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At least 217 records · Page 12
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1997

Studies of Magmatic Inclusions in the Basaltic Martian Meteorites Shergotty, Zagami, EETA 79001 and QUE 94201

Currently there are 12 meteorites thought by planetary scientists to be martian samples, delivered to the Earth after violent impacts on that planet's surface. Of these 12 specimens, 4 are basaltic: Shergotty, Zagami, EETA 79001 and QUE 94201. Basalts are particularly important rocks to planetary geologists- they are the most common rocks found on the surfaces of the terrestrial planets, representing volcanic activity of their parent worlds. In addition, because they are generated by partial melting of the mantle and/or lower crust, they can serve as guide posts to the composition and internal processes of a planet. Consequently these four meteorites can serve as 'ground-truth' representatives of the predominant volcanic surface rocks of Mars, and offer researchers a glimpse of the magmatic history of that planet. Unfortunately, unraveling the parentage of a basaltic rock is not always straightforward. While many basalts are simple, unaltered partial melts of the mantle, others have undergone secondary processes which change the original parental chemistry, such as assimilation of other crustal rocks, mixing with other magmas, accumulation, re-equilibration between mineral species after crystallization, loss of late-stage magmatic fluids and alteration by metamorphic or metasomatic processes. Fortunately, magmatic inclusions can trap the evolving magmatic liquid, isolating it from many of these secondary processes and offering a direct look at the magma during different stages of development. These inclusions form when major or minor phases grow skeletally, surrounding small amounts of the parental magma within pockets in the growing crystal. The inclusion as a whole (usually consisting of glass with enclosed crystals) continues to represent the composition of the parental magma at the time the melt pocket closed, even when the rock as a whole evolves under changing conditions. The four basaltic martian meteorites contain several distinct generations of melt inclusions; those found within early-forming pigeonite, intermediate and late-forming Ti, Fe-oxides and sulfides, and intermediate to late-forming phosphates. In this summer' s study we have made a detailed study of all of the various forms of inclusions found within the 4 basaltic martian meteorites listed above. Glasses and minerals within the inclusions were analyzed using the Camera SX-100 Electron Microprobe in Building 31. The mineralogy and textural context of the inclusions will then be used to explore the crystallization history of these specimens, and to investigate any differences in crystallization history or parental magma compositions between these rocks. In this manner, the magmatic inclusions provide a road map backwards toward the 'parental' compositions for the basaltic martian meteorites and provide significant insight into the igneous processes found within the crust of Mars.

Harvey, Ralph P.↗
DOE OSTI2020

Pahute Mesa-Oasis Valley Hydrostratigraphic Framework Model for Corrective Action Units 101 and 102: Central and Western Pahute Mesa, Nye County, Nevada (Rev. 0)

A new, revised three-dimensional (3-D) hydrostratigraphic framework model (HFM) for the Central and Western Pahute Mesa Corrective Action Units 101 and 102 was completed in 2019. The initial (Phase I) model was completed in 2002 and was documented in A Hydrostratigraphic Model and Alternatives for the Groundwater Flow and Contaminant Transport Model of Corrective Action Units 101 and 102: Central and Western Pahute Mesa, Nye County, Nevada (BN, 2002). Subsequent flow and transport modeling revealed the need to collect additional data to reduce uncertainties. The Phase II data collection and characterization effort included extensive well drilling and testing activities, and rebuilding of the Phase I 3-D HFM, resulting in the Phase II HFM (NSTec, 2014). Further drilling (Well ER-20-12), data collection, and interpretive work (e.g., Thirsty Canyon Lineament [Wurtz and Day, 2018]) were incorporated into the Pahute Mesa-Oasis Valley (PM-OV) HFM. The PM-OV HFM incorporates the area of interest from the Phase II HFM and adds additional areas, primarily to the north and west with minor additions to the south and east. The new, expanded area matches the PM-OV groundwater basin as defined in Fenelon et al. (2016) and includes Pahute Mesa, a former nuclear testing area at the Nevada National Security Site; and Oasis Valley, a groundwater discharge area downgradient from contaminant source areas on Pahute Mesa. The data and information necessary to build the PM-OV HFM are provided in Navarro (2019). The PM-OV HFM will be used by hydrologic modelers who are tasked with developing a model to determine how contaminants are transported by groundwater flow in an area of complex geology. The model area is large (more than 6,250 square kilometers) and geologically complex, including Paleozoic- to Mesozoic-age structures (e.g., thrust faults, Thirsty Canyon Lineament), at least seven Tertiary-age calderas, several intrusive bodies, and many relatively recent basin-and-range normal faults. Investigators from the U.S. Geological Survey; National Security Technologies, LLC; National Laboratories; and U.S. Department of Energy contractors have organized the more than 300 volcanic units and other rocks in the model area into 77 hydrostratigraphic units (HSUs). The volcanic rocks are subdivided into 42 aquifers, 11 confining units, and 9 composite units (containing both aquifer and confining unit rocks). The underlying pre-Tertiary rocks were divided into 5 HSUs, comprising 2 aquifers and 3 confining units. The model also includes 1 alluvial aquifer unit, 8 intrusive confining units, and 1 granite confining unit. The model depicts the thickness, extent, and geometric relationships of these HSUs (“layers” in the model) along with all the major structural features that control them, including calderas and faults. The most substantive differences between the Phase II HFM and the PM-OVHFM include (1) addition of the new data and resulting revised interpretations from the additional area encompassed by the PM-OV groundwater basin; (2) incorporation of 16 new faults; (3) 12 boreholes from the northern extension; (4) 2 additional caldera-collapse collars; and (5) correlation of the simulated faulting and hydrostratigraphy in the eastern part of the model domain with the delineations represented in the neighboring Rainier Mesa-Shoshone Mountain HFM-Prime and Yucca Flat-Climax Mine HFM. All PM-OV HFM delineations were based on published and unpublished data from geophysical investigations, surface geologic maps, and drill-hole records. Phase II approached model uncertainty using the model-building software to test model configurations and hydrologic consequences using a range of values for parameters such as fault offset amounts and HSU elevations. The PM-OV HFM expands on this approach to encompass the entire PM-OV groundwater basin.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1973

Geologic setting of Apollo 16

Prior to the Apollo 16 mission, the materials of the Cayley Plains and the Descartes Mountains were thought to be mostly of volcanic origin. Rock and soil samples from these regions strongly suggest, however, that they may be products of multiring basin forming impacts, although minor local volcanism is not precluded. The smooth planar surfaces may have been formed initially by Imbrium ejecta which flowed into topographic lows at the distal margins of the lineated Fra Mauro ejecta. It is emphasized, however, that the rocks and soils returned from the Apollo 16 site cannot necessarily be considered representative of the lunar crust in the Descartes region from which they were collected.

Hodges, C. A.↗
DOE OSTI2023

Gas-mediated trace element incorporation into rhyolite-hosted topaz: A synchrotron microbeam XAS study

Magmatic gas exsolving during late-stage cooling of shallow magmas has been considered an important facilitator of low-pressure alteration and metal transport. However, the chemical properties of such gas, particularly its metal transport mechanisms and capacity, remain elusive. Trace elements in minerals produced by gas-mediated surface reaction or precipitation from gas capture details of gas composition and reaction pathways. However, interpretation of mineral trace element contents is dependent on understanding crystallographic controls on gas/mineral partitioning. Here, this work investigates the structural accommodation of As, Mn, Ga, Ge, Fe, and Ti in vapor-deposited topaz of vesicular topaz rhyolite from the Thomas Range, Utah, through single-crystal synchrotron microbeam X-ray techniques on picogram quantities of those trace elements. X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) data indicates that these elements are incorporated into topaz as As 5+ , Fe 3+ , Mn 3+ , Ti 4+ , Ga 3+ , and Ge 4+ . Extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) analysis for these trace elements, compared to EXAFS of structural Al and Si, reveals that As 5+ and Ge 4+ are incorporated directly into the tetrahedral site of the topaz structure, with the octahedral site accommodating Mn 3+ , Fe 3+ , Ga 3+ , and Ti 4+ . For As 5+ and Fe 3+ , the structural impact of substitution extends to at least second neighbors (other elements were only resolvable to first neighbors). Further interpretation of the EXAFS results suggests that the substitution of Ti 4+ results in increased distortion of the octahedral site, while the other trace elements induce more uniform expansion correlating in magnitude to their ionic radius. Comparison of quantified X-ray fluorescence (XRF) data for two topaz crystals from this rhyolite reveals variable trace element concentrations for As 5+ , Fe 3+ , Ga 3+ , and Ti 4+ , reflective of a source gas undersaturated in these trace elements changing in concentration over the period of topaz deposition. The identical Ge 4+ content of the two topaz crystals suggests that Ge 4+ in the gas was buffered by the growth of another Ge 4+ -bearing phase, such as quartz. The very low Mn 3+ content in the topaz crystals does not reflect the abundance of Mn 3+ in the gas (saturation of Mn is evidenced by coexisting bixbyite). Instead, it suggests a strong Jahn-Teller inhibitory effect to the substitution of Mn 3+ for Al 3+ in the distorted octahedral site of topaz. It is proposed that exsolution of an HF-enriched gas from cooling rhyolitic magma led to local scouring of Al, Si, and trace metals from the magma. Once topaz crystals nucleated, self-catalyzed reactions that recycle HF led to continued growth of topaz.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Estimating Explosion Yields Using Moment Tensor Solutions and Seismic Moment

We report seismic moment, a measurable and well-understood quantity of seismic sources, is used to estimate the yield of explosions. Application of such a method in the past, as in the manner of m b -derived yields, has been complicated by the effect of variations in the explosion working point, depth, and secondary source effects (such as spalling and tectonic release) on the observed moment. We start using the full (six-element) moment tensor solution, which can capture the relevant source physics and, at least in theory, better isolate the primary explosion source. The moment-to-yield ratio is then estimated using an explosion source model which, provided with emplacement conditions, can relate the two parameters. We discuss the major sources of uncertainty associated with the method, and calibrate it with chemical and nuclear explosions at the Nevada National Security Site. We then apply the method to published moment tensor solutions for the six declared North Korean nuclear explosions that occurred between 2006 and 2017. The results are mostly consistent with other yield estimates made using a variety of high-frequency methods. This technique is a new approach to estimating explosive yield and simple to implement, as much of the complexity is captured by the source models.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS2010

Titanium Mass-balance Analysis of Paso Robles Soils: Elemental Gains and Losses as Affected by Acid Alteration Fluids

The Columbia Hills soils have been exposed to aqueous alteration in alkaline [1] as well as acid conditions [2,3]. The Paso Robles class soils are bright soils that possess the highest S concentration of any soil measured on Mars [2]. Ferric-sulfate detection by Moessbauer analysis indicated that acid solutions were involved in forming these soils [4]. These soils are proposed to have formed by alteration of nearby rock by volcanic hydrothermal or fumarolic activity. The Paso Robles soils consist of the original Paso Robles-disturbed-Pasadena (PR-dist), Paso Robles- PasoLight (PR-PL), Arad-Samra, Arad-Hula, Tyrone- Berker Island1 and Tyrone-MountDarwin [2 ,3. ]Chemical characteristics indicate that the PR-dist and PR-PL soils could be derived from acid weathering of local Wishstone rocks while the Samra and Hula soils are likely derived from local Algonquin-Iroquet rock [3]. The Paso Robles soils were exposed to acidic sulfur bearing fluids; however, little else is known about the chemistry of the alteration fluid and its effects on the alteration of the proposed parent materials. The objectives of this work are to conduct titanium normalized mass-balance analysis to1) assess elemental gains and losses from the parent materials in the formation of the Paso Robles soils and 2) utilize this information to indicate the chemical nature of the alteration fluids.

Sutter, Brad↗
NASA NTRS1975

Chemical, mineralogical and textural systematics of non-mare melt rocks: Implications for lunar impact and volcanic processes

Based on a synthesis of chemical data for over 200 samples, the nonmare rocks with fine grained melt textures can be classified into 7 major groups: anorthositic basalts, troctolitic basalts, VHA basalts, Apollo 14-type KREEP basalts, Apollo 15-type KREEP basalts, Apollo 17-type KREEP basalts, and aluminous mare basalts. Review of chemical, mineralogical, textural and experimental evidence leads to preferred hypotheses for the origins of these rocks; those hypotheses are discussed in detail.

Irving, A. J.↗
DOE OSTI2021

The Indian Ocean, its supra-subduction history, and implications for ophiolites

We report Ophiolite complexes represent fragments of ocean crust and mantle formed at spreading centers and emplaced on land. The setting of their origin, whether at mid-ocean ridges, back-arc basins, or forearc basins has been debated. Geochemical classification of many ophiolite extrusive rocks reflect an approach interpreting their tectonic environment as the same as rocks with similar compositions formed in various modern oceanic settings. This approach has pointed to the formation of many ophiolitic extrusive rocks in a supra-subduction zone (SSZ) environment. Paradoxically, structural and stratigraphic evidence suggests that many apparent SSZ-produced ophiolite complexes are more consistent with mid-ocean ridge settings. Compositions of lavas in the southeastern Indian Ocean resemble those of modern SSZ environments and SSZ ophiolites, although Indian Ocean lavas clearly formed in a mid-ocean ridge setting. These facts suggest that an interpretation of the tectonic environment of ophiolite formation based solely on their geochemistry may be unwarranted. New seismic images revealing extensive Mesozoic subduction zones beneath the southern Indian Ocean provide one mechanism to explain this apparent paradox. Cenozoic mid-ocean-ridge–derived ocean floor throughout the southern Indian Ocean apparently formed above former sites of subduction. Compositional remnants of previously subducted mantle in the upper mantle were involved in generation of mid-ocean ridge lavas. The concept of historical contingency may help resolve the ambiguity on understanding the environment of origin of ophiolites. Many ophiolites with “SSZ” compositions may have formed in a mid-ocean ridge setting such as the southeastern Indian Ocean.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2020

Identification and Description of a Silicic Volcaniclastic Layer in Gale Crater, Mars, Using Active Neutron Interrogation

The Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons instrument aboard the Mars Science Laboratory rover, Curiosity, has been used to map a stratigraphically-conformable layer of high-SiO 2 material in Gale crater. Previous work has shown this material contains tridymite, a high-temperature/low-pressure felsic mineral, interpreted to have a volcanic source rock. We describe several characteristics including orientation, extent, hydration, and geochemistry, consistent with a volcaniclastic material conformably deposited within a lacustrine mudstone succession. Relationships with widely dispersed alteration features and orbital detections of hydrated SiO 2 suggest that this high-SiO 2 layer extends at least 17 km laterally. Mineralogical abundances previously reported for this high-SiO 2 material indicated that hydrous species were restricted to the amorphous (non-crystalline) fraction, which is dominated by SiO2. The low mean bulk hydration of this high-SiO 2 layer (1.85 ± 0.13 wt.% water-equivalent hydrogen) is consistent with silicic glass in addition to opal-A and opal- CT. Persistent volcanic glass and tridymite in addition to opal in an ancient sedimentary unit indicates that the conversion to more ordered forms of crystalline SiO 2 has not proceeded to completion and that this material has had only limited exposure to water since it originally erupted, despite having been transported in a uviolacustrine system. Our results, including the conformable nature, large areal extent, and presence of vol- canic glass, indicate that this high-SiO 2 material is derived from the product of evolved magma on Mars. This is the rst identi cation of a silicic volcaniclastic layer on another planet, and has important implications for magma evolution mechanisms on single-plate planets.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS2018

Igneous Rocks Formed by Hypervelocity Impact

Igneous rocks are the primary building blocks of planetary crusts. Most igneous rocks originate via decompression melting and/or wet melting of protolith lithologies within planetary interiors and their classification and compositional, petrographic, and textural characteristics, arewell-studied. As our exploration of the Solar System continues, so too does the inventory of intrusive and extrusive igneous rocks, settings, and processes. The results of planetary exploration have also clearly demonstrated that impact cratering is a ubiquitous geological process that has affected, andwill continue to affect, all planetary objectswith a solid surface,whether that be rock or ice. It is nowrecognized that the production of igneous rocks is a fundamental outcome of hypervelocity impact. The goal of this review is to provide an up-to-date synthesis of our knowledge and understanding of igneous rocks formed by hypervelocity impact. Following a brief overview of the basics of the impact process, we describe howand whymelts are generated during impact events and howimpactmelting differs fromendogenic igneous processes.While the processmay differ,we showthat the products of hypervelocity impact can share close similarities with volcanic and shallow intrusive igneous rocks of endogenic origin. Such impact melt rocks, as they are termed, can display lobate margins and cooling cracks, columnar joints and at the hand specimen andmicroscopic scale, such rocks can displaymineral textures that are typical of volcanic rocks, such as quench crystallites, ophitic, porphyritic, aswell as features such as vesicles, flowtextures, and so on.Historically, these similarities led to themisidentification of some igneous rocks now known to be impact melt rocks as being of endogenic origin. This raises the question as to how to distinguish between an impact versus an endogenic origin for igneous-like rocks on other planetary bodies where fieldwork and sample analysis may not be possible and all that may be available is remote sensing data.While the interpretation of some impact melt rocks may be relatively straightforward (e.g., for clast-rich varieties and those with clear projectile contamination) we conclude that distinguishing between impact and endogenic igneous rocks is a non-trivial task that ultimately may require sample investigation and analysis to be conducted. Caution is, therefore, urged in the interpretation of igneous rocks on planetary surfaces.

Osinski, Gordon R.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Isolated vesicles in submarine pumice: insights from the 2019 Volcano F eruption, Kingdom of Tonga

No reliable method can distinguish between subaerial and submarine pumice, but recent work shows that highly vesicular (total porosity, φ > 65%) submarine pumice from the 2012 Havre and 2021 Fukutoku Oka-no-Ba eruptions contains abundant isolated porosity (connectivity, C < 0.6). This differs from textural measurements of subaerial pumice with similarly high vesicularities, where high connectivities (C > 0.8) are often measured. To investigate the implications of this under-studied texture for bubble nucleation, growth, and coalescence dynamics at submarine eruptions, we analyze the textural characteristics of rafted pumice clasts from the 2019 submarine eruption of Volcano F, located along the Tonga-Kermadec Arc. We examined clasts collected while floating near the vent (50–200 km) and distally on the shores of Fiji (900 km). Using helium pycnometry and X-ray tomography (XRT), we quantified porosity and connectivity in 45 pumice lapilli, classifying them by vesicle macrotexture and edge morphology. Microvesicular clasts, the majority of which have breadcrust and cauliflower textures, exhibit the lowest connectivities (C = 0.61 ± 0.2), while macrovesicular clasts have high connectivities with C ~ 1. We propose that isolated porosity abundance varies according to clast location in the eruption column post-fragmentation. Microvesicular clasts erupted on the edges of the column and experienced high levels of seawater ingestion and subsequent quenching of the entire clast. Macrovesicular clasts, in contrast, erupted in the center of the eruption column and were thus thermally insulated, allowing magmatic bubbles in the molten pumice to nucleate, grow, and coalesce for longer. Our results and interpretation imply that low connectivity, microvesicular clasts preserve pre and syn-eruptive bubble processes at the 2019 Volcano F eruption.

Permeability↗
NASA NTRS1991

New observations on the quartz monzodiorite-granite suite

Five new fragments of quartz monzodiorite (QMD) were identified in particles from soil 15403, which was collected from the boulder sampled as rock 15405, an impact-melt breccia containing clasts of KREEP basalt, QMD, granite, and a more primitive alkali norite. Petrographic and geochemical studies of the fragments show considerable variation in modal proportions and bulk composition. This heterogeneity is due to unrepresentative sampling in small fragments of coarse-grained rocks. Variations in the proportions of accessory minerals have marked effects on incompatible-trace-element concentrations and ratios. Semiquantitative calculations support the derivation of QMD from 60-percent fractional crystallization of a KREEP basalt magma as suggested by Hess (1989). Apollo 15 KREEP basalt cannot be the actual parent magma because the evolved rocks predate volcanic KREEP basalts. It is suggested that ancient KREEP basalt magmas have crystallized as plutons, with alkali norite clasts offering the only direct evidence of this precursor.

Marvin, U. B.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Mars: New evidence for origin of some Valles Marineris layered deposits

The discovery of layered deposits in the walls of a deep trough in Lunae Planum has implications for the origin of similar-appearing deposits in some canyons of Valles Marineris. Although layering is visible in the competent, cliff-forming upper walls of the canyons, the dissimilarity in appearance between canyon walls and soft rounded hills of layered deposits on canyon floors, as well as their contrasting patterns of erosion, has been considered strong evidence that their modes of origin were different. Most workers agree that the wall rocks are volcanic flows derived from fissure vents and other volcanic sources in the region. However, several hypotheses have been advanced to account for the softer-appearing stratified floor deposits. Chief among them is the proposal that the floor deposits are waterlaid sediments that accumulated in large lakes within the canyons and include materials eroded from canyon walls, eolian deposits, and subaqueous volcanic eruptives.

Scott, David H.↗
NASA NTRS2007

Desert Research and Technology Studies (RATS) Local and Remote Test Sites

Desert RATS (Research and Technology Studies) is a combined group of inter-NASA center scientists and engineers, collaborating with representatives of industry and academia, for the purpose of conducting remote field exercises. These exercises provide the capability to validate experimental hardware and software, to evaluate and develop mission operational techniques, and to identify and establish technical requirements applicable for future planetary exploration. D-RATS completed its ninth year of field testing in September 2006. Dry run test activities prior to testing at designated remote field site locations are initially conducted at the Johnson Space Center (JSC) Remote Field Demonstration Test Site. This is a multi-acre external test site located at JSC and has detailed representative terrain features simulating both Lunar and Mars surface characteristics. The majority of the remote field tests have been subsequently conducted in various high desert areas adjacent to Flagstaff, Arizona. Both the local JSC and remote field test sites have terrain conditions that are representative of both the Moon and Mars, such as strewn rock and volcanic ash fields, meteorite crater ejecta blankets, rolling plains, hills, gullies, slopes, and outcrops. Flagstaff is the preferred remote test site location for many reasons. First, there are nine potential test sites with representative terrain features within a 75-mile radius. Second, Flagstaff is the location of the United States Geologic Survey (USGS)/Astrogeology Branch, which historically supported Apollo astronaut geologic training and currently supports and provides host accommodations to the D-RATS team. Finally, in considering the importance of logistics in regard to providing the necessary level of support capabilities, the Flagstaff area provides substantial logistics support and lodging accommodations to take care of team members during long hours of field operations.

Janoiko, Barbara↗