Raman spectroscopy investigations of the Martian regolith breccia Northwest Africa 7533: A support to <i>in situ</i> Raman spectroscopy on Mars

Malarewicz, V.; Beyssac, Olivier; Zanda, B.; Hewins, R. H.; Pont, Sylvain; Bouley, Sylvain; Bernard, Sylvain; Gauthier, Michel; Morand, Marc; Garino, Y.; Rosier, P.

doi:10.1002/jrs.6556

Cited by 2 publications

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“…Apatite is a calcium phosphate with the theoretical formula (OH, Cl, F)Ca 5 (PO 4 ) 3 (hydroxyl, chloro-and fluoroapatites, respectively). It is a common mineral in terrestrial rocks and meteorites and was previously identified on Mars 67,68 and is ubiquitous in Martian meteorites 69,70 . Apatites can be magmatic, sedimentary or biological and can trace fluid-rock interactions, giving them particular interest in the context of planetary exploration 37 .…”

Section: The Targetmentioning

confidence: 99%

Radiation-induced alteration of apatite on the surface of Mars: first in situ observations with SuperCam Raman onboard Perseverance

Clavé,

Beyssac,

Bernard

et al. 2024

Sci Rep

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Planetary exploration relies considerably on mineral characterization to advance our understanding of the solar system, the planets and their evolution. Thus, we must understand past and present processes that can alter materials exposed on the surface, affecting space mission data. Here, we analyze the first dataset monitoring the evolution of a known mineral target in situ on the Martian surface, brought there as a SuperCam calibration target onboard the Perseverance rover. We used Raman spectroscopy to monitor the crystalline state of a synthetic apatite sample over the first 950 Martian days (sols) of the Mars2020 mission. We note significant variations in the Raman spectra acquired on this target, specifically a decrease in the relative contribution of the Raman signal to the total signal. These observations are consistent with the results of a UV-irradiation test performed in the laboratory under conditions mimicking ambient Martian conditions. We conclude that the observed evolution reflects an alteration of the material, specifically the creation of electronic defects, due to its exposure to the Martian environment and, in particular, UV irradiation. This ongoing process of alteration of the Martian surface needs to be taken into account for mineralogical space mission data analysis.

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