Diagenetic Features Analyzed by ChemCam/Curiosity at Pahrump Hills, Gale Crater, Mars

Authors :: Nachon, M
Mangold, N
Cousin, A
Forni, O
Anderson, R. B
Blank, J. G
Calef, F
Clegg, S
Fabre, C
Fisk, M
Gasnault, O
Kah, L. C
Kronyak, R
Lasue, J
Meslin, P.-Y
Le Mouelic, S
Maurice, S
Oehler, D. Z
Payre, V
Rapin, W
Sumner, D
Stack, K
Schroeder, S
Wiens, R. C
Publication Year :: 2015
Publisher :: United States: NASA Center for Aerospace Information (CASI), 2015.
Abstract: Onboard the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Curiosity rover, the ChemCam instrument consists of : (1) a Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectrometer (LIBS) for elemental analysis of targets and (2) a Remote Micro Imager (RMI), which provides imaging context for the LIBS. The LIBS/ChemCam performs analysis typically of spot sizes 350-550 micrometers in diameter, up to 7 meters from the rover. Within Gale crater, Curiosity traveled from Bradbury Landing toward the base of Mount Sharp, reaching Pahrump Hills outcrop circa sol 750. This region, as seen from orbit, represents the first exposures of lower Mount Sharp. In this abstract we focus on two types of features present within the Pahrump Hills outcrop: concretion features and light-toned veins.

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