Curiosity at Gale Crater, Mars: Characterization and Analysis of the Rocknest Sand Shadow

D. F. Blake; R. V. Morris; G. Kocurek; S. M. Morrison; R. T. Downs; D. Bish; D. W. Ming; K. S. Edgett; D. Rubin; W. Goetz; M. B. Madsen; R. Sullivan; R. Gellert; I. Campbell; A. H. Treiman; S. M. McLennan; A. S. Yen; J. Grotzinger; D. T. Vaniman; S. J. Chipera; C. N. Achilles; E. B. Rampe; D. Sumner; P-Y Meslin; S. Maurice; O. Forni; O. Gasnault; M. Fisk; M. Schmidt; P. Mahaffy; L. A. Leshin; D. Glavin; A. Steele; C. Freissinet; R. Navarro-Gonzalez; R. A. Yingst; L. C. Kah; N. Bridges; K. W. Lewis; T. F. Bristow; J. D. Farmer; J. A. Crisp; E. M. Stolper; D. J. Des Marais; P. Sarrazin; MSL Science Team

doi:10.1126/science.1239505

Curiosity at Gale Crater, Mars: Characterization and Analysis of the Rocknest Sand Shadow

D. F. Blake^*, R. V. Morris, G. Kocurek, S. M. Morrison, R. T. Downs, D. Bish, D. W. Ming, K. S. Edgett, D. Rubin, W. Goetz, M. B. Madsen, R. Sullivan, R. Gellert, I. Campbell, A. H. Treiman, S. M. McLennan, A. S. Yen, J. Grotzinger, D. T. Vaniman, S. J. ChiperaC. N. Achilles, E. B. Rampe, D. Sumner, P-Y Meslin, S. Maurice, O. Forni, O. Gasnault, M. Fisk, M. Schmidt, P. Mahaffy, L. A. Leshin, D. Glavin, A. Steele, C. Freissinet, R. Navarro-Gonzalez, R. A. Yingst, L. C. Kah, N. Bridges, K. W. Lewis, T. F. Bristow, J. D. Farmer, J. A. Crisp, E. M. Stolper, D. J. Des Marais, P. Sarrazin, MSL Science Team

^*Corresponding author for this work

Geology and Geophysics

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

283 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The Rocknest aeolian deposit is similar to aeolian features analyzed by the Mars Exploration Rovers (MERs) Spirit and Opportunity. The fraction of sand <150 micrometers in size contains ~55% crystalline material consistent with a basaltic heritage and ~45% x-ray amorphous material. The amorphous component of Rocknest is iron-rich and silicon-poor and is the host of the volatiles (water, oxygen, sulfur dioxide, carbon dioxide, and chlorine) detected by the Sample Analysis at Mars instrument and of the fine-grained nanophase oxide component first described from basaltic soils analyzed by MERs. The similarity between soils and aeolian materials analyzed at Gusev Crater, Meridiani Planum, and Gale Crater implies locally sourced, globally similar basaltic materials or globally and regionally sourced basaltic components deposited locally at all three locations.

Original language	English
Article number	1239505
Number of pages	8
Journal	Science
Volume	341
Issue number	6153
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1239505
Publication status	Published - 27 Sept 2013

Bibliographical note

Acknowledgments: Support from the NASA Mars Science Laboratory Mission is gratefully acknowledged. The chemical and mineralogical data presented here are derived from the archived data sets in the NASA Planetary Data System (PDS) http://pds-geosciences.wustl.edu/missions/msl, specifically MSL-M-CHEMIN-2-EDR-V1.0 and MSL-M-APXS-2-EDR-V1.0. M.B.M. was funded by the Danish Council for Independent Research/Natural Sciences (Det Frie Forskningsråd Natur og
Univers FNU grants 12-127126 and 11-107019). W.G. acknowledges partial funding by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG grant GO 2288/1-1).
Some of this research was carried out at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under a contract with NASA.

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Blake, D. F., Morris, R. V., Kocurek, G., Morrison, S. M., Downs, R. T., Bish, D., Ming, D. W., Edgett, K. S., Rubin, D., Goetz, W., Madsen, M. B., Sullivan, R., Gellert, R., Campbell, I., Treiman, A. H., McLennan, S. M., Yen, A. S., Grotzinger, J., Vaniman, D. T., ... MSL Science Team (2013). Curiosity at Gale Crater, Mars: Characterization and Analysis of the Rocknest Sand Shadow. Science, 341(6153), Article 1239505. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1239505

Blake, DF, Morris, RV, Kocurek, G, Morrison, SM, Downs, RT, Bish, D, Ming, DW, Edgett, KS, Rubin, D, Goetz, W, Madsen, MB, Sullivan, R, Gellert, R, Campbell, I, Treiman, AH, McLennan, SM, Yen, AS, Grotzinger, J, Vaniman, DT, Chipera, SJ, Achilles, CN, Rampe, EB, Sumner, D, Meslin, P-Y, Maurice, S, Forni, O, Gasnault, O, Fisk, M, Schmidt, M, Mahaffy, P, Leshin, LA, Glavin, D, Steele, A, Freissinet, C, Navarro-Gonzalez, R, Yingst, RA, Kah, LC, Bridges, N, Lewis, KW, Bristow, TF, Farmer, JD, Crisp, JA, Stolper, EM, Marais, DJD, Sarrazin, P & MSL Science Team 2013, 'Curiosity at Gale Crater, Mars: Characterization and Analysis of the Rocknest Sand Shadow', Science, vol. 341, no. 6153, 1239505. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1239505

@article{2eb3f2a0cc1f4162883bc9a6b415d7ea,

title = "Curiosity at Gale Crater, Mars: Characterization and Analysis of the Rocknest Sand Shadow",

abstract = "The Rocknest aeolian deposit is similar to aeolian features analyzed by the Mars Exploration Rovers (MERs) Spirit and Opportunity. The fraction of sand <150 micrometers in size contains ~55% crystalline material consistent with a basaltic heritage and ~45% x-ray amorphous material. The amorphous component of Rocknest is iron-rich and silicon-poor and is the host of the volatiles (water, oxygen, sulfur dioxide, carbon dioxide, and chlorine) detected by the Sample Analysis at Mars instrument and of the fine-grained nanophase oxide component first described from basaltic soils analyzed by MERs. The similarity between soils and aeolian materials analyzed at Gusev Crater, Meridiani Planum, and Gale Crater implies locally sourced, globally similar basaltic materials or globally and regionally sourced basaltic components deposited locally at all three locations.",

author = "Blake, {D. F.} and Morris, {R. V.} and G. Kocurek and Morrison, {S. M.} and Downs, {R. T.} and D. Bish and Ming, {D. W.} and Edgett, {K. S.} and D. Rubin and W. Goetz and Madsen, {M. B.} and R. Sullivan and R. Gellert and I. Campbell and Treiman, {A. H.} and McLennan, {S. M.} and Yen, {A. S.} and J. Grotzinger and Vaniman, {D. T.} and Chipera, {S. J.} and Achilles, {C. N.} and Rampe, {E. B.} and D. Sumner and P-Y Meslin and S. Maurice and O. Forni and O. Gasnault and M. Fisk and M. Schmidt and P. Mahaffy and Leshin, {L. A.} and D. Glavin and A. Steele and C. Freissinet and R. Navarro-Gonzalez and Yingst, {R. A.} and Kah, {L. C.} and N. Bridges and Lewis, {K. W.} and Bristow, {T. F.} and Farmer, {J. D.} and Crisp, {J. A.} and Stolper, {E. M.} and Marais, {D. J. Des} and P. Sarrazin and {MSL Science Team} and Javier Martin-Torres",

note = "Acknowledgments: Support from the NASA Mars Science Laboratory Mission is gratefully acknowledged. The chemical and mineralogical data presented here are derived from the archived data sets in the NASA Planetary Data System (PDS) http://pds-geosciences.wustl.edu/missions/msl, specifically MSL-M-CHEMIN-2-EDR-V1.0 and MSL-M-APXS-2-EDR-V1.0. M.B.M. was funded by the Danish Council for Independent Research/Natural Sciences (Det Frie Forskningsr{\aa}d Natur og Univers FNU grants 12-127126 and 11-107019). W.G. acknowledges partial funding by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG grant GO 2288/1-1). Some of this research was carried out at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under a contract with NASA.",

year = "2013",

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T2 - Characterization and Analysis of the Rocknest Sand Shadow

AU - Blake, D. F.

AU - Morris, R. V.

AU - Kocurek, G.

AU - Morrison, S. M.

AU - Downs, R. T.

AU - Bish, D.

AU - Ming, D. W.

AU - Edgett, K. S.

AU - Rubin, D.

AU - Goetz, W.

AU - Madsen, M. B.

AU - Sullivan, R.

AU - Gellert, R.

AU - Campbell, I.

AU - Treiman, A. H.

AU - McLennan, S. M.

AU - Yen, A. S.

AU - Grotzinger, J.

AU - Vaniman, D. T.

AU - Chipera, S. J.

AU - Achilles, C. N.

AU - Rampe, E. B.

AU - Sumner, D.

AU - Meslin, P-Y

AU - Maurice, S.

AU - Forni, O.

AU - Gasnault, O.

AU - Fisk, M.

AU - Schmidt, M.

AU - Mahaffy, P.

AU - Leshin, L. A.

AU - Glavin, D.

AU - Steele, A.

AU - Freissinet, C.

AU - Navarro-Gonzalez, R.

AU - Yingst, R. A.

AU - Kah, L. C.

AU - Bridges, N.

AU - Lewis, K. W.

AU - Bristow, T. F.

AU - Farmer, J. D.

AU - Crisp, J. A.

AU - Stolper, E. M.

AU - Marais, D. J. Des

AU - Sarrazin, P.

AU - MSL Science Team

AU - Martin-Torres, Javier

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PY - 2013/9/27

Y1 - 2013/9/27

N2 - The Rocknest aeolian deposit is similar to aeolian features analyzed by the Mars Exploration Rovers (MERs) Spirit and Opportunity. The fraction of sand <150 micrometers in size contains ~55% crystalline material consistent with a basaltic heritage and ~45% x-ray amorphous material. The amorphous component of Rocknest is iron-rich and silicon-poor and is the host of the volatiles (water, oxygen, sulfur dioxide, carbon dioxide, and chlorine) detected by the Sample Analysis at Mars instrument and of the fine-grained nanophase oxide component first described from basaltic soils analyzed by MERs. The similarity between soils and aeolian materials analyzed at Gusev Crater, Meridiani Planum, and Gale Crater implies locally sourced, globally similar basaltic materials or globally and regionally sourced basaltic components deposited locally at all three locations.

AB - The Rocknest aeolian deposit is similar to aeolian features analyzed by the Mars Exploration Rovers (MERs) Spirit and Opportunity. The fraction of sand <150 micrometers in size contains ~55% crystalline material consistent with a basaltic heritage and ~45% x-ray amorphous material. The amorphous component of Rocknest is iron-rich and silicon-poor and is the host of the volatiles (water, oxygen, sulfur dioxide, carbon dioxide, and chlorine) detected by the Sample Analysis at Mars instrument and of the fine-grained nanophase oxide component first described from basaltic soils analyzed by MERs. The similarity between soils and aeolian materials analyzed at Gusev Crater, Meridiani Planum, and Gale Crater implies locally sourced, globally similar basaltic materials or globally and regionally sourced basaltic components deposited locally at all three locations.

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Curiosity at Gale Crater, Mars: Characterization and Analysis of the Rocknest Sand Shadow

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Bibliographical note

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