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At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
USGS2001

Mars Global Surveyor observations of Martian fretted terrain

The Martian fretted terrain between latitudes 30° and 50°N and between 315° and 360°W has been reexamined in light of new Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) and Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) data from Mars Global Surveyor. Much of the terrain in the 30°–50° latitude belt in both hemispheres has a characteristic stippled or pitted texture at MOC (1.5 m) scale. The texture appears to result from partial removal of a formerly smooth, thin deposit as a result of sublimation and deflation. A complex history of deposition and exhumation is indicated by remnants of a former, thicker cover of layered deposits. In some hollows and on some slopes, particularly those facing the pole, are smooth textured deposits outlined by an outward facing escarpment. Throughout the study area are numerous escarpments with debris flows at their base. The escarpments typically have slopes in the 20°–30° range. At the base of the escarpment is commonly a deposit with striae oriented at right angles to the escarpment. Outside this deposit is the main debris apron with a surface that typically slopes 2°–3° and complex surface textures suggestive of compression, sublimation, and deflation. The presence of undeformed impact craters indicates that the debris flows are no longer forming. Fretted valleys contain lineated fill and are poorly graded. They likely form from fluvial valleys that were initially like those elsewhere on the planet but were subsequently widened and filled by the same mass-wasting processes that formed the debris aprons. Slope reversals indicate that downvalley flow of the lineated fill is minor. The ubiquitous presence of breaks in slope formed by mass wasting and the complex surface textures that result from mass wasting, deflation, and sublimation decreases the recognizability of the shorelines formerly proposed for this area.

Journal of Geophysical Research E: Planets↗
USGS2007

Magnesium and calcium sulfate stabilities and the water budget of Mars

Magnesium sulfate probably plays a dominant role in the water cycle of Mars away from the polar ice caps through hydration and dehydration reactions. This prominence is due to its abundance, its occurrence in numerous hydration states, and its ability to hydrate and dehydrate rapidly. New experimental studies on the metastable reaction between hexahydrite (MgSO4??6H2O) and starkeyite (MgSO4-4H2O) as a function of temperature and relative humidity, supplemented by recent investigations of the stable reaction between epsomite (MgSO4??7H2O) and hexahydrite and by phase equilibrium calculations, suggest that the most important magnesium sulfate phases involved in the Martian water cycle are MgSO4??11 H2O, epsomite, starkeyite, and possibly kieserite (MgSO4??H2O). Hexahydrite is not predicted to be stable on the surface of Mars. During diurnal variations in temperature and relative humidity, 1 kg of MgSO4 can release or remove from the atmosphere 1.5 kg of H2O by cycling between kieserite and MgSO4??11 H2O. Despite subequal abundances of calcium sulfate, calcium sulfates are not likely to be important in the water cycle of the planet because of sluggish rates of hydration and dehydration and a more limited range of H2O concentrations per kilogram of CaSO4 (0.00 to 0.26 kg kg-1). Modern or recent erosion on Mars attributed to liquid water may be due to the dehydration Of MgSO4??11 H2O because of the inferred abundance and likelihood of occurrence of this phase and its limited stability relative to known variations in temperature and relative humidity.

Journal of Geophysical Research E: Planets↗
USGS2012

Venus cartography

The entire surface of the planet Venus is being mapped at global and regional scales (1:50,000,000 through 1:1,500,000) with synthetic aperture radar (SAR), radar altimeter, and radiometer measurements of physical properties from the Magellan spacecraft. The mapping includes SAR image mosaics, shaded relief maps, and topographic contour overlays made from altimetry data and by radargrammetric methods. Methods used include new techniques of radar image processing that became operational as a result of the Magellan mission. The area being mapped (at a resolution of 75 m/pixel) is roughly equivalent to that of Earth, including seafloors. The mapping is designed to support geologic and geophysical investigations.

Journal of Geophysical Research E: Planets↗
USGS2003

Oceans on Mars: An assessment of the observational evidence and possible fate

If the large Late Hesperian outflow channels were eroded by extensive floods, as appears likely, then large bodies of water must have once occupied the northern plains during that period. Previous estimates of the sizes of bodies of water in the northern lowlands range up to 3 ?? 108 km3. Several contacts have been previously mapped around the edges of the northern plains and interpreted to be shorelines remaining from these former standing bodies of water. We examine the elevations and geologic relations along these contacts in detail and find little support for their interpretation as shorelines. Some contacts are clearly of volcanic origin, and all have significant variations in elevation. Better support for the former presence of water over large parts of the northern plains is provided by the Vastitas Borealis Formation (VBF). Most of the post-Noachian fill within the northern basin is ridged plains of Lower Hesperian age, interpreted to be volcanic in origin. Overlying the ridged plains is the VBF, a thin veneer of material of Upper Hesperian age. The VBF may have been deposited from large floods. Support for this interpretation is the similarity in age between the outflow channels and the VBF, the presence of the VBF at the lower ends of the outflow channels, and identification of numerous features in the outcrop areas of the VBF that are suggestive of basal melting of an ice sheet. To cover all the area over which the VBF is exposed would require ???2.3 ?? 107 km3 of water. Spread over the entire surface of Mars, this volume is equal to a global layer (global equivalent layer, or GEL) ???156 m deep. We find no support for the larger estimates of ocean volumes that range up to 3 ?? 108 km3 and which imply comparable amounts of water per unit area as are currently present on the surface of the Earth. Under present climatic conditions on Mars an ocean would freeze in a geologically short time period (???104 years), then would sublimate away at rates strongly dependent on the presence or absence of debris on the ice surface. The present VBF is interpreted as a sublimation residue from the ponded outflow channel effluents. The fate of a volume of water thought to have been emplaced by the outflow channels (???2.3 ?? 107 km3) is largely accounted for by the presence of other existing reservoirs on the planet. An approximately 20-30 m GEL of water is estimated to be in the present polar caps, and a 50 m GEL may have escaped to space since the Hesperian, leaving ???80 m GEL unaccounted for. This amount may be partly trapped in other volatile-rich deposits on the surface, and a significant amount could have reentered the groundwater system by south polar basal melting and been progressively cold-trapped at the base of a growing cryosphere. On the basis of our assessment of the Hesperian-aged deposits, we predict that testing of the Clifford and Parker [2001] hypothesis that a Noachian-aged ocean covered up to one third of the surface of Mars will be made very difficult by the enhanced degradation rates in the Noachian and subsequent geological events in the northern lowlands.

Journal of Geophysical Research E: Planets↗
USGS2001

Mars Color Imager (MARCI) on the Mars Climate Orbiter

The Mars Color Imager, or MARCI, experiment on the Mars Climate Orbiter (MCO) consists of two cameras with unique optics and identical focal plane assemblies (FPAs), Data Acquisition System (DAS) electronics, and power supplies. Each camera is characterized by small physical size and mass (∼6×6×12 cm, including baffle; <500 g), low power requirements (<2.5 W, including power supply losses), and high science performance (1000×1000 pixel, low noise). The Wide Angle (WA) camera will have the capability to map Mars in five visible and two ultraviolet spectral bands at a resolution of better than 8 km/pixel under the worst case downlink data rate. Under better downlink conditions the WA will provide kilometer-scale global maps of atmospheric phenomena such as clouds, hazes, dust storms, and the polar hood. Limb observations will provide additional detail on atmospheric structure at 1/3 scale-height resolution. The Medium Angle (MA) camera is designed to study selected areas of Mars at regional scale. From 400 km altitude its 6° FOV, which covers ∼40 km at 40 m/pixel, will permit all locations on the planet except the poles to be accessible for image acquisitions every two mapping cycles (roughly 52 sols). Eight spectral channels between 425 and 1000 nm provide the ability to discriminate both atmospheric and surface features on the basis of composition. The primary science objectives of MARCI are to (1) observe Martian atmospheric processes at synoptic scales and mesoscales, (2) study details of the interaction of the atmosphere with the surface at a variety of scales in both space and time, and (3) examine surface features characteristic of the evolution of the Martian climate over time. MARCI will directly address two of the three high-level goals of the Mars Surveyor Program: Climate and Resources. Life, the third goal, will be addressed indirectly through the environmental factors associated with the other two goals.

Journal of Geophysical Research E: Planets↗
USGS2003

Exploring Gusev Crater with Spirit: Review of science objectives and testable hypotheses

Gusev Crater was selected as the landing site for the Mars Exploration Rover (MER) Spirit mission. Located at the outlet of Ma'adim Vallis and 250 km south of the volcano Apollinaris Patera, Gusev is an outstanding site to achieve the goals of the MER mission. The crater could have collected sediments from a variety of sources during its 3.9 Ga history, including fluvial, lacustrine, volcanic, glacial, impact, regional and local aeolian, and global air falls. It is a unique site to investigate the past history of water on Mars, climate and geological changes, and the potential habitability of the planet, which are central science objectives of the MER mission. Because of its complex history and potential diversity, Gusev will allow the testing of a large spectrum of hypotheses with the complete suite of MER instruments. Evidence consistent with long-lived lake episodes exist in the landing ellipse area. They might offer a unique opportunity to study, for the first time, Martian aqueous sediments and minerals formed in situ in their geological context. We review the geological history and diversity of the landing site, the science hypotheses that can be tested during the MER mission, and the relevance of Gusev to the MER mission objectives and payload.

Journal of Geophysical Research E: Planets↗
USGS2009

Reflectance spectroscopy of organic compounds: 1. Alkanes

Reflectance spectra of the organic compounds comprising the alkane series are presented from the ultraviolet to midinfrared, 0.35 to 15.5 /??m. Alkanes are hydrocarbon molecules containing only single carbon-carbon bonds, and are found naturally on the Earth and in the atmospheres of the giant planets and Saturn's moon, Titan. This paper presents the spectral properties of the alkanes as the first in a series of papers to build a spectral database of organic compounds for use in remote sensing studies. Applications range from mapping the environment on the Earth, to the search for organic molecules and life in the solar system and throughout the. universe. We show that the spectral reflectance properties of organic compounds are rich, with major diagnostic spectral features throughout the spectral range studied. Little to no spectral change was observed as a function of temperature and only small shifts and changes in the width of absorption bands were observed between liquids and solids, making remote detection of spectral properties throughout the solar system simpler. Some high molecular weight organic compounds contain single-bonded carbon chains and have spectra similar to alkanes even ' when they fall into other families. Small spectral differences are often present allowing discrimination among some compounds, further illustrating the need to catalog spectral properties for accurate remote sensing identification with spectroscopy.

Journal of Geophysical Research E: Planets↗
USGS2000

Surface properties of Mars' polar layered deposits and polar landing sites

On December 3, 1999, the Mars Polar Lander and Mars Microprobes will land on the planet's south polar layered deposits near (76°S, 195°W) and conduct the first in situ studies of the planet's polar regions. The scientific goals of these missions address several poorly understood and globally significant issues, such as polar meteorology, the composition and volatile content of the layered deposits, the erosional state and mass balance of their surface, their possible relationship to climate cycles, and the nature of bright and dark aeolian material. Derived thermal inertias of the southern layered deposits are very low (50-100 J m -2 s -1/2 K -1 ), suggesting that the surface down to a depth of a few centimeters is generally fine grained or porous and free of an appreciable amount of rock or ice. The landing site region is smoother than typical cratered terrain on ∼1 km pixel -1 Viking Orbiter images but contains low-relief texture on ∼5 to 100 m pixel -1 Mariner 9 and Mars Global Surveyor images. The surface of the southern deposits is older than that of the northern deposits and appears to be modified by aeolian erosion or ablation of ground ice.

Journal of Geophysical Research E: Planets↗
USGS2016

Stratigraphy of the north polar layered deposits of Mars from high-resolution topography

The stratigraphy of the layered deposits of the polar regions of Mars is theorized to contain a record of recent climate change linked to insolation changes driven by variations in the planet's orbital and rotational parameters. In order to confidently link stratigraphic signals to insolation periodicities, a description of the stratigraphy is required based on quantities that directly relate to intrinsic properties of the layers. We use stereo Digital Terrain Models (DTMs) from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) to derive a characteristic of North Polar Layered Deposits (NPLD) strata that can be correlated over large distances: the topographic protrusion of layers exposed in troughs, which is a proxy for the layers&rsquo; resistance to erosion. Using a combination of image analysis and a signal-matching algorithm to correlate continuous depth-protrusion signals taken from DTMs at different locations, we construct a stratigraphic column that describes the upper ~500&thinsp;m of at least 7% of the area of the NPLD, and find accumulation rates that vary by factors of up to two. We find that, when coupled with observations of exposed layers in orbital images, the topographic expression of the strata is consistently continuous through large distances in the top 300 &ndash; 500&thinsp;m of the NPLD, suggesting it is better related to intrinsic layer properties than brightness alone.

Journal of Geophysical Research E: Planets↗
USGS2005

Three decades of Martian surface changes

The surface of Mars has changed dramatically during the three decades spanned by spacecraft exploration. Comparisons of Mars Global Surveyor images with Viking and Mariner 9 pictures suggest that more than one third of Mars' surface area has brightened or darkened by at least 10%. Such albedo changes could produce significant effects on solar heating and the global circulation of winds across the planet. All of the major changes took place in areas of moderate to high thermal inertia and rock abundance, consistent with burial of rocky surfaces by thin dust layers deposited during dust storms and subsequent exposure of the rocky surfaces by aeolian erosion. Several distinct mechanisms contribute to aeolian erosion on Mars. Prevailing winds dominate erosion at low latitudes, producing diffuse albedo boundaries and elongated wind streaks generally oriented in the direction of southern summer winds. Dust devils darken the mid to high latitudes from 45 to 70 degrees during the summer seasons, forming irregular albedo patterns consisting of dark linear tracks. Dust storms produce regional albedo variations with distinct but irregular margins. Dark sand duties in southern high latitudes appear to be associated with regional darkening that displays diffuse albedo boundaries. No surface changes were observed to repeat regularly on an annual basis, but many of the changes took place in areas that alternate episodically between high- and low-albedo states as thin mantles of dust are deposited and later stripped off. Hence the face of Mars remains recognizable after a century of telescopic observations, in spite of the enormous extent of alteration that has taken place during the era of spacecraft exploration.

Journal of Geophysical Research E: Planets↗
USGS2002

Elevations of water-worn features on Mars: Implications for circulation of groundwater

Central to the model of the evolution of the martian hydrosphere by Clifford and Parker [2001] is a permanent freezing of the planet at the end of the Noachian and recharge of the global groundwater system by basal melting of ice-rich polar deposits. Acquisition of MOLA data by Mars Global Surveyor provides a means of testing the model, since discharge of water onto the surface, after development of the cryosphere, is driven by the hydrostatic head created by the difference in elevation between the base of the polar-layered terrain and the discharge site. The new data show that, while most post-Noachian water-worn features are at a lower elevation than the base of the polar-layered terrains, as required by the model, there are exceptions. Prominent among these are possible lacustrine deposits within the canyons, tributaries to the canyons, and valleys on several volcanoes. These high-standing features can be reconciled with the model if volcanic melting of ice within the cryosphere is invoked as a source for water at high elevations. An alternative is that high pressures may have developed below the cryosphere as a result of water being trapped beneath the growing cryosphere and the impermeable basement. Yet another alternative is that, since the end of the Noachian, the groundwater system has been recharged by precipitation during occasional warm periods.

Journal of Geophysical Research E: Planets↗
USGS2009

Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars investigation and data set from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter's primary science phase

The part of the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer (CRISM) for Mars investigation conducted during the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter's (MRO's) primary science phase was a comprehensive investigation of past aqueous environments, structure of the planet's crust, past climate, and current meteorology. The measurements to implement this investigation include over 9500 targeted observations of surface features taken at spatial resolutions of better than 40 m/pixel, monitoring of seasonal variations in atmospheric aerosols and trace gases, and acquisition of a 200 m/pixel map covering over 55% of Mars in 72 selected wavelengths under conditions of relatively low atmospheric opacity. Key results from these data include recognition of a diversity of aqueous mineral-containing deposits, discovery of a widespread distribution of phyllosilicates in early to middle Noachian units, the first definitive detection of carbonates in bedrock, new constraints on the sequence of events that formed Hesperian-aged, sulfate-rich layered deposits, characterization of seasonal polar processes, and monitoring of the 2007 global dust event. Here we describe CRISM's science investigations during the Primary Science Phase, the data sets that were collected and their calibration and uncertainties, and how they have been processed and made available to the scientific community. We also describe the ongoing investigation during MRO's extended science phase. Copyright 2009 by the American Geophysical Union.

Journal of Geophysical Research E: Planets↗
USGS2012

The geology and distribution of impact craters on Venus: What are they telling us?

Magellan has revealed an ensemble of impact craters on Venus that is unique in many important ways. We have compiled a data base describing the 842 craters on 89% of Venus' surface mapped through orbit 2578. (The craters range in diameter from 1.5 to 280 km.) We have studied the distribution, size‐density, morphology, geology, and associated surface properties of these craters both in the aggregate and, for some craters, in greater detail. We find that (1) the spatial distribution of craters is highly uniform; (2) the size‐density distribution of large craters (diameters ≥35 km) is similar to the young crater populations on other terrestrial planets but at a much lower density that indicates an average age of only about 0.5 Ga (based on the estimated population of Venus‐crossing asteroids); (3) unlike the case on other planets, the density of small craters (diameters ≤35 km) declines rapidly with decreasing diameters because of atmospheric filtering; (4) the spectrum of crater modification differs greatly from that on other planets: 62% of all craters are pristine, only 4% are embayed by lavas, and the remainder are affected by tectonism, but none are severely and progressively depleted (as extrapolated from the size‐density distribution of larger craters); (5) large craters have a progression of morphologies generally similar to those on other planets, but small craters are typically irregular or multiple rather than bowl shaped; (6) diffuse radar‐bright or ‐dark features surround some craters, and 367 similar diffuse “splotches” with no central crater are observed; and (7) other crater features unique to Venus include radar‐bright or ‐dark parabolic arcs opening westward and extensive outflows originating in crater ejecta. The first three of these observations are entirely unexpected. We interpret them as indicating that the planet's cratering record was erased by a global resurfacing event or events, the latest ending about 0.5 Ga, after which volcanic activity declined (but did not cease entirely). Since the last resurfacing event, a maximum of 10% of the planet has been resurfaced and only about 4% of the craters have been obliterated. Convective thermal evolution models support this interpretation (Arkani‐Hamed and Toksoz, 1984). Observations 3–7 confirm quantitatively the expectation that the dense atmosphere of Venus has strongly affected the production of craters. Large impactors have been relatively unaffected, intermediate‐sized ones have been fragmented and have produced overlapping or multiple craters, a narrow size range has produced shock‐induced “splotches” but no craters, and the smallest bodies have had no observable effect on the surface. The number of craters eliminated by the “atmospheric filter” is enormous, about 98% of the craters between 2 and 35 km in diameter that Magellan might have observed on a hypothetical airless Venus. Unique crater‐related features such as parabolas and outflow deposits demonstrate the roles of Venus' high atmospheric density and temperature in modifying the crater formation process. Finally, heavily fractured craters and lava‐embayed craters are found to have higher than average densities along the major fracture belts and rifted uplands connecting Aphrodite Terra and Atla, Beta, Themis, and Phoebe regiones. These craters thus provide physical evidence for recent volcanic and tectonic activity at a low level.

Journal of Geophysical Research E: Planets↗
USGS2002

Thermal infrared spectroscopy of experimentally shocked anorthosite and pyroxenite: Implications for remote sensing of Mars

The feldspar and pyroxene mineralogies on Mars revealed by the Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES) on Mars Global Surveyor likely record a variety of shock effects, as suggested by petrologic analyses of the Martian meteorites and the abundance of impact craters on the planet's surface. To study the effects of shock pressures on thermal infrared spectra of these minerals, we performed shock recovery experiments on orthopyroxenite and anorthosite samples from the Stillwater Complex (Montana) over peak pressures from 17 to 63 GPa. We acquired emissivity and hemispherical reflectance spectra (350–1400 cm −1 ; ∼7–29 μm) of both coherent chips and fine-grained powders of shocked and unshocked samples. These spectra are more directly comparable to remotely sensed data of Mars (e.g., TES) than previously acquired absorption or transmission spectra of shocked minerals. The spectra of experimentally shocked feldspar show systematic changes with increasing pressure due to depolymerization of the silica tetrahedra. For the spectra of chips, this includes the disappearance of small bands in the 500–650 cm −1 region and a strong band at 1115 cm −1 , and changes in positions of a strong band near 940 cm −1 and the Christiansen feature near 1250 cm −1 . Spectra of the shocked powders show the gradual disappearance of a transparency feature near 830 cm −1 . Fewer changes are observed in the pyroxene spectra at pressures as high as 63 GPa. Spectra of experimentally shocked minerals will help identify more precisely the mineralogy of rocks and soils not only from TES but also from Mars instruments such as miniTES and THEMIS.

Journal of Geophysical Research E: Planets↗
USGS2010

Gone with the wind: Eolian erasure of the Mars Rover tracks

The wheel tracks left by the Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity are unique artificial markings on the surface of Mars. The tracks stretch several kilometers across diverse terrain in two widely separated regions of the planet. The initial appearance and characteristics of the tracks were well documented by the science and navigation cameras aboard the vehicles at the time the tracks were formed. Orbital observations by Mars Global Surveyor and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter document the erasure of the tracks over a period of more than 2 Mars years. Close‐up examinations of track crossings, where the rovers encountered tracks made hundreds of Martian solar days earlier, provide insights into the mechanisms and time scales of eolian alteration on Mars. These observations suggest that fallout of atmospheric dust plays only a minor role in obscuring rover tracks over time. Instead, track erasure is dominated by sediment that is transported by surface winds. Both deposition and erosion act to erase the rover tracks. The length scales for eolian sediment transport are hundreds of meters at least, much larger than the size of the tracks. Gradual processes such as dust devils and sand saltation have minor effects that can nonetheless erase rover tracks over long time periods. However, short‐lived strong wind events associated with seasonal dust storms have much more pronounced effects, significantly altering the tracks on time scales of days. These episodic strong winds tend to occur annually during the perihelion season. The time scale for track erasure is typically only 1 Martian year.

Journal of Geophysical Research E: Planets↗
USGS2014

Igneous mineralogy at Bradbury Rise: the first ChemCam campaign at Gale crater

Textural and compositional analyses using ChemCam Remote Micro Imager (RMI) and Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) have been performed on 5 float rocks and coarse gravels along the first 100 meters of the Curiosity traverse at Bradbury rise. ChemCam, the first LIBS instrument sent to another planet, offers the opportunity to assess mineralogic diversity at grain-size scales (∼100μm) and, from this, lithologic diversity. Depth profiling indicates that targets are relatively free of surface coatings. One type of igneous rock is volcanic and includes both aphanitic (Coronation) and porphyritic (Mara) samples. The porphyritic sample shows dark grains that are likely pyroxene megacrysts in a finegrained mesostasis containing andesine needles. Both types have magnesium-poor basaltic compositions and in this respect are similar to the evolved Jake-Matijevic rock [Stolper et al., 2013] analyzed further along the Curiosity traverse both with APXS and ChemCam instruments. The second rock-type encountered is a coarse-grained intrusive rock (Thor Lake) showing equigranular texture with mm size crystals of feldspars and Fe-Ti oxides. Such a rock is not unique at Gale as the surrounding coarse gravels (such as Beaulieu) and the conglomerate Link are dominated by feldspathic (andesine-bytownite) clasts. Finally, alkali feldspar compositions associated with a silica polymorph have been analyzed in fractured filling material of Preble rock and in Stark, a putative pumice or an impact melt. These observations document magmatic diversity at Gale and describe the first fragments of feldspar-rich lithologies (possibly an anorthosite) that may be ancient crust transported from the crater rim and now forming float rocks, coarse gravel or conglomerate clasts.

Journal of Geophysical Research E: Planets↗
USGS2014

HiRISE observations of new impact craters exposing Martian ground ice

Twenty small new impact craters or clusters have been observed to excavate bright material inferred to be ice at mid and high latitudes on Mars. In the northern hemisphere, the craters are widely distributed geographically and occur at latitudes as low as 39°N. Stability modeling suggests that this ice distribution requires a long-term average atmospheric water vapor content around 25 precipitable microns, more than double the present value, which is consistent with the expected effect of recent orbital variations. Alternatively, near-surface humidity could be higher than expected for current column abundances if water vapor is not well-mixed with atmospheric CO 2 , or the vapor pressure at the ice table could be lower due to salts. Ice in and around the craters remains visibly bright for months to years, indicating that it is clean ice rather than ice-cemented regolith. Although some clean ice may be produced by the impact process, it is likely that the original ground ice was excess ice (exceeding dry soil pore space) in many cases. Observations of the craters suggest small-scale heterogeneities in this excess ice. The origin of such ice is uncertain. Ice lens formation by migration of thin films of liquid is most consistent with local heterogeneity in ice content and common surface boulders, but in some cases nearby thermokarst landforms suggest large amounts of excess ice that may be best explained by a degraded ice sheet.

Journal of Geophysical Research E: Planets↗
USGS2014

Trace element geochemistry (Li, Ba, Sr, and Rb) using Curiosity's ChemCam: early results for Gale crater from Bradbury Landing Site to Rocknest

The ChemCam instrument package on the Mars rover, Curiosity, provides new capabilities to probe the abundances of certain trace elements in the rocks and soils on Mars using the laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy technique. We focus on detecting and quantifying Li, Ba, Rb, and Sr in targets analyzed during the first 100 sols, from Bradbury Landing Site to Rocknest. Univariate peak area models and multivariate partial least squares models are presented. Li, detected for the first time directly on Mars, is generally low (<15 ppm). The lack of soil enrichment in Li, which is highly fluid mobile, is consistent with limited influx of subsurface waters contributing to the upper soils. Localized enrichments of up to ~60 ppm Li have been observed in several rocks but the host mineral for Li is unclear. Bathurst_Inlet is a fine-grained bedrock unit in which several analysis locations show a decrease in Li and other alkalis with depth, which may imply that the unit has undergone low-level aqueous alteration that has preferentially drawn the alkalis to the surface. Ba (~1000 ppm) was detected in a buried pebble in the Akaitcho sand ripple and it appears to correlate with Si, Al, Na, and K, indicating a possible feldspathic composition. Rb and Sr are in the conglomerate Link at abundances >100 ppm and >1000 ppm, respectively. These analysis locations tend to have high Si and alkali abundances, consistent with a feldspar composition. Together, these trace element observations provide possible evidence of magma differentiation and aqueous alteration.

Journal of Geophysical Research E: Planets↗