A Review of the Phyllosilicates in Gale Crater as Detected by the CheMin Instrument on the Mars Science Laboratory, Curiosity Rover
<i>Curiosity</i>, the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) rover, landed on Mars in August 2012 to investigate the ~3.5-billion-year-old (Ga) fluvio-lacustrine sedimentary deposits of Aeolis Mons (informally known as Mount Sharp) and the surrounding plains (Aeolis Palus) in Gale crater. After n...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-08-01
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| Series: | Minerals |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-163X/11/8/847 |
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| author | Valerie M. Tu Elizabeth B. Rampe Thomas F. Bristow Michael T. Thorpe Joanna V. Clark Nicholas Castle Abigail A. Fraeman Lauren A. Edgar Amy McAdam Candice Bedford Cherie N. Achilles David Blake Steve J. Chipera Patricia I. Craig David J. Des Marais Gordon W. Downs Robert T. Downs Valerie Fox John P. Grotzinger Robert M. Hazen Douglas W. Ming Richard V. Morris Shaunna M. Morrison Betina Pavri Jennifer Eigenbrode Tanya S. Peretyazhko Philippe C. Sarrazin Brad Sutter Allan H. Treiman David T. Vaniman Ashwin R. Vasavada Albert S. Yen John C. Bridges |
| author_facet | Valerie M. Tu Elizabeth B. Rampe Thomas F. Bristow Michael T. Thorpe Joanna V. Clark Nicholas Castle Abigail A. Fraeman Lauren A. Edgar Amy McAdam Candice Bedford Cherie N. Achilles David Blake Steve J. Chipera Patricia I. Craig David J. Des Marais Gordon W. Downs Robert T. Downs Valerie Fox John P. Grotzinger Robert M. Hazen Douglas W. Ming Richard V. Morris Shaunna M. Morrison Betina Pavri Jennifer Eigenbrode Tanya S. Peretyazhko Philippe C. Sarrazin Brad Sutter Allan H. Treiman David T. Vaniman Ashwin R. Vasavada Albert S. Yen John C. Bridges |
| author_sort | Valerie M. Tu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <i>Curiosity</i>, the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) rover, landed on Mars in August 2012 to investigate the ~3.5-billion-year-old (Ga) fluvio-lacustrine sedimentary deposits of Aeolis Mons (informally known as Mount Sharp) and the surrounding plains (Aeolis Palus) in Gale crater. After nearly nine years, Curiosity has traversed over 25 km, and the Chemistry and Mineralogy (CheMin) X-ray diffraction instrument on-board <i>Curiosity</i> has analyzed 30 drilled rock and three scooped soil samples to date. The principal strategic goal of the mission is to assess the habitability of Mars in its ancient past. Phyllosilicates are common in ancient Martian terrains dating to ~3.5–4 Ga and were detected from orbit in some of the lower strata of Mount Sharp. Phyllosilicates on Earth are important for harboring and preserving organics. On Mars, phyllosilicates are significant for exploration as they are hypothesized to be a marker for potential habitable environments. CheMin data demonstrate that ancient fluvio-lacustrine rocks in Gale crater contain up to ~35 wt. % phyllosilicates. Phyllosilicates are key indicators of past fluid–rock interactions, and variation in the structure and composition of phyllosilicates in Gale crater suggest changes in past aqueous environments that may have been habitable to microbial life with a variety of possible energy sources. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T08:34:28Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b23947d63237408e8dc9c5b530972f71 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2075-163X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T08:34:28Z |
| publishDate | 2021-08-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Minerals |
| spelling | doaj.art-b23947d63237408e8dc9c5b530972f712023-11-22T08:49:50ZengMDPI AGMinerals2075-163X2021-08-0111884710.3390/min11080847A Review of the Phyllosilicates in Gale Crater as Detected by the CheMin Instrument on the Mars Science Laboratory, Curiosity RoverValerie M. Tu0Elizabeth B. Rampe1Thomas F. Bristow2Michael T. Thorpe3Joanna V. Clark4Nicholas Castle5Abigail A. Fraeman6Lauren A. Edgar7Amy McAdam8Candice Bedford9Cherie N. Achilles10David Blake11Steve J. Chipera12Patricia I. Craig13David J. Des Marais14Gordon W. Downs15Robert T. Downs16Valerie Fox17John P. Grotzinger18Robert M. Hazen19Douglas W. Ming20Richard V. Morris21Shaunna M. Morrison22Betina Pavri23Jennifer Eigenbrode24Tanya S. Peretyazhko25Philippe C. Sarrazin26Brad Sutter27Allan H. Treiman28David T. Vaniman29Ashwin R. Vasavada30Albert S. Yen31John C. Bridges32Jacobs Technology, NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX 77058, USANASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX 77058, USANASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USAJacobs Technology, NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX 77058, USAGeoControls Systems Inc—Jacobs JETS Contract at NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX 77058, USAPlanetary Science Institute, Tucson, AZ 85719, USAJet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109, USAUSGS Astrogeology Science Center, Flagstaff, AZ 86001, USANASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USAThe Lunar and Planetary Institute, Houston, TX 77058, USANASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USANASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USAPlanetary Science Institute, Tucson, AZ 85719, USAPlanetary Science Institute, Tucson, AZ 85719, USANASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USADepartment of Geosciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USADepartment of Geosciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USADivision of Geology and Planetary Science, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USADivision of Geology and Planetary Science, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USACarnegie Institute for Science, Washington, DC 20015, USANASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX 77058, USANASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX 77058, USACarnegie Institute for Science, Washington, DC 20015, USAJet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109, USANASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USAJacobs Technology, NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX 77058, USASETI Institute, Mountain View, CA 94043, USAJacobs Technology, NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX 77058, USAThe Lunar and Planetary Institute, Houston, TX 77058, USAPlanetary Science Institute, Tucson, AZ 85719, USAJet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109, USAJet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109, USAUniversity of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK<i>Curiosity</i>, the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) rover, landed on Mars in August 2012 to investigate the ~3.5-billion-year-old (Ga) fluvio-lacustrine sedimentary deposits of Aeolis Mons (informally known as Mount Sharp) and the surrounding plains (Aeolis Palus) in Gale crater. After nearly nine years, Curiosity has traversed over 25 km, and the Chemistry and Mineralogy (CheMin) X-ray diffraction instrument on-board <i>Curiosity</i> has analyzed 30 drilled rock and three scooped soil samples to date. The principal strategic goal of the mission is to assess the habitability of Mars in its ancient past. Phyllosilicates are common in ancient Martian terrains dating to ~3.5–4 Ga and were detected from orbit in some of the lower strata of Mount Sharp. Phyllosilicates on Earth are important for harboring and preserving organics. On Mars, phyllosilicates are significant for exploration as they are hypothesized to be a marker for potential habitable environments. CheMin data demonstrate that ancient fluvio-lacustrine rocks in Gale crater contain up to ~35 wt. % phyllosilicates. Phyllosilicates are key indicators of past fluid–rock interactions, and variation in the structure and composition of phyllosilicates in Gale crater suggest changes in past aqueous environments that may have been habitable to microbial life with a variety of possible energy sources.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-163X/11/8/847clay mineralsphyllosilicatesorganic preservationMarsgale craterX-ray diffraction |
| spellingShingle | Valerie M. Tu Elizabeth B. Rampe Thomas F. Bristow Michael T. Thorpe Joanna V. Clark Nicholas Castle Abigail A. Fraeman Lauren A. Edgar Amy McAdam Candice Bedford Cherie N. Achilles David Blake Steve J. Chipera Patricia I. Craig David J. Des Marais Gordon W. Downs Robert T. Downs Valerie Fox John P. Grotzinger Robert M. Hazen Douglas W. Ming Richard V. Morris Shaunna M. Morrison Betina Pavri Jennifer Eigenbrode Tanya S. Peretyazhko Philippe C. Sarrazin Brad Sutter Allan H. Treiman David T. Vaniman Ashwin R. Vasavada Albert S. Yen John C. Bridges A Review of the Phyllosilicates in Gale Crater as Detected by the CheMin Instrument on the Mars Science Laboratory, Curiosity Rover Minerals clay minerals phyllosilicates organic preservation Mars gale crater X-ray diffraction |
| title | A Review of the Phyllosilicates in Gale Crater as Detected by the CheMin Instrument on the Mars Science Laboratory, Curiosity Rover |
| title_full | A Review of the Phyllosilicates in Gale Crater as Detected by the CheMin Instrument on the Mars Science Laboratory, Curiosity Rover |
| title_fullStr | A Review of the Phyllosilicates in Gale Crater as Detected by the CheMin Instrument on the Mars Science Laboratory, Curiosity Rover |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Review of the Phyllosilicates in Gale Crater as Detected by the CheMin Instrument on the Mars Science Laboratory, Curiosity Rover |
| title_short | A Review of the Phyllosilicates in Gale Crater as Detected by the CheMin Instrument on the Mars Science Laboratory, Curiosity Rover |
| title_sort | review of the phyllosilicates in gale crater as detected by the chemin instrument on the mars science laboratory curiosity rover |
| topic | clay minerals phyllosilicates organic preservation Mars gale crater X-ray diffraction |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-163X/11/8/847 |
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