with a range of instruments. We argue that magnetometer-based studies can make use of aerial technology to answer some of the key questions regarding early Mars evolution. As such, we discuss mission concepts for a helicopter equipped with a magnetometer on Mars, measurements it would provide, and survey designs that could be implemented. For a range of scenarios, we build magnetization models and test how well structures can be resolved using a range of different inversion approaches. With this work, we provide modeling ground work and recommendations to plan the future of aerial Mars exploration.

Published
2023
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2. Long-Distance 3D Reconstructions Using Photogrammetry with Curiosity’s ChemCam Remote Micro-Imager in Gale Crater (Mars)

Author

Gwénaël Caravaca, Stéphane Le Mouélic, William Rapin, Gilles Dromart, Olivier Gasnault, Amaury Fau, Horton E. Newsom, Nicolas Mangold, Laetitia Le Deit, Sylvestre Maurice, Roger C. Wiens, and Nina L. Lanza

Subjects
Mars, Gale crater, ChemCam, photogrammetry, remote sensing, 3-D, Science
Abstract

The Mars Science Laboratory rover Curiosity landed in Gale crater (Mars) in August 2012. It has since been studying the lower part of the 5 km-high sedimentary pile that composes Gale’s central mound, Aeolis Mons. To assess the sedimentary record, the MSL team mainly uses a suite of imagers onboard the rover, providing various pixel sizes and fields of view from close to long-range observations. For this latter, we notably use the Remote Micro Imager (RMI), a subsystem of the ChemCam instrument that acts as 700 mm-focal length telescope, providing the smallest angular pixel size of the set of cameras on the Remote Sensing Mast. The RMI allows observations of remote outcrops up to a few kilometers away from the rover. As retrieving 3D information is critical to characterize the structures of the sedimentary deposits, we describe in this work an experiment aiming at computing for the first time with RMI Digital Outcrop Models of these distant outcrops. We show that Structure-from-Motion photogrammetry can successfully be applied to suitable sets of individual RMI frames to reconstruct the 3D shape and relief of these distant outcrops. These results show that a dedicated set of observations can be envisaged to characterize the most interesting geological features surrounding the rover.

Published
2021
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4. From Lake to River: Documenting an Environmental Transition Across the Jura/Knockfarril Hill Members Boundary in the Glen Torridon Region of Gale Crater (Mars)

Author

Gwénaël Caravaca, Nicolas Mangold, Erwin Dehouck, Juergen Schieber, Louis Zaugg, Alexander B. Bryk, Christopher M. Fedo, Stéphane Le Mouélic, Laetitia Le Deit, Steven G. Banham, Sanjeev Gupta, Agnès Cousin, William Rapin, Olivier Gasnault, Frances Rivera‐Hernández, Roger C. Wiens, and Nina L. Lanza

Published
2022
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6. The SuperCam Instrument Suite on the NASA Mars 2020 Rover: Body Unit and Combined System Tests

Author

Roger C. Wiens, Sylvestre Maurice, Scott H. Robinson, Anthony E. Nelson, Philippe Cais, Pernelle Bernardi, Raymond T. Newell, Sam Clegg, Shiv K. Sharma, Steven Storms, Jonathan Deming, Darrel Beckman, Ann M. Ollila, Olivier Gasnault, Ryan B. Anderson, Yves André, S. Michael Angel, Gorka Arana, Elizabeth Auden, Pierre Beck, Joseph Becker, Karim Benzerara, Sylvain Bernard, Olivier Beyssac, Louis Borges, Bruno Bousquet, Kerry Boyd, Michael Caffrey, Jeffrey Carlson, Kepa Castro, Jorden Celis, Baptiste Chide, Kevin Clark, Edward Cloutis, Elizabeth C. Cordoba, Agnes Cousin, Magdalena Dale, Lauren Deflores, Dorothea Delapp, Muriel Deleuze, Matthew Dirmyer, Christophe Donny, Gilles Dromart, M. George Duran, Miles Egan, Joan Ervin, Cecile Fabre, Amaury Fau, Woodward Fischer, Olivier Forni, Thierry Fouchet, Reuben Fresquez, Jens Frydenvang, Denine Gasway, Ivair Gontijo, John Grotzinger, Xavier Jacob, Sophie Jacquinod, Jeffrey R. Johnson, Roberta A. Klisiewicz, James Lake, Nina Lanza, Javier Laserna, Jeremie Lasue, Stéphane Le Mouélic, Carey Legett, Richard Leveille, Eric Lewin, Guillermo Lopez-Reyes, Ralph Lorenz, Eric Lorigny, Steven P. Love, Briana Lucero, Juan Manuel Madariaga, Morten Madsen, Soren Madsen, Nicolas Mangold, Jose Antonio Manrique, J. P. Martinez, Jesus Martinez-Frias, Kevin P. McCabe, Timothy H. McConnochie, Justin M. McGlown, Scott M. McLennan, Noureddine Melikechi, Pierre-Yves Meslin, John M. Michel, David Mimoun, Anupam Misra, Gilles Montagnac, Franck Montmessin, Valerie Mousset, Naomi Murdoch, Horton Newsom, Logan A. Ott, Zachary R. Ousnamer, Laurent Pares, Yann Parot, Rafal Pawluczyk, C. Glen Peterson, Paolo Pilleri, Patrick Pinet, Gabriel Pont, Francois Poulet, Cheryl Provost, Benjamin Quertier, Heather Quinn, William Rapin, Jean-Michel Reess, Amy H. Regan, Adriana L. Reyes-Newell, Philip J. Romano, Clement Royer, Fernando Rull, Benigno Sandoval, Joseph H. Sarrao, Violaine Sautter, Marcel J. Schoppers, Susanne Schröder, Daniel Seitz, Terra Shepherd, Pablo Sobron, Bruno Dubois, Vishnu Sridhar, Michael J. Toplis, Imanol Torre-Fdez, Ian A. Trettel, Mark Underwood, Andres Valdez, Jacob Valdez, Dawn Venhaus, and Peter Willis

Published
2020
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8. Helicopter Magnetic Field Surveys for Future Mars Missions

Author

Anna Mittelholz, Lindsey Heagy, Catherine L. Johnson, Abigail A. Fraeman, Benoit Langlais, Rob J. Lillis, and William Rapin

Abstract

The recent successful flight demonstration of the Mars 2020 helicopter, Ingenuity, has opened doors for future Mars mission concepts that exploit modern technology, and promising investigations include low altitude magnetic field surveys. The martian crustal magnetic field has been studied extensively from orbit and those data sets have allowed global studies of the magnetic field and resulted in a range of models for the crustal magnetic field which however lack short wavelength information that is not resolvable from orbital altitudes. The InSight lander and the Chinese Zhurong missions have recently acquired magnetic measurements of the local field at their respective landing sites. However, to-date no measurements at scales in between those of local surface and global orbital data have been collected. Such measurements are key to understanding near-surface magnetizations, the processes by which they were acquired, and their interaction with magnetic fields generated above the planet’s surface. Here, we investigate data sets that a future helicopter-based magnetometer might be able to provide.We construct forward models that resemble a range of plausible subsurface geological structures that allow us to experiment with survey design, e.g., the value of multiple measurement tracks horizontally and/or vertically and their trade-offs with regional data coverage. We simulate vector magnetic field data collected by a helicopter for different geological scenarios and aim to recover our model via an inverse problem. Because such inverse problems are inherently non-unique, we investigate several approaches to find solutions, including different types of regularization, as well as modification of the model parameterization. As one example, we investigate recovery of a magnetization signature associated with a small (~200 m diameter) crater, from a few (e.g., 3) helicopter tracks over the crater. We show that smooth and sparse inversion solutions result in detection of the signal, with improved localization of the structure in the latter case. Parameterized solutions improve upon sparse solutions, but require some prior knowledge, or assumption, of the geometry (in this case a magnetized half sphere) of the source.Our investigation allows us to assess the capabilities of helicopter-based magnetic field studies in addressing some of the fundamental open questions in the field. These kinds of considerations will greatly aid in preparing for and designing future missions, optimizing their science return and demonstrating their scientific value.

Published
2023
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9. Updated orbital perspective of the Mt. Sharp upper sulfates in preparation for in situ exploration

Author

Rachel Sheppard, William Rapin, Valerie Tu, Lucy Lim, Travis Gabriel, Madison Hughes, Abigail Fraeman, and David Vaniman

Abstract

Mg sulfate (MGS) is one of the most common secondary minerals on Mars, with orbital detections spread across the planet and multiple occurrences and elevations within Gale crater. The mineralogy of MGS (including its crystallinity and hydration state) and its geologic setting can be used to place precise limits on aqueous conditions during formation and diagenesis. Both monohydrated Mg-sulfate and polyhydrated Mg-sulfate have been observed in Gale crater from orbit, and the MSL mission is now within the area where MGS-rich strata are identified from orbit, presenting an opportunity to examine these common martian minerals in situ. We map MGS-rich outcrops along the planned rover traverse route and similar stratigraphic range around all of Mt. Sharp. By comparing CRISM and HiRISE data in a restricted stratigraphic range, we identify small features of interest such as potential thin monohydrated MGS layers. As monohydrated MGS cannot have been exposed to liquid water or frost since formation, these are important outcrops for the rover to conduct contact science and gather high-resolution textural observations which can be used to test formation hypotheses.

Published
2023
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10. Detection of Copper by the ChemCam Instrument Along Curiosity's Traverse in Gale Crater, Mars: Elevated Abundances in Glen Torridon

Author

Walter Goetz, Erwin Dehouck, Patrick J. Gasda, Jeffrey R. Johnson, Pierre‐Yves Meslin, Nina L. Lanza, Roger C. Wiens, William Rapin, Jens Frydenvang, Valerie Payré, and Olivier Gasnault

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

Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy, as utilized by the ChemCam instrument onboard the Curiosity rover, detected enhanced abundances of the element copper. Since landing in Gale crater (August 6, 2012) 10 enhancements in copper abundance were observed during 3007 Martian days (sols) of rover operations and 24 km of driving (as of January 20, 2021). The most prominent ones were found in the Kimberley area on the crater floor (Aeolis Palus) and in Glen Torridon on the lower flanks of Aeolis Mons (Mt. Sharp). Enhancements in copper record the former existence of modestly acidic and oxidizing fluids, which were more oxidizing in Kimberley than in Glen Torridon. Of the two main types of bedrock in the lowest part of Glen Torridon, Mg-rich ‘coherent’ and K-rich ‘rubbly’ (named based on their outcrop expression), copper was only detected in coherent, not in rubbly bedrock. The difference between these two types of bedrock may be due to difference in provenance. Alternatively, based on a recently developed lacustrine-groundwater mixing model, we suggest that rubbly bedrock was altered by modestly acidic, shallow-subsurface lake water that leached out both copper and manganese, while coherent bedrock was affected by dominantly alkaline fluids which would be consistent with its mineralogical composition (including siderite) as returned by the CheMin instrument onboard the rover. Higher up in Glen Torridon, ChemCam data indicated significant gradients in copper concentration in coherent bedrock on a local scale of only few meters, which suggests a different alteration style and possibly different types of diagenetic fluids.

Published
2023
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11. Askival:An altered feldspathic cumulate sample in Gale crater

Author

Donald Lewis Bowden, John C. Bridges, Agnes Cousin, William Rapin, Julia Semprich, Olivier Gasnault, Olivier Forni, Patrick Gasda, Debarati Das, Valerie Payré, Violaine Sautter, Candice C. Bedford, Roger C. Wiens, Patrick Pinet, Jens Frydenvang, School of Physics and Astronomy [Leicester], University of Leicester, 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), School of Environment, Earth and Ecosystem Sciences, The Open University, Milton Keynes, UK, Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences [Montréal] (EPS), McGill University = Université McGill [Montréal, Canada], Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences [Iowa City], University of Iowa [Iowa City], Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (MNHN), Lunar and Planetary Institute [Houston] (LPI), Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science (ARES), NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC), NASA-NASA, GLOBE Institute, and University of Copenhagen

Subjects
[SDU.STU.PL]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Planetology, Geophysics, Space and Planetary Science
Abstract

Askival is a light-toned, coarsely crystalline float rock, which was identified near the base of Vera Rubin Ridge in Gale crater. We have studied Askival, principally with the ChemCam instrument but also using APXS compositional data and MAHLI images. Askival and an earlier identified sample, Bindi, represent two rare examples of feldspathic cumulate float rocks in Gale crater with >65% relict plagioclase. Bindi appears unaltered whereas Askival shows textural and compositional signatures of silicification, along with alkali remobilization and hydration. Askival likely experienced multiple stages of alteration, occurring first through acidic hydrolysis of metal cations, followed by deposition of silica and possible phyllosilicates at low T and neutral-alkaline pH. Through laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy compositional analyses and normative calculations, we suggest that an assemblage of Fe-Mg silicates including amphibole and pyroxene, Fe phases, and possibly Mg-rich phyllosilicate are present. Thermodynamic modeling of the more pristine Bindi composition predicts that amphibole and feldspar are stable within an upper crustal setting. This is consistent with the presence of amphibole in the parent igneous rocks of Askival and suggests that the paucity of amphiboles in other known Martian samples reflects the lack of representative samples of the Martian crust rather than their absence on Mars.

Published
2023
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12. Early Mars sub-aerial environments conducive to prebiotic evolution

Author

William Rapin, Gilles Dromart, Benton Clark, Jürgen Schieber, Edwin Kite, Linda Kah, Lucy Thompson, Olivier Gasnault, Jérémie Lasue, Pierre-Yves Meslin, Patrick Gasda, and Nina Lanza

Abstract

Mars provides a unique record for early habitable environments 1–3 but its potential for an independent origin of life is uncertain 4,5. Prebiotic chemical evolution leading to incipient life requires specific environments and processes to occur 6. In particular, wet-dry cycling is known to strongly promote the self-assembly of organics, generating opportunistic mixtures and combinations of essential biopolymers 7–9. However, evidence for such process has been missing from the geological record of Mars explored so far. Here we report on new observations by the Curiosity rover at Gale crater indicating wet-dry cycling occurred on early Mars. We observed exhumed centimetric polygonal ridges, with distinct Y-junctions, which are characteristic of a fossilized cracking pattern that initially formed in fresh mud by the sustained action of wet-dry cycles. Given organics are present in the ancient sediments of Gale, our results suggest the evaporitic basin has been particularly conducive to prebiotic polymerization processes. The features are physically and temporally associated with the transition from clay to sulfate-bearing strata, a key mineral assemblage found elsewhere across Mars. It suggests that the Noachian-Hesperian transition (3.8 – 3.6 Gyrs ago) as a whole has been favorable to prebiotic evolution.

Published
2022
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13. The Prow outcrop: an 'open catalog' of multiscale 3D fluvial sedimentary structures in the lower sulfate unit of Gale crater (Mars)

Author

Gwénaël Caravaca, Stéphane Le Mouélic, Sanjeev Gupta, Nicolas Mangold, William Rapin, Juergen Schieber, Laetitia Le Deit, Olivier Gasnault, and Nina L. Lanza

Abstract

The Curiosity rover of the Mars Science Laboratory has been exploring since mid-2021 the lower sulfate unit of Mount Sharp in the Gale crater. This unit, first described from orbital observations as showing spectral signatures of hydrated sulfate minerals [1], has recently been revealed to record a major paleoenvironmental and climatic transition during the Hesperian-Noachian transition, with the onset of alternating wet and dry conditions before a complete aridification of Martian conditions [2]. Before the current campaign, this unit was mainly studied using remote observations (e.g., [2, 3]), but Curiosity has now entered this major interval allowing to precisely study the rock record leading to this major climatic event.Since the rover left the Glen Torridon area (aka the clay-bearing unit, Fig. 1), the Curiosity rover entered the sulfate-bearing unit (~Sol 3100, mid-2021; Fig. 1) and traversed sedimentary series mainly composed of fine to coarse sandstones. While no clear facies change or sharp contact has been observed when entering the sulfate-bearing unit, these levels differ from the previously observed terrains in Gale by an increased occurrence of nodular features with a strong sulfate geochemical signature [4, 5], polygonal ridges [4], or even halite detections [6]. Otherwise, the sedimentary structures and grain-size are continuous across the upper members of the Carolyn Shoemaker formation and into the overlying Mirador formation, indicating a likely continuity in the continental settings for most of these deposits.Such structures are notably well visible at the Prow locality, a major outcrop situated in the Contigo member of the Mirador formation, just below the Greenheugh pediment (Fig. 1). This outcrop has been reached and studied in January and February 2022, between sols 3349 and 3379. Using ~3200 mid- and close-range images from the Navigation and Mast cameras (Navcam, Mastcam), we used structure-from-motion photogrammetry to reconstruct a Digital Outcrop Model (following the method described in [7]) of the Prow locality and its vicinity (Fig. 2). This DOM covers an area of about 1000m². Two small excerpts of this DOM are explorable online on the Sketchfab platform at https://skfb.ly/o8DJZ and https://skfb.ly/otpLW. The DOM allows us to visualize and characterize several sets of meter- to centimeter-scale sedimentary structures, over about 30 meters of lateral continuity, either using on-screen visualization, or integrated within a Virtual Reality environment.The DOM reconstruction has been helpful in determining the targets of interest during the Prow exploration by Curiosity. One particular benefit has been to identify the Toron block (Fig. 2) as a fallen piece of the main outcrop, allowing us to perform very close-range observations of the outcrop’s cliff-face (e.g., Fig. 3a) without actually putting the rover too close to the actual rock-face. The interest of using such 3D reconstruction notably lies in the ability to characterize the spatial distribution of the multi-scale structures observed at the Prow, but also to study the spatial distribution (and potential variations) of the geochemical composition of these layered sandstones as seen by the ChemCam instrument. We also take advantage of the high-resolution micro-images provided by the Remote Micro-Imager subsystem of the ChemCam instrument (with a field of view of 20 mrad per frame, resolving grains under the silt at close range) to study the facies (grain-size, micro-structures) of the different sandstone beds cropping out at this locality (Fig. 3).At the Prow, we characterize several sets of sedimentary structures such as (but not limited to) meter-scale cross-stratifications, cm-scale symmetric ripples but also probable climbing ripples (Fig. 3a). These structures, mostly indicating a direction of transport toward the NW (similar to what is observed in underlying Glen Torridon area), denotates sustained aqueous conditions compatible with a fluvial setting. We also observe in some place at the Prow, and notably in the upper layers, mm-scale fine-grained draping (Fig. 3b) deposited at the surface of (cross-)stratifications, reminiscent of flaser bedding on Earth. These fine muddy levels indicate recurrent intervals of low-energy deposition in-between higher-energy periods. Put together, these elements help us to characterize sustained aqueous conditions in a dynamic setting of combined flow and wave action at the time the sediments were deposited (e.g., [8]), helping us to determine probable mixed fluvio-aeolian settings around the critical climatic transition observed within this sulfate-bearing unit characterized by alternating wet and dry conditions.References: [1] Miliken et al., 2010, Geophys. Res. Lett. 37, L04201; [2] Rapin et al., 2021, Geology 49; [3] Caravaca et al., 2021, Remote Sensing, 13(20), 4068; [4] Rapin et al., 2022, EPSC, this meeting; [5] Schieber et al., 2022, LPSC, Abstract #1304; [6] Meslin et al., 2022, LPSC, Abstract #2492; [7] Caravaca et al., 2020, Planet. Space Science 182, 104808 ; [8] Gupta et al., 2022, ESPC, this meeting.

Published
2022
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14. Episodic aqueous conditions punctuated dominantly aeolian deposition within the layered sulphate-bearing unit, Gale crater (Mars)

Author

Sanjeev Gupta, Lauren Edgar, R Aileen Yingst, Alexander Bryk, Gwenael Caravaca, William Dietrich, John Grotzinger, David Rubin, William Rapin, Steven Banham, Amelie Roberts, Stephane Le Mouélic, Rebecca Williams, Juergen Schieber, Nicolas Mangold, Tex Kubacki, Olivier Gasnault, Roger Wiens, Abigail Fraeman, Ashwin Vasavada, Department of Earth Science and Engineering [Imperial College London], Imperial College London, Astrogeology Science Center [Flagstaff], United States Geological Survey [Reston] (USGS), Planetary Science Institute [Tucson] (PSI), Department of Earth and Planetary Science [UC Berkeley] (EPS), University of California [Berkeley] (UC Berkeley), University of California (UC)-University of California (UC), 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), Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences [Pasadena], California Institute of Technology (CALTECH), University of California [Santa Cruz] (UC Santa Cruz), University of California (UC), Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géosciences [UMR_C 6112] (LPG), Université d'Angers (UA)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Nantes université - UFR des Sciences et des Techniques (Nantes univ - UFR ST), Nantes Université - pôle Sciences et technologie, Nantes Université (Nantes Univ)-Nantes Université (Nantes Univ)-Nantes Université - pôle Sciences et technologie, Nantes Université (Nantes Univ)-Nantes Université (Nantes Univ), Indiana University [Bloomington], Indiana University System, Malin Space Science Systems (MSSS), Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, Purdue University, Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), NASA-California Institute of Technology (CALTECH), and Europlanet

Subjects
[SDU.STU.PL]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Planetology, [SDU]Sciences of the Universe [physics], [SDU.STU.ST]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Stratigraphy, [SDU.STU]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences
Abstract

The stratigraphy preserved within Aeolis Mons (Mount Sharp) in Gale crater (Mars) shows a major transition from mudstone-rich strata (with subordinate sandstones) recording deposition in lacustrine to fluvial settings into a major sulphate-bearing unit (the Layered Sulphate-bearing unit (LSu)) [1, 2]. This transition is interpreted to represent a major environmental change from wetter conditions toward a more arid palaeoclimate on early Mars. A stratigraphic section over this transition constructed along Curiosity’s traverse shows a vertical change from mudstones with interstratified sandstones of the Glasgow and Mercou members of the Carolyn Shoemaker formation into strata of the Pontours member which have a strong diagenetic overprint, and thence into large-scale cross-stratified sandstones of the Mirador formation that are interpreted to be the deposits of large, migrating aeolian dunes. The lower section of the LSu is dominated by stacked, cross-bedded facies with variable diagenetic overprint, that likely records a purely dry aeolian dune environment [3]. However, higher up in the studied section, approximately 80 m above the base of the Mirador formation, there is a transition into a succession still dominated by large-scale cross-beds but with interstratified lenses of a different sandstone facies. The presence of these lenses within large-scale cross bedded rocks is denoted by a transition to the Contigo member of the Mirador formation. Whilst a number of lenses are visible in the stratigraphy of the Contigo member in cliffs along Curiosity’s traverse, the Mars Science Laboratory science team selected one lens, informally named The Prow to investigate in detail. Here, we describe the sedimentology of The Prow at a range of scales using Navcam, Mastcam, ChemCam Remote Micro-Imager(RMI), and Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) images with a focus on characterizing sedimentary structures, their depositional process interpretation and comparison to Earth analogs. The 3D geometries of The Prow’s sedimentary structures are analysed by [4]. The Prow was investigated during sols 3349 and 3379 in early 2022 and had been identified as a target of interest from long distance observations suggesting that it formed constrasting facies to surrounding rocks. The Prow is an ~18-m-long, ~0.5-1-m-thick lenticular sedimentary body that is interbedded with large-scale cross-stratified facies interpreted to be aeolian dune deposits. The nature of the lower contact of The Prow is unclear. The lens pinches out to the south. The Prow shows a range of sedimentary structures suggestive of deposition under predominantly aqueous conditions. These structures differ from structures in surrounding bedrock indicating contrasting environmental conditions. The lowermost part of The Prow section appears to comprise decimetre-scale cross-beds indicative of deposition from subaqueous dune migration. The scale of these cross-beds is quite different from the large metres-scale trough cross-beds in rocks surrounding the lenses. The upper sections of The Prow are dominated by cm-scale ripple structures well observed in cross-section. In particular, lenticular and flaser geometries are observed. Lenticular ripple forms with convex upper surfaces are common with concave lower surfaces where they overlie underlying ripple forms. The ripple forms occur vertically stacked and laterally offset. The individual lenses are commonly interconnected forming complex interwoven structures. The crests generally show rounded symmetric profiles. Locally, symmetric vertical accretion over ripple crests is observed implying rapid sediment aggradation. Many ripple forms do not appear to show internal lamination, although this may be due to a lack of grain size variation. In a few examples where internal lamination is observed, preserved foresets are suggestive of unidirectional flow. RMI and MAHLI images reveal that ripple forms appear to have a finer-grained drape overlying ripple crests and extending into ripple troughs. MAHLI data confirm initial ChemCam observations and show that ripple cores comprise a sandstone and draping laminations are finer grained and likely below MAHLI-resolution (~60 microns). The drapes are provisionally interpreted as mud drapes formed from suspension fallout onto ripple topography during low energy quiescent episodes. The overall sedimentary geometry resembles flaser- to lenticular bedding common in Earth examples. The symmetric form of many of the ripple structures with preservation of form sets is suggestive of formation by oscillatory flow by wave action. Locally, there is evidence of asymmetric accretion which is likely indicative of combined flow ripples. The presence of drapes of finer-grained material superimposed on coarser-grained ripple forms is interpreted to record episodes of higher-energy sand transport separated by recurrent intervals of low-energy conditions during which sand grains could not be mobilised. Wave and current activity caused bedload transport of sand constructing symmetric and asymmetric ripples. Between these episodes, there were quiescent periods where active flow ceased and finer-than-sand grains deposited out of suspension onto temporarily fossilised ripple forms. The preservation of stacked well-preserved ripple forms with crests intact suggests conditions of rapid deposition. Locally, planar laminated beds with laterally continuous laminae are present; these maybe interpreted as either wind-ripple laminations formed by aeolian transport or as upper flow regime plane beds. The presence of mudstone-draped wave and current ripple forms in the upper section of The Prow is strongly indicative of deposition from aqueous flows and moreover suggests the existence of a likely aerially small, shallow standing body of water in which the sediments were deposited. We compare the observed structures to forms observed in 1 Ga lake deposits from the Diabaig Formation of the Torridon Group (NW Scotland). We tentatively infer that The Prow and by inference the other lenses observed in the Contigo member may record the episodic interdune or scour-fill presence of transient small standing bodies of water in an otherwise dominantly dry aeolian dune-dominated environment. The vertical transition from the underlying Dunnidear and Port Logan members of the Mirador formation that are dominated purely by large-scale trough cross bedding indicative of dry aeolian conditions indicates a change to a more mixed environmental setting with episodic fluvial/lacustrine activity perhaps from transient snow-melt or precipitation events occurring in otherwise arid conditions. Lenses such as The Prow demonstrate fluvio-lacustrine intervals punctuated dominant aeolian environment in the layered sulphate-bearing unit. References: [1] Milliken et al., 2010, Geophys. Res. Lett. 37, L04201; [2] Rapin et al., 2021, Geology 49; [3] Rapin et al., 2022, EPSC, this meeting; [4] Caravaca et al., 2022, EPSC, this meeting.

Published
2022
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15. Overview of Secondary Phosphate Facies observed by Chemcam in Gale Crater, Mars

Author

Pierre-Yves Meslin, Olivier Forni, Matteo Loche, Sébastien Fabre, Nina Lanza, Patrick Gasda, Allan Treiman, Jeff Berger, Agnès Cousin, Olivier Gasnault, William Rapin, Jérémie Lasue, Nicolas Mangold, Erwin Dehouck, Gilles Dromart, Sylvestre Maurice, and Roger C. Wiens

Abstract

Phosphorus was essential to the development of life on Earth because it enters into the composition of molecules important for biology. Since the development of organisms is often limited by phosphorus supply, secondary phosphate facies are often controlled by biological activity, especially in lacustrine and marine environments. Understanding the formation of phosphate minerals on Mars is therefore interesting not only from an astrobiological standpoint, but also to understand the phosphorus cycle in a presumably abiotic world. Here, we provide an overview of the different secondary P-rich facies that have been observed by the ChemCam instrument. Since 2012, Curiosity has been exploring geological records of a paleo-lacustrine environment in Gale crater. After encountering fluvio-deltaic and lacustrine deposits in the lowermost unit, Bradbury, it explored ~300m of stratigraphy through the Murray formation, composed predominantly of laminated clay-rich mudstones and fine-grained sandstones deposited in an extended lacustrine environment. While crossing the Sutton Island member of this formation (an heterolithic unit composed of mudstones and sandstones), a series of subhorizontal dark laminae enriched in Fe and P were found, progressively giving way to mm-size dark nodules enriched in Mn, Mg and P in the overlying Blunts Point member, growing in size with elevation [1], and to Mn-rich sandstones [1,2,3]. These laminae and nodules were interpreted as syndepositional or early diagenetic features formed in a shallow lake or lake margin environment [1,2,3]. An initial interpretation of their mineralogy, based on chemical measurements, suggested they could be hydrous Fe- and Mn-oxides formed under oxidizing conditions (with Eh increasing along the stratigraphy) at the water-sediment interface, having sorbed (MgHPO4) complexes [1], with nodules’ growth possibly controlled by reworking and winnowing. Dark nodules enriched in (Fe,Mg,P) were also observed in Ca-sulfate-filled fractures across all these units [1]. These dark features suddenly disappeared when the rover reached the Vera Rubin ridge, where only isolated and detached nodules enriched in (Mn,Fe,P), probably eroded from overlying strata, and dark-toned rock patina enriched in (Fe,P) were observed. None of these facies were then observed during the first ~500 Sols of the traverse through the Glen Torridon region, including the base of an unconformity with an overlying Aeolian sandstone unit. In the Groken area of the Glen Torridon region, dark mm-sized nodules arranged in thin layers were again discovered. A rock sample was analyzed by X-ray diffraction by CheMin, which did not detect any crystalline forms of oxides nor phosphates [4]. Meanwhile, the phosphorus and manganese abundances measured by ChemCam have been quantified, which led us to revise prior interpretations. The constant P/Mn ratio in the Groken nodules and their P abundance (too large to be explained by P-sorption to oxides) suggest they are composed of nano-crystalline or amorphous hydrous (Mn,Mg)-phosphates. Previous occurrences are now interpreted as hydrous (Fe,Mn,Mg)-phosphates with varying (Fe,Mn,Mg) proportions. Several formation scenarios are being explored by geochemical modeling [5]. [1] Meslin et al., LPSC, 2018[2] Gasda et al., LPSC, 2018[3] Lanza et al., LPSC, 2018[4] Treiman et al., LPSC, 2022[5] Loche et al., LPSC, 2022

Published
2022
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16. Comparison of dust between Gale and Jezero

Author

Lasue, J., Meslin, P. Y., Cousin, A., Forni, O., Anderson, R., Beck, P., Clegg, S. M., Dehouck, E., Frydenvang, J., Gasda, P., Olivier Gasnault, Hausrath, E., Le Mouélic, S., Maurice, S., Pilleri, P., William Rapin, Wiens, R. C., 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), US Geological Survey [Flagstaff], United States Geological Survey [Reston] (USGS), Institut de Planétologie et d'Astrophysique de Grenoble (IPAG), Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Observatoire des Sciences de l'Univers de Grenoble (OSUG ), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB [Université de Savoie] [Université de Chambéry])-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE)-Université Grenoble Alpes (UGA)-Météo-France -Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB [Université de Savoie] [Université de Chambéry])-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE)-Université Grenoble Alpes (UGA)-Météo-France, Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), 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), University of Copenhagen = Københavns Universitet (UCPH), University of Nevada [Las Vegas] (WGU Nevada), Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géosciences [UMR_C 6112] (LPG), Université d'Angers (UA)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Nantes université - UFR des Sciences et des Techniques (Nantes univ - UFR ST), Nantes Université - pôle Sciences et technologie, Nantes Université (Nantes Univ)-Nantes Université (Nantes Univ)-Nantes Université - pôle Sciences et technologie, Nantes Université (Nantes Univ)-Nantes Université (Nantes Univ), Lunar and Planetary Institute, and Gasnault, Olivier

Subjects
[SDU.STU.PL]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Planetology, [SDU.STU.PL] Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Planetology
Abstract

International audience

Published
2022

17. CLAY MINERAL ANALYSES WITH THE CHEMCAM INSTRUMENT AT THE MARIMBA, QUELA AND SEBINA DRILL LOCATIONS, IN GALE CRATER, MARS

Author

David, G., Cousin, A., Forni, O., Schröder, S., Rammelkamp, K., Léveillé, R., Gibbons, E., Thomas, N. H., Y Meslin, P., Dehouck, E., Lasue, J., William Rapin, Olivier Gasnault, Wiens, R. C., Lanza, N. L., Maurice, S., 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 für Op­ti­sche Sen­sor­sys­te­me, Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt [Berlin] (DLR), McGill University = Université McGill [Montréal, Canada], 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), Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), and Lunar and Planetary Institute

Subjects
[SDU.STU.PL]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Planetology
Abstract

International audience

Published
2022

18. SIGNIFICANT HALITE ENRICHMENT IN THE SULFATE-UNIT OF GALE CRATER, MARS

Author

Pierre-Yves Meslin, William Rapin, Olivier Forni, Agnès Cousin, Olivier Gasnault, Matteo Loche, Erwin Dehouck, Nicolas Mangold, Gwénaël CARAVACA, Susanne Schröder, Patrick Gasda, Stéphane Le Mouélic, Jérémie Lasue, Jens Frydenvang, Clark, Benton C., Fairen, A., Sylvestre Maurice, Wiens, Roger C., Lanza, Nina L., 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), 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), Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géosciences [UMR_C 6112] (LPG), Université d'Angers (UA)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Nantes université - UFR des Sciences et des Techniques (Nantes univ - UFR ST), Nantes Université - pôle Sciences et technologie, Nantes Université (Nantes Univ)-Nantes Université (Nantes Univ)-Nantes Université - pôle Sciences et technologie, Nantes Université (Nantes Univ)-Nantes Université (Nantes Univ), Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt [Berlin] (DLR), Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), University of Copenhagen = Københavns Universitet (UCPH), Space Science Institute [Boulder] (SSI), Centro de Astrobiologia [Madrid] (CAB), Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial (INTA)-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas [Madrid] (CSIC), and Lunar and Planetary Institute

Subjects
[SDU.STU.PL]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Planetology, [SDU]Sciences of the Universe [physics], [SDU.STU.ST]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Stratigraphy, Mars, halite, [SDU.STU]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences, MSL, Gale crater, Sulfate
Abstract

International audience; Since its landing in 2012, the Curiosity rover has been exploring geological records of a paleolacustrine environment in Gale crater. It started with the fluvio-deltaic and lacustrine deposits in the lowermost Bradbury Group, followed by 300 m of stratigraphy through the Murray formation (from the Pahrump Hills to the Jura member) dominated by mudstones and occasionally heterolithic mudstones, siltstones and sandstones. Along this traverse, it also crossed the unconformity with the overlying Stimson formation, dominated by aeolian sandstones, and the Vera Rubin Ridge, an erosion-resistant section of the Murray fm., which has undergone extensive diagenesis [1]. From Sol 2300 to 3072 (Jan. 2019 to Jan. 2021), Curiosity has explored the Glen Torridon region, previously named "Claybearing unit" because of the orbital signatures of clays detected in this area. Since Sol 3100 (Mont Mercou), the rover entered the basal Layered Sulfate unit (also named after orbital observations) with the objective of documenting a possible major change in Mars climate history. Evaporitic salts could represent a geochemical marker of this transition. Here, we provide an overview of previous halite detections by ChemCam [2, 3] and report on new detections made in the sulfate-bearing unit. Data and Method: This study covers data acquired by the ChemCam instrument over the first 3300 sols of the mission and corresponding to ~27800 LIBS analysis points. The detection of halite is made possible by measuring the chlorine emission line at 837.8 nm. Comparing the chlorine peak area to the Na abundance reveals the presence of a group of points showing a strong linear correlation between the two elements (Fig. 1).

Published
2022

19. HYDROGEN IN ROCKS FROM JEZERO CRATER INVESTIGATED WITH SUPERCAM LIBS

Author

Pierre Beck, Forni, O., Y Meslin, P., Benzerara, K., Beyssac, O., Lasue, J., Quantin-Nataf, C., Poulet, F., Royer, C., Mandon, L., William Rapin, Clavé, E., Cousin, A., Schröder, S., Le Mouélic, S., Olivier Gasnault, Ollila, A. M., Hausrath, E., Maurice, S., Wiens, R. C., 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), Centre National d’Étude Spatiale, and Lunar and Planetary Institute

Subjects
LIBS, [SDU.STU.PL]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Planetology
Abstract

International audience

Published
2022

20. Bedrock Geochemistry and Alteration History of the Clay‐Bearing Glen Torridon Region of Gale Crater, Mars

Author

Erwin Dehouck, Agnès Cousin, Nicolas Mangold, Jens Frydenvang, Olivier Gasnault, Olivier Forni, William Rapin, Patrick J. Gasda, Gwénaël Caravaca, Gaël David, Candice C. Bedford, Jérémie Lasue, Pierre‐Yves Meslin, Kristin Rammelkamp, Marine Desjardins, Stéphane Le Mouélic, Michael T. Thorpe, Valerie K. Fox, Kristen A. Bennett, Alexander B. Bryk, Nina L. Lanza, Sylvestre Maurice, Roger C. Wiens, 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), 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), Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géosciences [UMR_C 6112] (LPG), Université d'Angers (UA)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Nantes université - UFR des Sciences et des Techniques (Nantes univ - UFR ST), Nantes Université - pôle Sciences et technologie, Nantes Université (Nantes Univ)-Nantes Université (Nantes Univ)-Nantes Université - pôle Sciences et technologie, Nantes Université (Nantes Univ)-Nantes Université (Nantes Univ), University of Copenhagen = Københavns Universitet (UCPH), Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt [Berlin] (DLR), UniLaSalle, Department of Earth and Planetary Science [UC Berkeley] (EPS), University of California [Berkeley] (UC Berkeley), University of California (UC)-University of California (UC), Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, Purdue University, and ANR-16-CE31-0012,MARS-PRIME,Environnement Primitif de Mars(2016)

Subjects
[SDU.STU.PL]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Planetology, Geophysics, Space and Planetary Science, Geochemistry and Petrology, Earth and Planetary Sciences (miscellaneous)
Abstract

International audience; Glen Torridon is a topographic trough located on the slope of Aeolis Mons, Gale crater, Mars. It corresponds to what was previously referred to as the “clay-bearing unit”, due to the relatively strong spectral signatures of clay minerals (mainly ferric smectites) detected from orbit. Starting in January 2019, the Curiosity rover explored Glen Torridon for more than 700 sols (Martian days). The objectives of this campaign included acquiring a detailed understanding of the geologic context in which the clay minerals were formed, and determining the intensity of aqueous alteration experienced by the sediments. Here, we present the major-element geochemistry of the bedrock as analyzed by the ChemCam instrument. Our results reveal that the two main types of bedrock exposures identified in the lower part of Glen Torridon are associated with distinct chemical compositions (K-rich and Mg-rich), for which we are able to propose mineralogical interpretations. Moreover, the topmost stratigraphic member exposed in the region displays a stronger diagenetic overprint, especially at two locations close to the unconformable contact with the overlying Stimson formation, where the bedrock composition significantly deviates from the rest of Glen Torridon. Overall, the values of the Chemical Index of Alteration determined with ChemCam are elevated by Martian standards, suggesting the formation of clay minerals through open-system weathering. However, there is no indication that the alteration was stronger than in some terrains previously visited by Curiosity, which in turn implies that the enhanced orbital signatures are mostly controlled by non-compositional factors.

Published
2022
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21. Overview of the Morphology and Chemistry of Diagenetic Features in the Clay-Rich Glen Torridon Unit of Gale Crater, Mars

Author

Patrick J. Gasda, Jade Comellas, Ari Essunfeld, Debarati Das, Alexander B. Bryk, Erwin Dehouck, Susanne P. Schwenzer, Laura Crossey, Kenneth Herkenhoff, Jeffrey R. Johnson, Horton Newsom, Nina L. Lanza, William Rapin, Walter Goetz, Pierre‐Yves Meslin, John C. Bridges, Ryan Anderson, Gael David, Stuart M. R. Turner, Michael T. Thorpe, Linda Kah, Jens Frydenvang, Rachel Kronyak, Gwénaël Caravaca, Ann Ollila, Stéphane Le Mouélic, Matthew Nellessen, Megan Hoffman, Deirdra Fey, Anges Cousin, Roger C. Wiens, Samuel M. Clegg, Sylvestre Maurice, Olivier Gasnault, Dorothea Delapp, Adriana Reyes‐Newell, Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), McGill University = Université McGill [Montréal, Canada], University of California [Berkeley] (UC Berkeley), University of California (UC), The Open University [Milton Keynes] (OU), The University of New Mexico [Albuquerque], US Geological Survey [Flagstaff], United States Geological Survey [Reston] (USGS), Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory [Laurel, MD] (APL), 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), Max-Planck-Institut für Sonnensystemforschung = Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (MPS), Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, University of Leicester, Texas State University, NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC), NASA, The University of Tennessee [Knoxville], Globe Institute, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen = Københavns Universitet (UCPH)-University of Copenhagen = Københavns Universitet (UCPH), Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), NASA-California Institute of Technology (CALTECH), Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géosciences [UMR_C 6112] (LPG), Université d'Angers (UA)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Nantes université - UFR des Sciences et des Techniques (Nantes univ - UFR ST), Nantes Université - pôle Sciences et technologie, Nantes Université (Nantes Univ)-Nantes Université (Nantes Univ)-Nantes Université - pôle Sciences et technologie, Nantes Université (Nantes Univ)-Nantes Université (Nantes Univ), Malin Space Science Systems (MSSS), 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), Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (MPS), Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géosciences - Angers (LPG-ANGERS), and Nantes Université (Nantes Univ)-Nantes Université (Nantes Univ)-Université d'Angers (UA)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Nantes université - UFR des Sciences et des Techniques (Nantes univ - UFR ST)

Subjects
[SDU.STU.PL]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Planetology, Geophysics, ChemCam, Space and Planetary Science, Geochemistry and Petrology, Earth and Planetary Sciences (miscellaneous), Mars Science Laboratory, Glen Torridon, Gale crater, diagenesis, Gale Crater, Diagenesis
Abstract

International audience; The clay-rich Glen Torridon region of Gale crater, Mars, was explored between sols 2300 and 3007. Here, we analyzed the diagenetic features observed by Curiosity, including veins, cements, nodules, and nodular bedrock, using the ChemCam, Mastcam, and Mars Hand Lens Imager instruments. We discovered many diagenetic features in Glen Torridon, including dark-toned iron- and manganese-rich veins, magnesium- and fluorine-rich linear features, Ca-sulfate cemented bedrock, manganese-rich nodules, and iron-rich strata. We have characterized the chemistry and morphology of these features, which are most widespread in the higher stratigraphic members in Glen Torridon, and exhibit a wide range of chemistries. These discoveries are strong evidence for multiple generations of fluids from multiple chemical endmembers that likely underwent redox reactions to form some of these features. In a few cases, we may be able to use mineralogy and chemistry to constrain formation conditions of the diagenetic features. For example, the dark-toned veins likely formed in warmer, highly alkaline, and highly reducing conditions, while manganese-rich nodules likely formed in oxidizing and circumneutral conditions. We also hypothesize that an initial enrichment of soluble elements, including fluorine, occurred during hydrothermal alteration early in Gale crater history to account for elemental enrichment in nodules and veins. The presence of redox-active elements, including Fe and Mn, and elements required for life, including P and S, in these fluids is strong evidence for habitability of Gale crater groundwater. Hydrothermal alteration also has interesting implications for prebiotic chemistry during the earliest stages of the crater’s evolution and early Mars.

Published
2022
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22. Bedrock geochemistry measured by ChemCam along a 2-km eastward traverse in the Glen Torridon region, Gale crater, Mars

Author

Erwin Dehouck, Agnès Cousin, Nicolas Mangold, Jens Frydenvang, Olivier Gasnault, Kristin Rammelkamp, William Rapin, Olivier Forni, Patrick J. Gasda, Gaël David, Gwénaël Caravaca, Jérémie Lasue, Pierre-Yves Meslin, Candice C. Bedford, Nina L. Lanza, Valerie K. Fox, Kristen A. Bennett, Alexander B. Bryk, Sylvestre Maurice, Roger C. Wiens, 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), 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), 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), University of Copenhagen = Københavns Universitet (UCPH), Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Lunar and Planetary Institute [Houston] (LPI), Department of Earth Sciences [Minneapolis], University of Minnesota [Twin Cities] (UMN), University of Minnesota System-University of Minnesota System, Astrogeology Science Center [Flagstaff], United States Geological Survey [Reston] (USGS), Department of Earth and Planetary Science [UC Berkeley] (EPS), University of California [Berkeley] (UC Berkeley), University of California (UC)-University of California (UC), and Europlanet

Subjects
Geochemistry, LIBS, [SDU.STU.PL]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Planetology, ChemCam, [SDU]Sciences of the Universe [physics], [SDU.STU.ST]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Stratigraphy, Mars, Stratigrpahy, [SDU.STU]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences, Glen Torridon, Gale crater, Sedimentology
Abstract

Introduction In January 2019, the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) rover Curiosity started exploring the Glen Torridon (GT) region of Gale crater, which corresponds to the topographic trough between the Vera Rubin ridge and the Greenheugh pediment (Fig. 1). From orbit, this region stands out due to the rela­tively strong near-infrared signatures of clay minerals [1,2]. The in-situ data collected so far by Curiosity have allowed the MSL team to confirm and quantify the presence of these clay minerals [3], to characterize their organic content [4], and to document in detail their geochemical and sedimentological settings [5]. In particular, the bedrock chemistry measured by ChemCam shows elevated values of the Chemical Index of Alteration (CIA) throughout most of Glen Torridon [6,7], which indicates an open-system type of alteration [8]. In addition, the ChemCam observations suggest the presence of illite in the fine-grained rocks [9] and reveal a possible relationship between grain size and geochemical variations [10]. Finally, they show that the light-toned rocks located just below the uncon­formity at the base of the Greenheugh pediment (Fig. 1) are associated with “anoma­lous” bedrock compositions that may be related to a late-stage diagenetic event at Gale [7]. Here, we report the findings of the ChemCam instrument along a ~2-km eastward traverse within the upper member – named Glasgow – of the Glen Torridon region (Fig. 1). This traverse allowed Curiosity to investigate the lateral variability of this member, while also getting gradually closer to the transition into the overlying sulfate-bearing unit [11]. Dataset ChemCam measures the chemical composition of targeted rocks and soils within a few meters of the rover using laser-induced breakdown spectro­scopy (LIBS). Quantification of eight major rock-forming oxides is performed routinely [12]. Each Chem­Cam analysis consists of a raster of several points a few millimeters apart from each other, and each point itself consists of a series of laser shots (typically 30). For bedrock targets, this approach allows removal of unwanted contributions from Ca-sulfate veins or soil material by discarding the corresponding points [e.g., 8]. On sol 3007, ChemCam experienced a technical issue, which required halting the use of the laser during the time of the investigation, while imaging and passive spectroscopy activities continued. LIBS analyses on Mars targets resumed on sol 3107, in the Mont Mercou area (Fig. 1), ~600 m to the east and ~19 m higher in elevation. In addition, data acquired between sols 2816 and 2956 are not used here, since they correspond to a downsection excursion into the underlying Knockfarril Hill member [13]. Results Variations in MgO, K2O and FeOT abun­dances along the rover path within the Glasgow member are shown in Figures 2, 3 and 4 (respectively). The bedrock composition is overall homogeneous, although small variations are observed for some oxides. In particular, the mean MgO abundance was well below 5 wt% in the western part of the traverse, but reached nearly 6 wt% after the downsection excursion (Fig. 2). This increase in MgO is accompanied by slightly lower Al2O3 abundances (not shown here). In contrast, the K2O content does not show a clear change after the excursion (Fig. 3); however, it decreases slightly during the exploration of an area with rougher terrain (previously mapped as “fIU rubbly” [14]), between sols 2973 and 3000. Regarding FeOT, large variations have been observed at small scale (i.e., within a given LIBS raster) in a group of targets characterized by the presence of dark nodules, likely of diagenetic origin [15,16]. These nodules have high FeOT (up to ~50 wt%), whereas the points in between the nodules show low FeOT (down to ~12.5 wt%). However, at the scale of the whole Glasgow member, the mean FeOT content is quite stable, with only a subtle increase in the eastern part of the traverse (Fig. 4). As mentioned above, the most recent data (last bin in Fig. 2-4) were acquired after a gap of ~600 m laterally and ~19 m vertically. Despite this gap, the bedrock compositions appear remarkably similar to those measured earlier in the Glasgow member, especially after the downsection excursion. This suggests that no major change of environment occurred during the time when LIBS was unavailable. Discussion and conclusion Curiosity’s eastward traverse within the Glasgow member is a rare opportunity to investigate the lateral variability of Gale sedimentary strata at the kilometer scale. The compositions appear overall homogeneous, but some variations are observed. As previously seen in Glen Torridon [6,7,10], Mg and K are the two most varying elements; however, their variations are not always well correlated, as illustrated by the trends observed after the downsection excursion (Fig. 2-3). In addition, while FeOT displays significant variations within some LIBS rasters due to the presence of dark nodules in the bedrock, it is stable at the scale of the whole Glasgow member, which suggests that diagenetic remobilization of iron occurred at small scale only. Finally, the latest data acquired in the Mont Mercou area show that the bedrock compositions are still remarkably similar to those measured ~2 km to the west, when Curiosity first encountered the Glasgow member. As the rover continues to progress uphill, ChemCam will continue surveying the bedrock in search of the first chemical indications of the clay-to-sulfate transition. References: [1] Milliken et al. (2010) GRL, 37. [2] Fraeman et al. (2016) JGR-Planets, 121. [3] Thorpe et al. (2021) LPSC, abstract #1519. [4] Millan et al. (2021) LPSC, abstract #2039. [5] Fedo et al. (2020) LPSC, abstract #2345. [6] Dehouck et al. (2020) LPSC, abstract #2770. [7] Dehouck et al. (2020) AGU Fall Meeting, abstract #P070-06. [8] Mangold et al. (2019) Icarus, 321. [9] Cousin et al. (2021) LPSC, abstract #2127. [10] Caravaca et al. (2021) LPSC, abstract #1455. [11] Rapin et al. (2021) Geology, 49. [12] Clegg et al. (2017) Spectrochim. Acta B, 129. [13] Dehouck et al. (2021) LPSC, abstract #1858. [14] Hughes et al. (2021) LPSC, abstract #1586. [15] David et al. (2021) LPSC, abstract #1433. [16] Gasda et al. (2021) LPSC, abstract #1271.

Published
2021
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23. Reconstructing the 3D shape of sulfate unit outcrops (Gale crater, Mars) using ChemCam’s Remote Micro Imager onboard the Curiosity rover

Author

Gwénaël Caravaca, Stéphane Le Mouélic, William Rapin, Gilles Dromart, Amaury Fau, Nicolas Mangold, Laetitia Le Deit, Olivier Gasnault, Roger C. Wiens, and Nina L. Lanza

Abstract

Gale crater on Mars records a large section of sedimentary rocks, mainly represented by the 5-km-thick sequence of Mount Sharp (Aeolis Mons). The lower part of this sequence has been explored by the Curiosity rover of the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission, revealing lacustrine to fluvial depositional sequences [e.g., 1] bearing clay minerals [2]. Orbital observations highlighted the presence of clay minerals at the base of Mt Sharp but also hint at a major wet to dry environmental change with clay-bearing rocks giving way to several hundred of meters of sulfate-bearing strata [3, 4]. Orbital data coupled with rover-based observations revealed that the sulfate-bearing unit record coincides with a major change of depositional environment followed by alternation of wetter and drier conditions rather than a monotonous aridification during the Hesperian epoch [5]. Before Curiosity reached this part of Gale crater, those observations were supported using long-distance imaging capabilities of the Remote Micro-Imager (RMI) sub-system of the ChemCam instrument [6]. With a focal length of 700 mm, the RMI telescope complements the color Mastcam imagers with higher spatial resolution views of sedimentary structures and textures of rocks outcropping several hundred meters up to a few kilometers away from the rover (a ~60 km-record observation having recently been achieved, [7]). This capacity is therefore used by the MSL team both to plan future guidance of the rover and to observe geologic features from a distance. These long-distance observations pointed at the sulfate-bearing unit reveal the presence of sub-metric-scale cross-stratifications and deflation surfaces as well as diagenetic features (e.g., “satin spar”; Fig. 1). While their size allows for long-range remote observation (i.e., several hundred meters away using imagers onboard the rover, Mastcam and RMI), the resulting images lacks depth due to the distance. Yet, such 3D information can be critical in characterizing and understanding the sedimentary processes behind the setting of these structures. To improve our observations, we are conducting an imaging experiment to reconstruct the 3D shape of the sulfate-bearing unit outcrops with Structure-from-Motion photogrammetry using ChemCam’s RMI frames. This method is usually performed on close-range geologic features observed with other imagers onboard the rover (MAHLI, Mastcam, Navcam, [8]), but such an approach had never been applied to long-distance RMI frames. Here, we apply photogrammetric treatment to specific sets of repeated long-distance observations on the sulfate-bearing unit. To cope with the high distance of the target, we use a several-hundred meters “virtual baseline” represented by successive positions of the rover along its traverse. Figure 1 shows one of the two long-distance (1x12) RMI mosaics (ccam04947, taken on Sol 2947, cf. Fig. 2) which served as input in the stereoscopic test. This mosaic illustrates an outcrop of the sulfate-bearing unit situated ~650 meters away from the rover at that time (Fig. 2). A second similar mosaic pointed at the same target was taken on Sol 2962 (2x16 RMI mosaic, ccam04962) after the rover drove about 200 meters southeastwards (Fig. 2). By combining the individual frames of these two mosaics in the photogrammetric chain, we were able to reconstruct the shape of the outcrop. The resulting 3D model presented in Figure 3 reveals the actual 3D shape of the imaged outcrop situated several hundred meters away from the rover, as well as displaying with improved accuracy the spatial distribution of the sedimentary and/or diagenetic structures. The use of this technique to produce long-distance 3D models will have critical implication in helping to assess and to characterize the depositional conditions related to the sulfate-bearing unit, a key objective of the Curiosity rover. The use of these models could also serve to help planning the upcoming exploration of this interval by designating high-interest targets. We also look forward to applying this method to long-distance color images obtained with the more advanced color RMI subsystem of the SuperCam instrument onboard the Perseverance rover currently operating in Jezero crater [9, 10]. References:[1] Caravaca et al., 2021 LSPC, abstract #1455; [2] Thorpe M. T. et al., 2021, LPSC, Abstract #1519; [3] Miliken et al., 2010, Geophys. Res. Lett. 37, L04201; [4] Fraeman A. A. et al., 2016, J. Geophys. Res. Planets 121, 1713–1736; [5] Rapin et al., 2021, Geology 49; [6] Le Mouélic et al., 2015, Icarus 249, 93-107; [7] Le Mouélic et al., 2021, LPSC Abstract #1408; [8] Caravaca et al., 2020, Planet. Space Science 182, 104808; [9] Gasnault et al., 2021, LPSC Abstract #2248; [10] Gasnault et al., 2021, EGU Abstract #EGU21-16461.

Published
2021
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24. A first look at the SuperCam RMI images aboard Perseverance

Author

Olivier Forni, P. Bernardi, Y. Daydou, William Rapin, Stéphane Le Mouélic, Roger C. Wiens, Philippe Cais, Olivier Gasnault, Cedric Virmontois, Sylvestre Maurice, P. Pilleri, 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), Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES), Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), 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 d'études spatiales et d'instrumentation en astrophysique (LESIA (UMR_8109)), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire de Paris, Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Paris (UP), Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Bordeaux [Pessac] (LAB), and Université de Bordeaux (UB)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)

Subjects
[SDU.STU.PL]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Planetology
Abstract

Starting in February 2021, the Perseverance rover will characterize a new landing site, the Jezero crater on Mars, and assemble a returnable cache of samples [1]. Among the remote sensing instruments, SuperCam combines chemical, mineralogical and organic spectroscopy, sound recording and imaging [2, 3, 4]. SuperCam’s RMI (Remote Micro-Imager) provides pictures for local context and site imaging at high-resolution.The 110-mm SuperCam telescope with a focal length of 563 mm allows to take color images of 2048x2048 pixels with a CMOS camera on a bandwidth from ~375 to ~655 nm. The images will be divided by a reference flat-field to correct the attenuation factor of ~5 due to vignetting. The diameter of the circular field-of-view is ~18.8 mrad. The angular size of the RMI pixels is slightly less than 10 microrads, and the effective image resolution is better than 80 microrads, which represents 0.24 mm at 3 m.Images will be taken at the start and end of the SuperCam raster observations [3] and assembled into annotated mosaics, which will provide information on the nature of the targets at the scale of the SuperCam investigation. Images will also be taken to study remote outcrops. At the time of the conference, Perseverance will have been on Mars for 2 months. Although the first images of the RMI will be used to check the health of the instrument, we also hope to have a first view of the landing site by then.References: [1] Farley K.A. et al. (2020) SSR, 216, 142. [2] Maurice S. et al. (in revision) SSR. [3] Wiens R.C. et al. (2021) SSR, 217, 4. [4] Maurice S. et al. (this issue).

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2021
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25. Alternating wet and dry depositional environments recorded in the stratigraphy of Mount Sharp at Gale crater, Mars

Author

Bethany L. Ehlmann, Ryan B. Anderson, William Rapin, J. L. Dickson, D. M. Rubin, Sylvestre Maurice, Gilles Dromart, Lauren A. Edgar, Valerie Fox, Roger C. Wiens, Olivier Gasnault, K. E. Herkenhoff, N. Mangold, S. Le Mouélic, L. Le Deit, 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), 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), California Institute of Technology (CALTECH), 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), University of California, 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), U.S Geological Survey, Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), NASA-California Institute of Technology (CALTECH), Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), 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), 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), and University of California (UC)

Subjects
010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, Geochemistry, Gale crater, Geology, Mars Exploration Program, 15. Life on land, 010502 geochemistry & geophysics, 01 natural sciences, Mount, Sedimentary depositional environment, Stratigraphy, 13. Climate action, [SDU]Sciences of the Universe [physics], 0105 earth and related environmental sciences
Abstract

The Curiosity rover is exploring Hesperian-aged stratigraphy in Gale crater, Mars, where a transition from clay-bearing units to a layered sulfate-bearing unit has been interpreted to represent a major environmental transition of unknown character. We present the first description of key facies in the sulfate-bearing unit, recently observed in the distance by the rover, and propose a model for changes in depositional environments. Our results indicate a transition from lacustrine mudstones into thick aeolian deposits, topped by a major deflation surface, above which strata show architectures likely diagnostic of a subaqueous environment. This model offers a reference example of a depositional sequence for layered sulfate-bearing strata, which have been identified from orbit in other locations globally. It differs from the idea of a monotonic Hesperian climate change into long-term aridity on Mars and instead implies a period characterized by multiple transitions between sustained drier and wetter climates.

Published
2021
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26. Critical knowledge gaps in the Martian geological record: A rationale for regional-scale in situ exploration by rotorcraft mid-air deployment

Author

Valerie Payre, Bethany L. Ehlmann, N. Mangold, Robert Lillis, J. Bapst, Sylvestre Maurice, Violaine Sautter, A. A. Fraeman, William Rapin, Benoit Langlais, Jessica Flahaut, Anna Mittelholz, Arya Udry, David Baratoux, James Tuttle Keane, Gilles Dromart, C. Quantin-Nataf, and Briony Horgan

Subjects
Martian, Scale (ratio), Software deployment, Earth science, Geologic record, Geology
Published
2021
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28. CHEMISTRY OF MANGANESE-BEARING MATERIALS AT THE GROKEN DRILL SITE, GALE CRATER, MARS

Author

Lanza, Nina L., Patrick Gasda, Essunfeld Ari, Jade Comellas, Gwénaël Caravaca, Rampe, Elizabeth B., Williams, Amy J., Pierre-Yves Meslin, Erwin Dehouck, Nicolas Mangold, William Rapin, Hazen, Robert M., Fischer, Woodward W., Ollila, Ann M., Christopher House, Wiens, Roger C., Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), 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), NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC), NASA, University of Florida [Gainesville] (UF), 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 [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), Carnegie Institution for Science [Washington], Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences [Pasadena], California Institute of Technology (CALTECH), Pennsylvania State University (Penn State), Penn State System, Lunar and Planetary Institute, 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), 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), and Carnegie Institution for Science

Subjects
Groken, Manganese, [SDU.STU.PL]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Planetology, [SDU]Sciences of the Universe [physics], [SDU.STU.GC]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Geochemistry, [SDU.STU.ST]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Stratigraphy, drill, Mars, [SDU.STU]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences, Glen Torridon, Gale crater
Abstract

International audience; In July 2020, the Curiosity rover encountered a region of bedrock that contained an abundance of layered nodular features and highly unusual Mn- and sometimes P-rich chemistries (Fig.1a) in Glen Torridon (GT), a phyllosilicate-rich mudstone to sandstone deposit [1]. This sampling location was originally targeted at a distance as a site for the Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument to perform one of its two tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH) wet chemistry experiments [2] in the hopes that the new location would provide similar rocks to the previously analyzed clay-rich Glen Etive targets at approximately the same elevation [3].

Published
2021

29. EVIDENCE OF DEPOSITIONAL SETTINGS VARIATION AT THE JURA/KNOCKFARRIL HILL MEMBERS TRANSITION IN THE GLEN TORRIDON REGION (GALE CRATER, MARS)

Author

Gwénaël Caravaca, Nicolas Mangold, Erwin Dehouck, Juergen Schieber, Bryk, Alexander B., Fedo, Christopher M., Stéphane Le Mouélic, Banham, Steven G., Sanjeev Gupta, Agnès Cousin, William Rapin, Olivier Gasnault, Wiens, Roger C., 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), Indiana University - Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI), Indiana University System, Department of Earth and Planetary Science [UC Berkeley] (EPS), University of California [Berkeley] (UC Berkeley), University of California (UC)-University of California (UC), Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences [Knoxville], The University of Tennessee [Knoxville], Department of Earth Science and Engineering [Imperial College London], Imperial College London, 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), Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Lunar and Planetary Institute, 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), University of California [Berkeley], University of California-University of California, 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
jura, [SDU.STU.PL]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Planetology, [SDU]Sciences of the Universe [physics], SfM, [SDU.STU.ST]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Stratigraphy, Mars, [SDU.STU]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences, Knockfarril Hill, Glen Torridon, Gale crater, DOM
Abstract

International audience; Since Jan. 2019 (~sol 2300), the Mars Science Laboratory rover Curiosity has been ex-ploring the Glen Torridon (GT) region of Gale Crater, seeking to examine clay-bearing strata initially detected using orbiter data [1]. The presence of hydrated clay minerals has major implications for understanding the wet early Mars. The sedimentary record of the GT re-gion is comprised of mudstones interbedded with very fine- to medium-grained sandstones of the Jura and Knockfarril Hill (KHm) members of the Murray Fm., respectively [2]. However, their varying sedimentary, stratigraphic, and geochemical characteristics suggest potential changes in the depositional settings that could have favored enhanced accumulation and/or in situ for-mation of secondary clay minerals [e.g., 3]. Here, we examine the sedimentary and geochemical records of four major outcrops (Woodland Bay, Teal Ridge, Strathdon area and Glen Etive) in the northern part of GT, an area where exceptionally developed outcrops are present.

Published
2021

30. FIRST INSIGHTS ON DEPOSITIONAL ENVIRONMENTS RECORDED IN THE 'CLAY-SULFATE' TRANSITION AT GALE CRATER

Author

William Rapin, Gilles Dromart, Rubin, David M., Laetitia Le Deit, Stéphane Le Mouélic, Olivier Gasnault, Gwénaël CARAVACA, Nicolas Mangold, Valerie Fox, Dickson, James L., Ehlmann B. L., Herkenhoff, K. E., 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), 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), University of California [Santa Cruz] (UC Santa Cruz), University of California (UC), 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), Department of Earth Sciences [Minneapolis], University of Minnesota [Twin Cities] (UMN), University of Minnesota System-University of Minnesota System, Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), NASA-California Institute of Technology (CALTECH), Astrogeology Science Center [Flagstaff], United States Geological Survey [Reston] (USGS), Lunar and Planetary Institute, 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 [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), University of California [Santa Cruz] (UCSC), University of California, and California Institute of Technology (CALTECH)-NASA

Subjects
[SDU.STU.PL]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Planetology, clay-sulfate transition, [SDU]Sciences of the Universe [physics], depositonal environments, [SDU.STU.ST]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Stratigraphy, Mars, [SDU.STU]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences, MSL, sulfate unit, Gale crater
Abstract

International audience; Gale crater preserves a 5-km-thick sequence of stratified rocks, the lower-most section of which exhibits orbital spectra signatures of clay miner-als transitioning up to sulfates over several hundred me-ters of stratigraphy [1,2]. Understanding the reason for this wet-to-dry change recorded in the mineralogical signature is one of the primary objectives for the Curi-osity rover. The rover is currently positioned at the base of the Layered Sulfate unit (LSu) exposed over a thou-sand meters of elevation, which is characterized from orbit by its general-layered texture and spectral signa-tures of monohydrated and polyhydrated Mg-sulfates [1–3]. Most of the LSu is composed of subparallel beds that vary in albedo, texture, and thickness [4]. The lower ~150 m interval of the LSu is topped by a distinctive layer referred to as the "marker bed" (Figure 1).Here we reconcile orbital data with new in situ anal-yses using MastCam and the ChemCam instrument’s Remote Micro-Imager (RMI) to provide an updated documentation of the LSu stratal components at large outcrop scales and at the highest available resolution. We then propose provisional models for the deposi-tional systems and their evolution in the sulfate unit, hy-pothesized to reflect overall a history of the diminishing availability of liquid water on Mars.

Published
2021

31. The SuperCam Instrument Suite on the NASA Mars 2020 Rover: Body Unit and Combined System Tests

Author

Francois Poulet, Nina Lanza, John Michel, Kerry Boyd, Valerie Mousset, Fernando Rull, Anupam K. Misra, Horton E. Newsom, Magdalena Dale, Richard Leveille, Sylvain Bernard, Karim Benzerara, Logan Ott, Timothy H. McConnochie, M. George Duran, Jonathan Deming, C. Glen Peterson, Jorden Celis, Juan Manuel Madariaga, Anthony Nelson, Elizabeth C. Auden, Violaine Sautter, Paolo Pilleri, Naomi Murdoch, Susanne Schröder, Joseph H. Sarrao, Miles Egan, Bruno Dubois, Ann Ollila, Roberta A. Klisiewicz, M. Deleuze, K. McCabe, Ryan B. Anderson, Kevin Clark, Noureddine Melikechi, Jens Frydenvang, Matthew R. Dirmyer, A. Regan, Pierre Beck, Olivier Forni, A. Reyes-Newell, David Mimoun, Lauren DeFlores, Stéphane Le Mouélic, Nicolas Mangold, Eric Lorigny, Denine Gasway, John P. Grotzinger, M. Caffrey, Shiv K. Sharma, J. Javier Laserna, Olivier Gasnault, Steven P. Love, Eric Lewin, Sophie Jacquinod, Jeffrey R. Johnson, Dorothea Delapp, Soren N. Madsen, James Lake, Kepa Castro, Joan Ervin, Olivier Beyssac, C. Donny, Yann Parot, J. P. Martinez, Pierre-Yves Meslin, Gabriel Pont, Jean-Michel Reess, L. Parès, P. Bernardi, D. Venhaus, Guillermo Lopez-Reyes, Benjamin Quertier, Gorka Arana, Morten Madsen, Ivair Gontijo, Ralph D. Lorenz, Philip J. Romano, Ian A. Trettel, S. Michael Angel, Gilles Montagnac, Joseph Becker, Vishnu Sridhar, Rafal Pawluczyk, Jérémie Lasue, P. Cais, William Rapin, Jose Antonio Manrique, Xavier Jacob, Clement Royer, Jacob Valdez, I. Torre-Fdez, Amaury Fau, Peter Willis, Louis Borges, Cheryl Provost, Elizabeth C. Cordoba, M. L. Underwood, Justin McGlown, Daniel Seitz, S. A. Storms, Briana Lucero, Heather Quinn, Thierry Fouchet, Raymond Newell, Cécile Fabre, B. Chide, Y. André, Jeffrey Carlson, Roger C. Wiens, Scott M. McLennan, Woodward W. Fischer, Benigno Sandoval, S. Robinson, Patrick Pinet, Samuel M. Clegg, Agnes Cousin, Sylvestre Maurice, Edward A. Cloutis, Gilles Dromart, Franck Montmessin, C. Legett, Andres Valdez, Bruno Bousquet, Reuben Fresquez, Terra Shepherd, Zachary R. Ousnamer, Pablo Sobron, M. Toplis, Marcel J. Schoppers, Jesús Martínez-Frías, D. T. Beckman, Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), 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), Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Bordeaux [Pessac] (LAB), Université de Bordeaux (UB)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Laboratoire d'études spatiales et d'instrumentation en astrophysique = Laboratory of Space Studies and Instrumentation in Astrophysics (LESIA), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire de Paris, Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Paris Cité (UPCité), University of Hawai‘i [Mānoa] (UHM), Astrogeology Science Center [Flagstaff], United States Geological Survey [Reston] (USGS), Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES), University of South Carolina [Columbia], Universidad del Pais Vasco / Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea [Espagne] (UPV/EHU), Institut de Planétologie et d'Astrophysique de Grenoble (IPAG), Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Observatoire des Sciences de l'Univers de Grenoble (OSUG ), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB [Université de Savoie] [Université de Chambéry])-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE)-Université Grenoble Alpes (UGA)-Météo-France -Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB [Université de Savoie] [Université de Chambéry])-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE)-Université Grenoble Alpes (UGA)-Météo-France, 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), Centre d'Etudes Lasers Intenses et Applications (CELIA), Université de Bordeaux (UB)-Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), NASA-California Institute of Technology (CALTECH), Institut Supérieur de l'Aéronautique et de l'Espace (ISAE-SUPAERO), University of Winnipeg, 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), 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), California Institute of Technology (CALTECH), University of Copenhagen = Københavns Universitet (UCPH), 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), Institut de mécanique des fluides de Toulouse (IMFT), Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National Polytechnique (Toulouse) (Toulouse INP), Université de Toulouse (UT), Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory [Laurel, MD] (APL), Universidad de Valladolid [Valladolid] (UVa), Universidad de Málaga [Málaga] = University of Málaga [Málaga], McGill University = Université McGill [Montréal, Canada], Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas [Madrid] (CSIC), University of Maryland [College Park], University of Maryland System, State University of New York (SUNY), University of Massachusetts [Lowell] (UMass Lowell), University of Massachusetts System (UMASS), PLANETO - LATMOS, Laboratoire Atmosphères, Milieux, Observations Spatiales (LATMOS), Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), The University of New Mexico [Albuquerque], Institut d'astrophysique spatiale (IAS), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Paris-Saclay-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Centre National d’Études Spatiales [Paris] (CNES), FiberTech Optica (FTO), In­sti­tut für Op­ti­sche Sen­sor­sys­te­me, Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt [Berlin] (DLR), SETI Institute, 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 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 d'études spatiales et d'instrumentation en astrophysique (LESIA (UMR_8109)), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Paris (UP), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB [Université de Savoie] [Université de Chambéry])-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE)-Université Grenoble Alpes (UGA)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB [Université de Savoie] [Université de Chambéry])-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE)-Université Grenoble Alpes (UGA), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Université de Bordeaux (UB), 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), 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), University of Copenhagen = Københavns Universitet (KU), Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National Polytechnique (Toulouse) (Toulouse INP), Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées, Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géodynamique - Angers (LPG-ANGERS), Université de Nantes (UN)-Université de Nantes (UN)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université d'Angers (UA)-Université de Nantes - UFR des Sciences et des Techniques (UN UFR ST), 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), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Paris-Saclay-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), 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), Institut Supérieur de l'Aéronautique et de l'Espace - ISAE-SUPAERO (FRANCE), and Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)

Subjects
010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, [SDU.STU]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences, Mars, 01 natural sciences, 7. Clean energy, Article, law.invention, Telescope, symbols.namesake, Jezero crater, Optics, ChemCam instrument, law, Microphone on Mars, 0103 physical sciences, SuperCam, planetary exploration, luminescence, Traitement du signal et de l'image, Perseverance rover, Spectroscopy, 010303 astronomy & astrophysics, Infrared spectroscopy, ComputingMilieux_MISCELLANEOUS, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences, Physics, laboratory curiosity rover, remote Raman system, LIBS, Spectrometer, business.industry, Detector, Astronomy and Astrophysics, Mars Exploration Program, Gale crater, Laser, induced breakdown spectroscopy, Wavelength, in-situ, mission, 13. Climate action, Space and Planetary Science, [SDU]Sciences of the Universe [physics], Raman spectroscopy, symbols, business
Abstract

The SuperCam instrument suite provides the Mars 2020 rover, Perseverance, with a number of versatile remote-sensing techniques that can be used at long distance as well as within the robotic-arm workspace. These include laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS), remote time-resolved Raman and luminescence spectroscopies, and visible and infrared (VISIR; separately referred to as VIS and IR) reflectance spectroscopy. A remote micro-imager (RMI) provides high-resolution color context imaging, and a microphone can be used as a stand-alone tool for environmental studies or to determine physical properties of rocks and soils from shock waves of laser-produced plasmas. SuperCam is built in three parts: The mast unit (MU), consisting of the laser, telescope, RMI, IR spectrometer, and associated electronics, is described in a companion paper. The on-board calibration targets are described in another companion paper. Here we describe SuperCam's body unit (BU) and testing of the integrated instrument. The BU, mounted inside the rover body, receives light from the MU via a 5.8 m optical fiber. The light is split into three wavelength bands by a demultiplexer, and is routed via fiber bundles to three optical spectrometers, two of which (UV and violet; 245-340 and 385-465 nm) are crossed Czerny-Turner reflection spectrometers, nearly identical to their counterparts on ChemCam. The third is a high-efficiency transmission spectrometer containing an optical intensifier capable of gating exposures to 100 ns or longer, with variable delay times relative to the laser pulse. This spectrometer covers 535-853 nm ( 105 - 7070 cm − 1 Raman shift relative to the 532 nm green laser beam) with 12 cm − 1 full-width at half-maximum peak resolution in the Raman fingerprint region. The BU electronics boards interface with the rover and control the instrument, returning data to the rover. Thermal systems maintain a warm temperature during cruise to Mars to avoid contamination on the optics, and cool the detectors during operations on Mars. Results obtained with the integrated instrument demonstrate its capabilities for LIBS, for which a library of 332 standards was developed. Examples of Raman and VISIR spectroscopy are shown, demonstrating clear mineral identification with both techniques. Luminescence spectra demonstrate the utility of having both spectral and temporal dimensions. Finally, RMI and microphone tests on the rover demonstrate the capabilities of these subsystems as well., Proyecto MINECO Retos de la Sociedad. Ref. ESP2017-87690-C3-1-R

Published
2021
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32. Detection and Degradation of Adenosine Monophosphate in Perchlorate-Spiked Martian Regolith Analog, by Deep-Ultraviolet Spectroscopy

Author

Teresa Fornaro, Álvaro Vicente-Retortillo, Jessica Wade, Luther W. Beegle, Joseph Razzell Hollis, William Rapin, Rohit Bhartia, Andrew Steele, and Agenzia Spaziale Italiana (ASI)

Subjects
Adenosine monophosphate, 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, Extraterrestrial Environment, Ultraviolet Rays, Mars, Photochemistry, medicine.disease_cause, 01 natural sciences, chemistry.chemical_compound, Perchlorate, Ultraviolet visible spectroscopy, 0103 physical sciences, medicine, Deep UV spectroscopy, 010303 astronomy & astrophysics, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences, Martian, Perchlorates, Mars 2020, food and beverages, Mars Exploration Program, Agricultural and Biological Sciences (miscellaneous), Regolith, Adenosine Monophosphate, Biosignature detection, Spectrometry, Fluorescence, chemistry, Space and Planetary Science, Photochemical degradation, Degradation (geology), Ultraviolet
Abstract

The search for organic biosignatures on Mars will depend on finding material protected from the destructive ambient radiation. Solar ultraviolet can induce photochemical degradation of organic compounds, but certain clays have been shown to preserve organic material. We examine how the SHERLOC instrument on the upcoming Mars 2020 mission will use deep-ultraviolet (UV) (248.6 nm) Raman and fluorescence spectroscopy to detect a plausible biosignature of adenosine 5′-monophosphate (AMP) adsorbed onto Ca-montmorillonite clay. We found that the spectral signature of AMP is not altered by adsorption in the clay matrix but does change with prolonged exposure to the UV laser over dosages equivalent to 0.2–6 sols of ambient martian UV. For pure AMP, UV exposure leads to breaking of the aromatic adenine unit, but in the presence of clay the degradation is limited to minor alteration with new Raman peaks and increased fluorescence consistent with formation of 2-hydroxyadenosine, while 1 wt % Mg perchlorate increases the rate of degradation. Our results confirm that clays are effective preservers of organic material and should be considered high-value targets, but that pristine biosignatures may be altered within 1 sol of martian UV exposure, with implications for Mars 2020 science operations and sample caching. This work was funded by a NASA Postdoctoral Program Fellowship awarded to Joseph Razzell Hollis, administered by the Universities Space Research Association on behalf of NASA, and Teresa Fornaro was supported by the Geophysical Laboratory of the Carnegie Institution of Washington and the Italian Space Agency (ASI) grant agreement ExoMars number 2017-48-H.0. William Rapin was funded by an MSL-Curiosity Participating Scientist grant to Bethany Ehlmann. (c) 2019California Institute of Technology; government sponsorship acknowledged. Peerreview

Published
2021

33. Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) characterization of granular soils: Implications for ChemCam analyses at Gale crater, Mars

Author

P.-Y. Meslin, Gilles Berger, Roger C. Wiens, Agnes Cousin, Jérémie Lasue, Sylvestre Maurice, J. F. Fronton, William Rapin, G. David, Patrick Pinet, Erwin Dehouck, Olivier Forni, Olivier Gasnault, 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), 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 d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES), Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences [Pasadena], California Institute of Technology (CALTECH), ANR-16-CE31-0012,MARS-PRIME,Environnement Primitif de Mars(2016), 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 [Lyon] (LGL-TPE), École normale supérieure - Lyon (ENS Lyon)-Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 (UCBL), and Université de Lyon-Université de Lyon-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)

Subjects
Martian, 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, Independent Component analysis, [SDU.ASTR.EP]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Astrophysics [astro-ph]/Earth and Planetary Astrophysics [astro-ph.EP], Mineralogy, Astronomy and Astrophysics, Mars Exploration Program, Martian soil, Granular material, 01 natural sciences, Characterization (materials science), Laser-Induced-Breakdown spectroscopy, Planetary pedology, 13. Climate action, Space and Planetary Science, [SDU.STU.GC]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Geochemistry, [SDU]Sciences of the Universe [physics], 0103 physical sciences, Particle, Granular media, Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy, 010303 astronomy & astrophysics, Chemical composition, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences
Abstract

International audience; The Curiosity rover has been characterizing mineralogical and chemical compositions of Gale crater soils on Mars since 2012. Given its sub-millimeter scale of analysis, the ChemCam instrument is well suited to study the composition of soil constituents. However, the interpretation of LIBS data on soils in the martian environment is complicated by the large diversity of particle sizes (from dust to sand), combined with the unknown physical arrangement of their mineral constituents (i.e., the type of grain mixtures). For example, martian soils contain a significant amount of X-ray amorphous materials whose physical form remains unclear. In this study, we reproduced martian soil analyses in the laboratory to understand how the LIBS technique can provide specific insights into the physical and chemical properties of granular soils. For this purpose, different types of samples were studied with various ranges of grain sizes, mimicking two possible mixtures that may occur in martian soils: mechanical mixtures of two populations of grains made of distinct chemical compositions; and material forming a compositionally distinct coating at the surface of grains. Our results, also supported by in situ ChemCam data, demonstrate that both the sizes and the type of mixture of soil particles have a strong influence on the LIBS measurement. For mechanical mixtures of two populations of grains larger than 125–250 μm, the scatter of the data provides information about the chemical composition of the end-members. On the other hand, the chemistry recorded by LIBS for grains with surface coatings is fully dominated by the outer material for grains smaller than 500 μm in diameter. This is due to the small penetration depth of the laser (~0.3–1.5 μm per shot), combined with the ejection of small grains at each shot, which leads to a constant replenishment of fresh material. This experimental work will thus improve our understanding of martian soils analyzed by ChemCam, and more broadly, will benefit LIBS studies of granular materials.

Published
2021
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34. Deposition and erosion of a Light-Toned Yardang-forming unit of Mt Sharp, Gale crater, Mars

Author

Horton E. Newsom, C. Quantin-Nataf, Jérémie Lasue, L. A. Scuderi, Sylvestre Maurice, S. Le Mouélic, William Rapin, Patrick Pinet, Olivier Gasnault, N. Mangold, L. Le Deit, Roger C. Wiens, Gilles Dromart, D. M. Rubin, 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), 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), California Institute of Technology (CALTECH), 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), Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences [Santa Cruz], University of California [Santa Cruz] (UC Santa Cruz), University of California (UC)-University of California (UC), The University of New Mexico [Albuquerque], Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), 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), 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), University of California [Santa Cruz] (UCSC), University of California-University of California, 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
010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, Stratigraphy, [SDU.STU]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences, Context (language use), 010502 geochemistry & geophysics, 01 natural sciences, Yardang, Paleontology, [SDU.STU.PL]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Planetology, Impact crater, Geochemistry and Petrology, Earth and Planetary Sciences (miscellaneous), Eolian, [SDU.STU.GM]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Geomorphology, ComputingMilieux_MISCELLANEOUS, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences, geography, geography.geographical_feature_category, Stack (geology), Mars Exploration Program, 15. Life on land, Mars Climate, Gale Crater, Geophysics, Erg (landform), 13. Climate action, Space and Planetary Science, ChemCam, [SDU.STU.ST]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Stratigraphy, Hesperian, Aeolian processes, Geology
Abstract

International audience; Gale crater is a large impact crater with a ca 5 km thick sequence of stratified rocks in it, expressed today as a central eroded mound (i.e., Aeolis Mons informally named Mt. Sharp). A goal of the current Mars Science Laboratory mission in Gale crater is to investigate the processes that deposited, lithified, and eroded this fill. The Light-Toned Yardang Unit (LTYu) unit, the subject of the present research, is one of the geological units of Mt Sharp. Our specific purpose here is to refine and interpret the imaging documentation of the morphologic and stratal components of the LTYu, at large outcrop scale. In combination with established orbital images, we use the Remote Micro-Imager (RMI) of ChemCam, a remote sensing instrument currently operated onboard Curiosity rover, which provides several types of context imaging. RMI capabilities now include “Long Distance” acquisitions of targets several kilometers away. In these new acquisitions, substantial differences are visible in LTYu yardang attitudes from lowest to uppermost elevations allowing tentative subdivision of the LTYu into subunits. Bedding geometries in the lower LTYu are consistent with eolian dune foresets which collectively prograde towards an average N134° direction. Based on stratal architectures, the LTYu is viewed as an amalgamated stack of at least two, and possibly four, ancient erg systems bounded by large deflationary “supersurfaces”. Observations point to a multistory generation of yardangs interpreted to have been successively buried during the stratigraphic building of Mt Sharp. We conclude that the successive sequences of eolian deposition-erosion recorded by the LTYu have been generated by cyclic changes from semi-arid to arid conditions, coupled in climatic cycles, including wind regime change. The regional unconformity that tops the Lower mound formation of Mt Sharp, and the subsequent emplacement of the LTYu, collectively express a clear tendency toward sustained arid environments for this region of Mars around the Early – Late Hesperian transition. Given the large time scale involved (i.e., a few tens of million years as a minimum), we consider it likely that the local evidence for increased aridity in the Mt Sharp stratigraphy is a manifestation of climate change affecting the whole planet.

Published
2021
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36. New evidence for climate and erosion history in Gale crater, Mars, from Curiosity’s ascent onto the Greenheugh pediment

Author

Bryk, Alexander B., Dietrich, William E., Lamb, Michael P., Grotzinger, John P., Ashwin Vasavada, Stack, Kathryn M., Ray Arvidson, Fedo, Christopher M., Valerie Fox, Kristen Bennett, Sanjeev Gupta, Wiens, Roger C., Williams, Rebecca M. E., Rachel Kronyak, Lewis, Kevin W., Rubin, David M., William Rapin, Laetitia Le Deit, Stéphane Le Mouélic, Edgett, Kenneth S., Abigail Fraeman, Steven Banham, Candice Bedford, Madison Hughes, Kah, Linda C., Eigendbrode, Jennifer L., Gwénaël Caravaca, Department of Earth and Planetary Science [UC Berkeley] (EPS), University of California [Berkeley], University of California-University of California, California Institute of Technology (CALTECH), Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), NASA-California Institute of Technology (CALTECH), Washington University in Saint Louis (WUSTL), Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences [Knoxville], The University of Tennessee [Knoxville], Department of Earth Sciences [Minneapolis], University of Minnesota [Twin Cities] (UMN), University of Minnesota System-University of Minnesota System, Arizona State University [Tempe] (ASU), Department of Earth Science and Engineering [Imperial College London], Imperial College London, Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Planetary Science Institute [Tucson] (PSI), Johns Hopkins University (JHU), University of California [Santa Cruz] (UCSC), University of California, 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 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), Malin Space Science Systems (MSSS), Lunar and Planetary Institute [Houston] (LPI), GSFC Solar System Exploration Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), and American Geophysical Union

Subjects
[SDU.STU.PL]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Planetology, Curiosity, [SDU]Sciences of the Universe [physics], Greenheugh pediment, [SDU.STU.ST]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Stratigraphy, Mars, [SDU.STU]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences, MSL, Gale crater
Abstract

International audience; Curiosity’s southward traverse up the lower north slope of Mt. Sharp (in Gale crater, Mars) and across Glen Torridon has brought it in contact with the organics-bearing sediments of the Knockfarril Hill member, the light-toned, nodule-rich strata found at Western, Central, and Tower buttes, and to the abrupt truncation of these altered Murray sediments at the Greenheugh pediment. Curiosity ascended the steep northern edge of the Greenheugh pediment near Tower butte, thus accessing strata identified ~20 years ago as recording a major environmental transition in the history of Gale. The basal truncation surface of the pediment is the Siccar Point group (SPg) basal unconformity, which extends past Vera Rubin ridge (VRR) to the north. Above the unconformity lies a

Published
2020

37. Hydrogen Variability in the Murray Formation, Gale Crater, Mars

Author

Frances Rivera-Hernandez, William Rapin, Travis Gabriel, Sylvestre Maurice, Roger C. Wiens, Bethany L. Ehlmann, P.-Y. Meslin, Nathaniel Stein, Jens Frydenvang, N. H. Thomas, 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), 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
Atmospheres, aqueous geochemistry, 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, Hydrogen, Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover, Geochemistry, Mars, chemistry.chemical_element, 01 natural sciences, Planetary Geochemistry, Planetary Sciences: Solar System Objects, Geochemistry and Petrology, Earth and Planetary Sciences (miscellaneous), Aqueous geochemistry, Planetary Sciences: Solid Surface Planets, Planetary Sciences: Fluid Planets, Research Articles, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences, geography, geography.geographical_feature_category, Bedrock, Mars Exploration Program, Composition of the Planets, Geophysics, chemistry, Space and Planetary Science, [SDU]Sciences of the Universe [physics], hydrogen, Sample Analysis at Mars, Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons, Investigations of Vera Rubin Ridge, Gale Crater, Planetary Sciences: Comets and Small Bodies, Sedimentary rock, Deposition (chemistry), Composition, Research Article
Abstract

The Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Curiosity rover is exploring the Murray formation, a sequence of heterolithic mudstones and sandstones recording fluvial deltaic and lake deposits that comprise over 350 m of sedimentary strata within Gale crater. We examine >4,500 Murray formation bedrock points, employing recent laboratory calibrations for ChemCam laser‐induced breakdown spectroscopy H measurements at millimeter scale. Bedrock in the Murray formation has an interquartile range of 2.3–3.1 wt.% H2O, similar to measurements using the Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons and Sample Analysis at Mars instruments. However, specific stratigraphic intervals include high H targets (6–18 wt.% H2O) correlated with Si, Mg, Ca, Mn, or Fe, indicating units with opal, hydrated Mg sulfates, hydrated Ca sulfates, Mn‐enriched units, and akageneite or other iron oxyhydroxides, respectively. One stratigraphic interval with higher hydrogen is the Sutton Island unit and Blunts Point unit contact, where higher hydrogen is associated with Fe‐rich, Ca‐rich, and Mg‐rich points. A second interval with higher hydrogen occurs in the Vera Rubin ridge portion of the Murray formation, where higher hydrogen is associated with Fe‐rich, Ca‐rich, and Si‐rich points. We also observe trends in the H signal with grain size, separate from chemical variation, whereby coarser‐grained rocks have higher hydrogen. Variability in the hydrogen content of rocks points to a history of water‐rock interaction at Gale crater that included changes in lake water chemistry during Murray formation deposition and multiple subsequent groundwater episodes., Key Points Murray formation bedrock points measured by ChemCam have an interquartile range of 2.3–3.1 wt.% H2OSpecific intervals like the Vera Rubin ridge contain high H and indicate phases including iron oxyhydroxides, akageneite, and jarositeVariations in water content indicate changes in depositional lake water chemistry and multiple subsequent groundwater episodes

Published
2020
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38. Identification and Description of a Silicic Volcaniclastic Layer in Gale Crater, Mars, Using Active Neutron Interrogation

Author

Craig Hardgrove, Patrick J. Gasda, Jens Frydenvang, Denis Lisov, Maxim Litvak, Horton E. Newsom, M. Starr, William Rapin, Sergey Nikiforov, Roger C. Wiens, S. Czarnecki, Lucy M. Thompson, H. Gengl, Fred Calef, Melissa S. Rice, Travis Gabriel, and S. Nowicki

Subjects
Marias Pass, Felsic, 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, Geochemistry, Silicic, Pyroclastic rock, Mars Exploration Program, Gale crater, 01 natural sciences, Volcanic glass, neutron spectroscopy, Geophysics, Tridymite, Space and Planetary Science, Geochemistry and Petrology, evolved igneous lithology, silica, Magma, Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons, Earth and Planetary Sciences (miscellaneous), Mars water, Geology, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences
Abstract

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

Published
2020
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39. Martian aeolian activity at the Bagnold Dunes, Gale Crater: The view from the surface and orbit

Author

F. Ayoub, William Rapin, Simone Silvestro, Mathieu G.A. Lapotre, S. Le Mouélic, Claire E. Newman, J. Van Beek, Nathan T. Bridges, Sara Navarro, Olivier Gasnault, Ryan C. Sullivan, and Ryan C. Ewing

Subjects
Martian, 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, Planetary surface, Mars Exploration Program, Atmospheric model, Slip (materials science), 01 natural sciences, Wind speed, Geophysics, 13. Climate action, Space and Planetary Science, Geochemistry and Petrology, 0103 physical sciences, Earth and Planetary Sciences (miscellaneous), Grain flow, Aeolian processes, 010303 astronomy & astrophysics, Geomorphology, Geology, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences
Abstract

The first in situ investigation of an active dune field on another planetary surface occurred in 2015-2016 when the MSL Curiosity rover investigated the Bagnold Dunes on Mars. HIRISE images show clear seasonal variations that are in good agreement with atmospheric model predictions of intra-annual sand flux and migration directions that together indicate that the campaign occurred during a period of low wind activity. Curiosity surface images show that limited changes nevertheless occurred, with movement of large grains, particularly on freshly exposed surfaces, two occurrences of secondary grain flow on the slip face of Namib Dune, and a slump on a freshly exposed surface of a large ripple. These changes are seen at sol-to-sol time scales. Grains on a rippled sand deposit and unconsolidated dump piles show limited movement of large grains over a few hours during which mean friction speeds are estimated at 0.3 - 0.4 m s-1. Overall, the correlation between changes and peak REMS winds is moderate, with high wind events associated with changes in some cases, but not in others, suggesting that other factors are also at work. The distribution of REMS 1 Hz wind speeds show a tail up to the 20 m s-1, showing that even higher speed winds occur. Non-aeolian triggering mechanisms are also possible. The low activity period at the dunes documented by Curiosity provides clues to processes that dominated in the Martian past under conditions of lower obliquity.

Published
2017
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40. In situ detection of boron by ChemCam on Mars

Author

Nina Lanza, William Rapin, Rhonda E. McInroy, Susanne P. Schwenzer, Kenneth E. Herkenhoff, Ethan B. Haldeman, Benton C. Clark, Roger C. Wiens, Samuel M. Clegg, Patrick J. Gasda, Thomas F. Bristow, Jens Frydenvang, D. M. Delapp, John Bridges, Veronica L. Sanford, Sylvestre Maurice, and Madeleine R. Bodine

Subjects
geography, geography.geographical_feature_category, 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, Evaporite, Bedrock, chemistry.chemical_element, Mars Exploration Program, 01 natural sciences, Astrobiology, Diagenesis, Geophysics, chemistry, Abiogenesis, 0103 physical sciences, General Earth and Planetary Sciences, Boron, 010303 astronomy & astrophysics, Geology, Groundwater, Earth (classical element), 0105 earth and related environmental sciences
Abstract

We report the first in situ detection of boron on Mars. Boron has been detected in Gale crater at levels

Published
2017
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41. Diagenetic silica enrichment and late-stage groundwater activity in Gale crater, Mars

Author

Violaine Sautter, N. Mangold, Horton E. Newsom, Insoo Jun, Fred Calef, Candice Bedford, P. Edwards, William Rapin, R. Gellert, Kenneth S. Edgett, David T. Vaniman, Lucy M. Thompson, P. Y. Meslin, J. A. Watkins, Martin R. Fisk, Ryan B. Anderson, John Bridges, Melissa S. Rice, John P. Grotzinger, Jeffrey R. Johnson, Ralph E. Milliken, Nina Lanza, Patrick J. Gasda, Kjartan M. Kinch, Dawn Y. Sumner, B. C. Clark, Nathaniel Stein, David F. Blake, Morten Madsen, Sanjeev Gupta, Agnès Cousin, Ashwin R. Vasavada, Joel A. Hurowitz, I. G. Mitrofanov, Sylvestre Maurice, Jens Frydenvang, Roger C. Wiens, Samuel M. Clegg, Valerie Payre, Abigail A. Fraeman, Susanne P. Schwenzer, and J. Van Beek

Subjects
geography, geography.geographical_feature_category, 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, Earth science, Bedrock, Geochemistry, Mars Exploration Program, Structural basin, 01 natural sciences, Deposition (geology), Diagenesis, Geophysics, 13. Climate action, 0103 physical sciences, General Earth and Planetary Sciences, Aeolian processes, Sedimentary rock, 010303 astronomy & astrophysics, Geology, Groundwater, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences
Abstract

Diagenetic silica enrichment in fracture-associated halos that crosscut lacustrine and unconformably overlying aeolian sedimentary bedrock is observed on the lower north slope of Aeolis Mons in Gale crater, Mars. The diagenetic silica enrichment is colocated with detrital silica enrichment observed in the lacustrine bedrock yet extends into a considerably younger, unconformably draping aeolian sandstone, implying that diagenetic silica enrichment postdates the detrital silica enrichment. A causal connection between the detrital and diagenetic silica enrichment implies that water was present in the subsurface of Gale crater long after deposition of the lacustrine sediments and that it mobilized detrital amorphous silica and precipitated it along fractures in the overlying bedrock. Although absolute timing is uncertain, the observed diagenesis likely represents some of the most recent groundwater activity in Gale crater and suggests that the timescale of potential habitability extended considerably beyond the time that the lacustrine sediments of Aeolis Mons were deposited.

Published
2017
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42. Analysis of carbon and nitrogen signatures with laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy; the quest for organics under Mars-like conditions

Author

Tristan Dequaire, Cyril Szopa, Jérôme Lasne, William Rapin, Sylvestre Maurice, Maguy Jaber, Arnaud Buch, Patrice Coll, Olivier Gasnault, Pierre Beck, Agnes Cousin, Pierre-Yves Meslin, 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), 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), Institut de Planétologie et d'Astrophysique de Grenoble (IPAG), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Observatoire des Sciences de l'Univers de Grenoble (OSUG ), Institut polytechnique de Grenoble - Grenoble Institute of Technology (Grenoble INP )-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Institut national de recherche en sciences et technologies pour l'environnement et l'agriculture (IRSTEA)-Université Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB [Université de Savoie] [Université de Chambéry])-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Grenoble Alpes [2016-2019] (UGA [2016-2019])-Institut polytechnique de Grenoble - Grenoble Institute of Technology (Grenoble INP )-Institut national de recherche en sciences et technologies pour l'environnement et l'agriculture (IRSTEA)-Université Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB [Université de Savoie] [Université de Chambéry])-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Grenoble Alpes [2016-2019] (UGA [2016-2019]), Laboratoire d'Archéologie Moléculaire et Structurale (LAMS), Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6 (UPMC)-Institut de Chimie du CNRS (INC)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Laboratoire de Génie des Procédés et Matériaux - EA 4038 (LGPM), CentraleSupélec, 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), Institut Universitaire de France (IUF), Ministère de l'Education nationale, de l’Enseignement supérieur et de la Recherche (M.E.N.E.S.R.), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Paris Diderot - Paris 7 (UPD7)-Université Paris-Est Créteil Val-de-Marne - Paris 12 (UPEC UP12)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS), Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Université Grenoble Alpes (UGA)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire des Sciences de l'Univers de Grenoble (OSUG), Université Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB [Université de Savoie] [Université de Chambéry])-Institut polytechnique de Grenoble - Grenoble Institute of Technology (Grenoble INP)-Institut national de recherche en sciences et technologies pour l'environnement et l'agriculture (IRSTEA)-Université Joseph Fourier - Grenoble 1 (UJF)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Grenoble Alpes (UGA)-Université Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB [Université de Savoie] [Université de Chambéry])-Institut polytechnique de Grenoble - Grenoble Institute of Technology (Grenoble INP)-Institut national de recherche en sciences et technologies pour l'environnement et l'agriculture (IRSTEA)-Université Joseph Fourier - Grenoble 1 (UJF)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6 (UPMC), IMPEC - LATMOS, 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), Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6 (UPMC)-Institut de Chimie du CNRS (INC)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), 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), and Université Paris-Est Créteil Val-de-Marne - Paris 12 (UPEC UP12)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Paris Diderot - Paris 7 (UPD7)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)

Subjects
Martian, chemistry.chemical_classification, 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, [SDU.ASTR.SR]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Astrophysics [astro-ph]/Solar and Stellar Astrophysics [astro-ph.SR], Chemistry, 010401 analytical chemistry, [SDU.ASTR.EP]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Astrophysics [astro-ph]/Earth and Planetary Astrophysics [astro-ph.EP], chemistry.chemical_element, Mars Exploration Program, 01 natural sciences, Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics, 0104 chemical sciences, Analytical Chemistry, Abiogenic petroleum origin, Astrobiology, Meteorite, 13. Climate action, Environmental chemistry, Organic matter, Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy, Spectroscopy, Instrumentation, Carbon, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences
Abstract

International audience; Organic matter has been continuously delivered by meteorites and comets to Mars since its formation, and possibly formed in situ by abiogenic and/or biogenic processes. This organic matter may be preserved from the harsh oxidizing environment of Mars in specific locations. Together with water, organic molecules are necessary to the emergence of life as we know it. Since the first martian landers, scientists have been searching for organics and until today, only one positive detection has been made by a Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometer (GCMS) instrument onboard the Curiosity rover. In this article we investigate a complementary approach to guide the search for organic matter using ChemCam, the first Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) instrument on Mars. This experimental study focuses on the analysis of carbon and nitrogen LIBS signatures in organoclay samples and allows the determination of the critical level (Lc) and limit of detection (LoD) of these elements with LIBS under Mars-like conditions, giving new insights into the search of organic matter on Mars.

Published
2017
Full Text
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43. An interval of high salinity in ancient Gale crater lake on Mars

Author

Gilles Dromart, Frances Rivera-Hernandez, Travis Gabriel, Woodward W. Fischer, Juergen Schieber, Valerie Fox, Bethany L. Ehlmann, William Rapin, N. Mangold, N. H. Thomas, Nathaniel Stein, Marion Nachon, H. A. Meyer, Craig Hardgrove, B. C. Clark, Roger C. Wiens, Linda C. Kah, Ashwin R. Vasavada, Lucy M. Thompson, 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), Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences [Pasadena], California Institute of Technology (CALTECH), 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), Department of Geological Sciences [Bloomington], Indiana University [Bloomington], Indiana University System-Indiana University System, Texas A&M International University [Laredo], ASU School of Earth and Space Exploration (SESE), Arizona State University [Tempe] (ASU), 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), Darmouth College [Hanover, New Hampshire], Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), NASA-California Institute of Technology (CALTECH), 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 [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), and Université de Lyon-Université de Lyon-École normale supérieure - Lyon (ENS Lyon)

Subjects
Martian, 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, Lithology, Geochemistry, Mars Exploration Program, 010502 geochemistry & geophysics, 01 natural sciences, Diagenesis, [SDU.STU.PL]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Planetology, Stratigraphy, 13. Climate action, General Earth and Planetary Sciences, Hesperian, Sulfate minerals, Sedimentary rock, Geology, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences
Abstract

Precipitated minerals, including salts, are primary tracers of atmospheric conditions and water chemistry in lake basins. Ongoing in situ exploration by the Curiosity rover of Hesperian (around 3.3–3.7 Gyr old) sedimentary rocks within Gale crater on Mars has revealed clay-bearing fluvio-lacustrine deposits with sporadic occurrences of sulfate minerals, primarily as late-stage diagenetic veins and concretions. Here we report bulk enrichments, disseminated in the bedrock, of 30–50 wt% calcium sulfate intermittently over about 150 m of stratigraphy, and of 26–36 wt% hydrated magnesium sulfate within a thinner section of strata. We use geochemical analysis, primarily from the ChemCam laser-induced breakdown spectrometer, combined with results from other rover instruments, to characterize the enrichments and their lithology. The deposits are consistent with early diagenetic, pre-compaction salt precipitation from brines concentrated by evaporation, including magnesium sulfate-rich brines from extreme evaporative concentration. This saline interval represents a substantial hydrological perturbation of the lake basin, which may reflect variations in Mars’ obliquity and orbital parameters. Our findings support stepwise changes in Martian climate during the Hesperian, leading to more arid and sulfate-dominated environments as previously inferred from orbital observations. Brines from evaporation of a lake in Gale crater on Mars are inferred from bulk enrichments of Ca- and Mg-sulfates in Hesperian sedimentary rocks, identified by geochemical analyses and observations by NASA’s rover Curiosity.

Published
2019
Full Text
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44. Quantification of water content by laser induced breakdown spectroscopy on Mars

Author

William Rapin, Y Meslin, P., Maurice, S., Wiens, R. C., Didier Laporte, Chauviré, B., Olivier Gasnault, Schröders, S., Beck, P., Bender, S., Beyssac, O., Cousin, A., Dehouck, E., Drouet, C., Forni, O., Nachon, M., Melikechi, N., Rondeau, B., Mangold, N., Thomas, N., Lasue, J., Fabre, C., Frydenvang, J., J-L, Lacour, 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), Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Laboratoire Magmas et Volcans (LMV), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement et la société-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire de Physique du Globe de Clermont-Ferrand (OPGC), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Clermont Auvergne [2017-2020] (UCA [2017-2020])-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Clermont Auvergne [2017-2020] (UCA [2017-2020])-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Clermont Auvergne [2017-2020] (UCA [2017-2020])-Université Jean Monnet [Saint-Étienne] (UJM), Institut de Planétologie et d'Astrophysique de Grenoble (IPAG), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Observatoire des Sciences de l'Univers de Grenoble (OSUG ), Institut polytechnique de Grenoble - Grenoble Institute of Technology (Grenoble INP )-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Institut national de recherche en sciences et technologies pour l'environnement et l'agriculture (IRSTEA)-Université Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB [Université de Savoie] [Université de Chambéry])-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Grenoble Alpes [2016-2019] (UGA [2016-2019])-Institut polytechnique de Grenoble - Grenoble Institute of Technology (Grenoble INP )-Institut national de recherche en sciences et technologies pour l'environnement et l'agriculture (IRSTEA)-Université Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB [Université de Savoie] [Université de Chambéry])-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Grenoble Alpes [2016-2019] (UGA [2016-2019]), Optical Science Center for Applied Research (OSCAR), Delaware State University (DSU), University of Copenhagen = Københavns Universitet (KU), 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 Jean Monnet - Saint-Étienne (UJM)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement et la société-Université Clermont Auvergne [2017-2020] (UCA [2017-2020])-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Observatoire de Physique du Globe de Clermont-Ferrand (OPGC), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Clermont Auvergne [2017-2020] (UCA [2017-2020])-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Clermont Auvergne [2017-2020] (UCA [2017-2020])-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), and University of Copenhagen = Københavns Universitet (UCPH)

Subjects
[SDU.STU.PE]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Petrography, ComputingMilieux_MISCELLANEOUS
Abstract

International audience

Published
2019

45. Open System Alteration At Gale Crater, Using Chemcam, Onboard The Curiosity Rover

Author

Nicolas Mangold, Agnès Cousin, Erwin Dehouck, Olivier Forni, Abigael Fraeman, Jens Frydenvang, Olivier Gasnault, Jeffrey Johnson, Laetitia Le Deit, Haridon, Jonas L., Stéphane Le Mouélic, Sylvestre Maurice, Scott Mclennan, Pierre-Yves Meslin, Newsom, Horton E., William Rapin, Frances Rivera-Hernandez, Wiens, Roger C., 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 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), Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory [Laurel, MD] (APL), 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), Institute of Meteoritics [Albuquerque] (IOM), The University of New Mexico [Albuquerque], Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), 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
[SDU.STU.PL]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Planetology
Abstract

International audience; We provide a summary of the chemical composition along the >300 m-thick pile of sedimentary rocks, encountered by Curiosity at Gale crater. The continuity in sedimentary deposition and chemical trends such as the high Chemical Index of Alteration indicate an environment of deposition that requires aqueous alteration in open system at the surface, over geologically long durations.

Published
2019

46. Diagenetic Processes in Sedimentary Rocks At Gale Crater, Mars, Using Chemcam, Curiosity Rover

Author

Haridon, Jonas L., Nicolas Mangold, Roger Wiens, Agnès Cousin, Gael David, Jeffrey Johnson, Abigail Fraeman, William Rapin, Jens Frydenvang, Erwin Dehouck, Susanne Schwenzer, Patrick Gasda, Nina Lanza, John Bridges, Briony Horgan, Christopher House, Pierre-Yves Meslin, Mark Salvatore, Olivier Gasnault, Sylvestre Maurice, Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), 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), Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory [Laurel, MD] (APL), Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), NASA-California Institute of Technology (CALTECH), 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), The Open University [Milton Keynes] (OU), 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 [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), and Université de Lyon-Université de Lyon-École normale supérieure - Lyon (ENS Lyon)

Subjects
[SDU.STU.PL]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Planetology
Abstract

International audience; We describe the chemistry of diagenetic features using the ChemCam instrument to understand the post-depositional history of aqueous sedimentary rocks at Gale crater. These new observations display the significant role played by groundwater circulation and diagenesis in the mobility and distribution of iron in the Vera Rubin Ridge, highlighted here by reducing fluids observed late in the sequence of diagenesis.

Published
2019

47. Feldspathic Cumulate Samples and Plutonic Rocks in Gale Crater: Comparisons to Martian Meteorites

Author

Bridges, J. C., Cousin, A., Sautter, V., William Rapin, Bowden, D., Thompson, L., Schwenzer, S. P., Bedford, C., Payre, V., Gasnault, O., Forni, O., Pinet, P., Wiens, R., Yingst, R. A., 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), and Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL)

Subjects
[SDU.STU.PL]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Planetology
Abstract

The Curiosity Rover of Mars Science Laboratory has identified igneous float rocks in Gale Crater which offer new insights about the differentiation of the martian lithosphere. Here we describe likely origins for some unique Gale plutonic and cumulate rocks and compare to the martian meteorites. At the Ireson Hill locality around sol 1606 a group of float rocks with resistant, dreikanter morphologies were identified which include igneous textures, notably the 10 cm Pogy sample. On sol 2016 of the MSL mission, a group of float rocks were studied in detail, including Askival, which is a light toned rock igneous rock similar to Peacock_Hills (sol 19) and Bindi (sol 544).

Published
2019

48. Hematite Mineral Grains Observed by ChemCam Across the Vera Rubin Ridge Sedimentary Rocks at Gale Crater, Mars

Author

David, G., Cousin, A., Forni, O., Meslin, P. Y., Mangold, N., Haridon, J. L., Dehouck, E., Lanza, N. L., Fraeman, A. A., Ollila, A. M., Newell, A. R., Gasnault, O., Wiens, R. C., William Rapin, Maurice, S., Salvatore, M., 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), 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), 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
[SDU.STU.PL]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Planetology
Abstract

International audience; We have built a specific iron calibration curve, based on experiments using LIBS, and dedicated to iron oxide mixtures with basaltic conditions to assess the composition of diagenetic features and to track the hematite through the Vera Rubin ridge.

Published
2019

49. Analysis of Calcium Sulfate-Cemented Sandstones and Veins Along the MSL Traverse, Gale Crater, Mars

Author

Baker, A. M., Ganter, G. E., Nellessen, M. A., Newsom, H. E., Jackson, R. S., Nachon, M., Rivera-Hernandez, F., William Rapin, Wiens, R. C., Frydenvang, J., Gasda, P., Lanza, N., Ollila, A., Clegg, S., Gasnault, O., Maurice, S., Y Meslin, P., Cousin, A., Rapin, W., Lasue, J., Forni, O., Haridon, J. L., Blaney, D., Payre, V., Mangold, N., Ledeit, L., Anderson, R., Institute of Meteoritics [Albuquerque] (IOM), The University of New Mexico [Albuquerque], Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), 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), 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
[SDU.STU.PL]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Planetology
Abstract

International audience; We have confirmed the likely presence of Ca-S cement (interpenetrating a silicate matrix) in many ChemCam analyses using the typical 25 dust free shots on each target point to assess homogeneity of targets that are a mixture of Ca-S and silicate.

Published
2019

50. Classification of 59 Igneous Rocks Analyzed by ChemCam at Gale Crater, Mars

Author

Cousin, A., Sautter, V., Payré, V., Forni, O., Mangold, N., Gasnault, O., Le Deit, L., Meslin, P. Y., Johnson, J., Maurice, S., Wiens, R. C., William Rapin, 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), 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), and Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL)

Subjects
[SDU.STU.PL]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Planetology
Abstract

International audience; Chemistry, mineralogy, texture, and petrology of the 59 igneous rocks analyzed by ChemCam (MSL), and comparison with igneous rocks observed by the Mars Exploration Rovers as well as with the Mars meteorites.

Published
2019

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