MASTCAM SPECTRAL DIVERSITY OF ROCKS THROUGH CURIOSITY’S EXPLORATION OF GLEN TORRIDON
Research Mentor(s)
Melissa Rice
Description
NASA's Curiosity rover is exploring a 5-km tall sedimentary mound in the center of Gale crater, known as Mt. Sharp, hypothesized to have formed via primarily lacustrine and aeolian processes. Orbital data of lower Mt. Sharp indicate phyllosilicate- and sulfate- bearing strata (Bibring et al., 2006). The phyllosilicate -sulfate transition has been observed in several locations on Mars, indicating a global environmental change around the Noachian-Hesperian transition (around 3.7 Ga) from a more wet climate that accommodates clay mineral formation to a drier, more acidic environment that allows sulfates to precipitate (Milliken et al., 2010; Chevrier et al., 2007). The Mast Camera (Mastcam) is an imaging instrument on Curiosity that can collect visible to near infrared (VNIR) multispectral observations, which provide broad mineralogic interpretations and context for other instruments. Our goal is to compare previously established Mastcam multispectral classes of rocks (Rice et al., 2022) to newer spectra from the phyllosilicate- rich region, known as Glen Torridon, and the overlying sulfate- bearing unit, thus enhancing our understanding of ancient geologic processes and habitability of the surface of Mars. Initial results reveal variation in three of the nine rock classes, potentially influenced by nontronite and/or other phyllosilicates, and Mg- and Ca- sulfates. Using WWU's goniometer, these hypothesized constituents will be tested by collecting VNIR spectra on multiple mineral mixtures.
Document Type
Event
Start Date
May 2022
End Date
May 2022
Location
Carver Gym (Bellingham, Wash.)
Department
CBE - Geology
Genre/Form
student projects; posters
Type
Image
Rights
Copying of this document in whole or in part is allowable only for scholarly purposes. It is understood, however, that any copying or publication of this document for commercial purposes, or for financial gain, shall not be allowed without the author’s written permission.
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
MASTCAM SPECTRAL DIVERSITY OF ROCKS THROUGH CURIOSITY’S EXPLORATION OF GLEN TORRIDON
Carver Gym (Bellingham, Wash.)
NASA's Curiosity rover is exploring a 5-km tall sedimentary mound in the center of Gale crater, known as Mt. Sharp, hypothesized to have formed via primarily lacustrine and aeolian processes. Orbital data of lower Mt. Sharp indicate phyllosilicate- and sulfate- bearing strata (Bibring et al., 2006). The phyllosilicate -sulfate transition has been observed in several locations on Mars, indicating a global environmental change around the Noachian-Hesperian transition (around 3.7 Ga) from a more wet climate that accommodates clay mineral formation to a drier, more acidic environment that allows sulfates to precipitate (Milliken et al., 2010; Chevrier et al., 2007). The Mast Camera (Mastcam) is an imaging instrument on Curiosity that can collect visible to near infrared (VNIR) multispectral observations, which provide broad mineralogic interpretations and context for other instruments. Our goal is to compare previously established Mastcam multispectral classes of rocks (Rice et al., 2022) to newer spectra from the phyllosilicate- rich region, known as Glen Torridon, and the overlying sulfate- bearing unit, thus enhancing our understanding of ancient geologic processes and habitability of the surface of Mars. Initial results reveal variation in three of the nine rock classes, potentially influenced by nontronite and/or other phyllosilicates, and Mg- and Ca- sulfates. Using WWU's goniometer, these hypothesized constituents will be tested by collecting VNIR spectra on multiple mineral mixtures.