Iron oxide and hydroxide precipitation from ferrous solutions and its relevance to Martian surface mineralogy

Journal Article · Tue Apr 01 04:00:00 EST 1986 · Icarus; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/0019-1035(86)90010-2· OSTI ID:5265397

Posey-Dowty, J; Moskowitz, B; Crerar, D; Hargraves, R; Tanenbaum, L

Experiments were performed to examine if the ubiquitousness of a weak magnetic component in all Martian surface fines tested with the Viking Landers can be attributed to ferric iron precipitation in aqueous solution under oxidizing conditions at neutral pH. Ferrous solutions were mixed in deionized water and various minerals were added to separate liquid samples. The iron-bearing additives included hematite, goethite, magnetite, maghemite, lepidocrocite and potassium bromide blank at varying concentrations. IR spectroscopic scans were made to identify any precipitates resulting from bubbling oxygen throughout the solutions; the magnetic properties of the precipitates were also examined. The data indicated that the lepidocrocite may have been preferentially precipitated, then aged to maghemite. The process would account for the presumed thin residue of maghemite on the present Martian surface, long after abundant liquid water on the Martian surface vanished. 40 references.

• Research Organization: Princeton Univ., NJ
• OSTI ID: 5265397
• Journal Information: Icarus; (United States), Journal Name: Icarus; (United States) Vol. 66; ISSN ICRSA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640107* -- Astrophysics & Cosmology-- Planetary Phenomena
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
ABSORPTION SPECTRA
AQUEOUS SOLUTIONS
CHALCOGENIDES
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
DISPERSIONS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
HYDROXIDES
INFRARED SPECTRA
IRON COMPOUNDS
IRON OXIDES
MARS PLANET
MINERALOGY
MIXTURES
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PLANETS
SOLUTIONS
SPECTRA
TRANSITION ELEMENT COMPOUNDS