X-ray Amorphous and Poorly Crystalline Fe-Containing Phases in Terrestrial Field Environments and Implications for Materials Detected on Mars

Feldman, A D ; Hausrath, E M ; Tschauner, O ; Burnley, P ; Lanzirotti, A ; Rampe, Elizabeth B ; Peretyazhko, Tanya ; Calvin, W ; Azua, B ; Adcock, C T

关键词: AMORPHOUS MATERIALS;    X RAYS;    SOILS;    OLIVINE;    IRON;    CRYSTALLINITY;    CRATERS;    CLIMATOLOGY;    X RAY DIFFRACTION;   

RP-ID  :  JSC-E-DAA-TN66033

学科分类：天文学(综合)

美国|英语

来源: NASA Technical Reports Server

【 摘 要 】

Recent analyses of X-ray diffraction (XRD) data from the CheMin instrument using the FULLPAT program have documented the presence of X-ray amorphous materials at multiple sites within Gale Crater, Mars. These materials are believed to be to be iron-rich based on chemical data, and at least some of them are believed to be weathering products based on volatile contents. However, the characteristics of these proposed Fe-rich weathering products remain poorly understood. To better understand these X-ray amorphous materials on Mars, we are 1) examining weathering products formed on Fe-rich parent material in terrestrial soils across a range of climatic conditions, and 2) performing burial experiments of Fe- and Mg- rich olivine in these soils. We describe each of these approaches below.