Chemistry of diagenetic features analyzed by ChemCam at Pahrump Hills, Gale crater, Mars

Nachon, M.; Mangold, N.; Forni, O.; Kah, L. C.; Cousin, A.; Wiens, R. C.; Anderson, R.; Blaney, D.; Blank, J. G.; Calef, F.; Clegg, S. M.; Fabre, C.; Fisk, M. R.; Gasnault, O.; Grotzinger, J. P.; Kronyak, R.; Lanza, N. L.; Lasue, J.; Deit, L. Le; Mouélic, S. Le; Maurice, S.; Meslin, P. -Y.; Oehler, D. Z.; Payré, V.; Rapin, W.; Schröder, S.; Stack, K.; Sumner, D.

doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2016.08.026

Chemistry of diagenetic features analyzed by ChemCam at Pahrump Hills, Gale crater, Mars

Journal Article · Fri Sep 01 00:00:00 EDT 2017 · Icarus

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.icarus.2016.08.026· OSTI ID:1412864

^[1]; Mangold, N. ^[1]; Forni, O. ^[2]; Kah, L. C. ^[3]; Cousin, A. ^[2]; ^[4]; Anderson, R. ^[5]; Blaney, D. ^[6]; Blank, J. G. ^[7]; Calef, F. ^[6]; ^[4]; Fabre, C. ^[8]; Fisk, M. R. ^[9]; Gasnault, O. ^[2]; Grotzinger, J. P. ^[10]; Kronyak, R. ^[3]; ^[4]; Lasue, J. ^[2]; Deit, L. Le ^[1]; Mouélic, S. Le ^[1] more »

Univ. of Nantes (France). Lab. of Planetology and Geodynamics
Univ. of Toulouse (France). Center for Space Studies of Radiation
Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States). Dept. of Earth and Planetary Sciences
Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
U.S. Geological Survey Astrogeology Science Center, Flagstaff, AZ (United States)
California Inst. of Technology (CalTech), Pasadena, CA (United States). Jet Propulsion Lab.
NASA Ames Research Center (ARC), Moffett Field, Mountain View, CA (United States)
Univ. of Lorraine, Nancy (France). Geo Ressources
Oregon State Univ., Corvallis, OR (United States). College of Earth Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences
California Inst. of Technology (CalTech), Pasadena, CA (United States). Division of Geologic and Planetary Sciences
NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX (United States). Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science Division
Univ. of Toulouse (France). Center for Space Studies of Radiation; German Aerospace Center (DLR), Berlin (Germany)
Univ. of California, Davis, CA (United States). Earth and Planetary Sciences

The Curiosity rover's campaign at Pahrump Hills provides the first analyses of lower Mount Sharp strata. We report ChemCam elemental composition of a diverse assemblage of post-depositional features embedded in, or cross-cutting, the host rock. ChemCam results demonstrate their compositional diversity, especially compared to the surrounding host rock: (i) Dendritic aggregates and relief enhanced features, characterized by a magnesium enhancement and sulfur detection, and interpreted as Mg-sulfates; (ii) A localized observation that displays iron enrichment associated with sulfur, interpreted as Fe-sulfate; (iii) Dark raised ridges with varying Mg- and Ca-enriched compositions compared to host rock; (iv) Several dark-toned veins with calcium enhancement associated with fluorine detection, interpreted as fluorite veins. (v) Light-toned veins with enhanced calcium associated with sulfur detection, and interpreted as Ca-sulfates. The diversity of the Pahrump Hills diagenetic assemblage suggests a complex post-depositional history for fine-grained sediments for which the origin has been interpreted as fluvial and lacustrine. Assessment of the spatial and relative temporal distribution of these features shows that the Mg-sulfate features are predominant in the lower part of the section, suggesting local modification of the sediments by early diagenetic fluids. Conversely, light-toned Ca-sulfate veins occur in the whole section and cross-cut all other features. A relatively late stage shift in geochemical conditions could explain this observation. The Pahrump Hills diagenetic features have no equivalent compared to targets analyzed in other locations at Gale crater. Only the light-toned Ca-sulfate veins are present elsewhere, along Curiosity's path, suggesting they formed through a common late-stage process that occurred at over a broad area.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Grant/Contract Number:: AC52-06NA25396

OSTI ID:: 1412864

Report Number(s):: LA-UR--17-27694

Journal Information:: Icarus, Journal Name: Icarus Journal Issue: C Vol. 281; ISSN 0019-1035

Publisher:: ElsevierCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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