Mössbauer spectroscopy on Mars: goethite in the Columbia Hills at Gusev crater

Klingelhöfer, G.; DeGrave, E.; Morris, R. V.; Alboom, A. Van; Resende, Valdirene Gonzaga de; Souza, P. A. de; Rodionov, D.; Schröder, Christian; Ming, D. W.; Yen, A. S.

doi:10.1007/s10751-006-9329-y

Cited by 44 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…Various iron-bearing minerals, e.g., olivine, pyroxene, hematite and magnetite, were soon recognized during the early period of the missions (Morris et al, , 2006aKlingelhö fer et al, 2004). Goethite, a-FeOOH, could also be identified in some of the targets examined by MER-A (Klingelhö fer et al, 2005;Morris et al, 2006a). This finding supports that water has been present on the surface of Mars (Morris et al, 2006a), as goethite can be formed in an aqueous environment.…”

Section: Aboard the Mars Exploration Rovers (Mer) Spirit (Mer-a) Andmentioning

confidence: 60%

Characterisation of the magnetic iron phases in Clovis Class rocks in Gusev crater from the MER Spirit Mössbauer spectrometer

Cromphaut

Resende

Grave

et al. 2007

Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta

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Section: Aboard the Mars Exploration Rovers (Mer) Spirit (Mer-a) Andmentioning

confidence: 60%

Characterisation of the magnetic iron phases in Clovis Class rocks in Gusev crater from the MER Spirit Mössbauer spectrometer

Cromphaut

Resende

Grave

et al. 2007

Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta

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“…Instead of the relatively fresh, olivine-rich rocks on the plains, the rover encountered pervasively weathered rocks [6,7]. With MIMOS II, hematite (α-Fe 2 O 3 ) and goethite (α-FeOOH) were detected in outcrop rocks [8]. An example spectrum is shown in Fig.…”

Section: Results From Gusev Cratermentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Goethite also occurs in terrestrial settings, where it normally forms only under aqueous conditions. Its presence is thus evidence that the rocks of the Columbia Hills came into contact with water [7,8]. The combination of data from MIMOS II and other MER instruments revealed the presence of carbonate assemblages that probably precipitated from carbonate-rich solutions under hydrothermal conditions [9].…”

Section: Results From Gusev Cratermentioning

confidence: 99%

In-situ Mössbauer spectroscopy with MIMOS II

et al. 2011

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The miniaturized Mössbauer spectrometer MIMOS II was developed for the exploration of planetary surfaces. Two MIMOS II instruments were successfully deployed on the martian surface as payload elements of the NASA Mars Exploration Rover (MER) mission and have returned data since landing in January 2004. Mössbauer spectroscopy has made significant contributions to the success of the MER mission, in particular identification of iron-bearing minerals formed through aqueous weathering processes. As a field-portable instrument and with backscattering geometry, MIMOS II provides an opportunity for non-destructive insitu investigations for a range of applications. For example, the instrument has been used for analyses of archaeological artifacts, for air pollution studies and for in-field monitoring of green rust formation.AMER-type MIMOS II instrument is part of the payload of the Russian Phobos-Grunt mission, scheduled for launch in November 2011, with the aim of exploring the composition of the martian moon Phobos. An advanced version of the instrument, MIMOS IIA, that incorporates capability for elemental analyses, is currently under development

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“…4) found to date in the Columbia Hills. Detailed analyses of the data ( [9] and references therein) using superpositions of two model-independent hyperfine-field distributions (HFD) with two ditto quadrupole-splitting distributions (QSD), have indeed yielded hyperfine parameters that are in line with those of synthetic α-FeOOH having a particle size of ∼10 nm. Like jarosite found at Meridiani Planum [3], the mineral goethite is a marker for aqueous processes as goethite forms only in the presence of water, and it contains the hydroxide anion.…”

Section: Gusev Crater Landing Sitementioning

confidence: 89%

“…Like jarosite found at Meridiani Planum [3], the mineral goethite is a marker for aqueous processes as goethite forms only in the presence of water, and it contains the hydroxide anion. The rock Clovis also contains a significant amount of hematite [9].…”

Section: Gusev Crater Landing Sitementioning

confidence: 99%

Two earth years of Mössbauer studies of the surface of Mars with MIMOS II

Klingelhöfer

Morris

Souza³

et al. 2006

Hyperfine Interact

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The element iron plays a crucial role in the study of the evolution of matter from an interstellar cloud to the formation and evolution of the planets. In the Solar System iron is the most abundant metallic element. It occurs in at least three different oxidation states: Fe(0) (metallic iron), Fe(II) and Fe(III). Fe(IV) and Fe(VI) compounds are well known on Earth, and there is a possibility for their occurrence on Mars. In January 2004 the USA space agency NASA landed two rovers on the surface of Mars, both carrying the Mainz Mössbauer spectrometer MIMOS II. They performed for the first time in-situ measurements of the mineralogy of the Martian surface, at two different places on Mars, Meridiani Planum and Gusev crater, respectively, the landing sites of the Mars-Exploration-Rovers (MER) Opportunity and Spirit. After about two Earth years or one Martian year of operation the Mössbauer (MB) spectrometers on both rovers have acquired data from more than 150 targets (and more than thousand MB spectra) at each landing site. The scientific measurement objectives of the Mössbauer investigation are to obtain for rock, soil, and dust (1) the mineralogical identification of iron-bearing phases (e.g., oxides, silicates, sulfides, sulfates, and carbonates), (2) the quantitative measurement of the distribution of iron among these ironbearing phases (e.g., the relative proportions of iron in olivine, pyroxenes, ilmenite and magnetite in a basalt), (3) the quantitative measurement of the distribution of iron among its oxidation states (e.g., Fe 2+, Fe3+, and Fe6+), and (4) the characterization of the size distribution of magnetic particles. Special geologic targets of the Mössbauer investigation are dust collected by the Athena magnets and interior rock and soil surfaces exposed by the Athena Rock Abrasion Tool and by trenching with rover wheels. The Mössbauer spectrometer on Opportunity at Meridiani Planum, identified eight Fe-bearing phases: jarosite (K,Na,H3O)(Fe,Al)(OH)6(SO4)2, hematite, olivine, pyroxene, magnetite, nanophase ferric oxides (npOx), an unassigned ferric phase, and a metallic Fe–Ni alloy (kamacite) in a Fe–Ni-meteorite. Outcrop rocks consist of hematite-rich spherules dispersed throughout S-rich rock that has nearly constant proportions of Fe3+ from jarosite, hematite, and npOx (28%, 35%, and 19% of total Fe). Jarosite is mineralogical evidence for aqueous processes under acid– sulfate conditions because it has structural hydroxide and sulfate and it forms at low pH. Hematite-rich spherules, eroded from the outcrop, and their fragments are concentrated as hematite-rich soils (lag deposits) on ripple crests (up to 68% of total Fe from hematite). Olivine, pyroxene, and magnetite are primarily associated with basaltic soils and are present as thin and locally discontinuous cover over outcrop rocks, commonly forming aeolian bedforms. Basaltic soils are more reduced (Fe3+/Fetotal ∼0.2−0.4), with the fine-grained and bright aeolian deposits being the most oxidized. Basaltic soil at Meridiani Planum and Gusev crat...

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Mössbauer spectroscopy on Mars: goethite in the Columbia Hills at Gusev crater

Cited by 44 publications

References 5 publications

Characterisation of the magnetic iron phases in Clovis Class rocks in Gusev crater from the MER Spirit Mössbauer spectrometer

Characterisation of the magnetic iron phases in Clovis Class rocks in Gusev crater from the MER Spirit Mössbauer spectrometer

In-situ Mössbauer spectroscopy with MIMOS II

Two earth years of Mössbauer studies of the surface of Mars with MIMOS II

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