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NASA NTRS2004

The Mineralogy and Grain Properties of the Disk Surfaces in Three Herbig Ae/Be Stars

The ubiquity of accretion disks around pre-main sequence and young main sequence stars having the potential to form planetary systems is now well established. However, unknown is an accurate estimate of the fraction of single stars with disks that have produced planetary systems. Theoretical models of particle aggregation show that if particles can grow from submicron to mm to cm in size, then the formation of planetesimals is possible in the time before the disk dissipates. The problem remains to understand how grains condense from nebular gases, and how relic interstellar grains survive and are modified by their transport in the disk. If grains are lofted above the disk photosphere by processes such as winds, turbulent convection, or changes in vertical structure, the evolution of dust can be investigated by observing the properties of the small (less than or = 1 micron) grains in the optically thin disk surface layer or atmosphere.

Harker, D. E.↗
NASA NTRS2005

Mineralogy of Asteroids from Observations with the Spitzer Space Telescope

Visible and near-infrared (approx.0.3 to 4.0 microns) spectroscopy has been successfully employed since the early 1970 s to infer the surface compositions of asteroids. Spectroscopic observations in the thermal infrared (approx.5 to 40 microns) are similarly promising. Silicate spectra in this range are dominated by Si-O stretch and bend fundamentals, and other minerals have similarly diagnostic bands [e.g., 1,2]. Observations in this spectral range are difficult from the ground due to strong telluric absorptions and background emission. Nevertheless, spectral structure has been detected on a few asteroids in the 8 to 14-m range from the ground [3,4], as well as from orbit with the ISO satellite [e.g., 5]. The Spitzer Space Telescope can observe asteroids with much higher sensitivity over a broader wavelength range than is possible from the ground or was possible with ISO. We present results of measurements of asteroids with the Infrared Spectrograph (IRS) on the Spitzer Space Telescope.

Emery, J. P.↗
NASA NTRS2005

Comparative Planetary Mineralogy: Co, Ni Systematics in Chromite from Planetary Basalts

Spinel is a minor but important phase in planetary basalts because its variable composition often reflects basalt petrogenesis. For example, complicated zoning trends in spinel can give clues to melt evolution [1], and V concentrations in chromite lend insight into magma oxygen fugacity (fO2) conditions [2]. Nickel and Co are two elements that are commonly used as a measure of melt fractionation, and their partitioning between olivine and melt is fairly well understood. Less clear is their partitioning into spinel, although [3] has explored Ni and Co systematics in experimental charges. This study documents Ni and Co behavior in early crystallizing spinel (chromite) from several planetary basalts in an attempt to compare our results with [3], and also gain insight into basalt evolution on the three planets.

Karner, J. M.↗
NASA NTRS2005

Comparative Planetary Mineralogy: Valence State Partitioning of Cr, Fe, Ti, and V Among Crystallographic Sites in Olivine, Pyroxene, and Spinel from Planetary Basalts

We have considered the valence-state partitioning of Cr, Fe, Ti, and V over crystallographic sites in olivine, pyroxene, and spinel from planetary basalts. The sites that accommodate these cations are the M2 site (6-8 coordinated) and M1 site (6 coordinated) in pyroxene, the M2 site (6-8 coordinated) and M1 site (6 coordinated) in olivine, and the tetrahedral and octahedral sites in spinel. The samples we studied are basalts from Earth, Moon, and Mars, which have fO2 conditions that range from IW-2 (Moon) to IW+6 (Earth) with Mars somewhere between at IW to IW+2. In this range of fO2 the significant elemental valences are (from low to high fO2) Ti4+, V3+, Fe2+, Cr2+, Cr3+, V3+, V4+, and Fe3+. V2+ and Ti3+ play a minor role in the phases considered for the Moon, and are probably in very low concentrations. V5+ plays a minor role in these phases in terrestrial basalts because it is probably in lower abundance than V4+ and it has an ionic radii that is so small (0.054 nm, 6- coordinated,[1]) that it is almost at the lower limit for octahedral coordination. The role of Cr2+ in the Moon is significant, as Sutton et al. [2] found that lunar olivine contains mostly Cr2+ while coexisting pyroxene contains mostly Cr3+. Hanson one vacancy only accommodates one V4+. Thus more vacancies are required in V4+ substitutions into olivine. In the Moon V3+ is much more abundant than V4+ [7, 8]. Thus in lunar chromite V3+ follows Cr3+, whereas in Earth V4+ (which is much greater in abundance than V3+) follows Ti4+ (eg in ulv spinel). We could go on in this vein for some time but space limitations do not permit us to do so.

Papike, J. J.↗
NASA NTRS2005

Remote Sensing of Lunar Mineralogy: The Glass Conundrum

The term "lunar glasses" provokes different connotations depending on the context. Common usages include a) pyroclastic deposits consisting of "glass beads" derived from the deep interior, b) melt products created during impact events, and c) the ubiquitous and complex glass-welded weathering products, agglutinates. Each is distinct due to a specific geologic origin and composition, but all contain quench glass in some form. Spectral properties of a wide range of glass-bearing lunar materials is presented elsewhere [1], Discussed here are new spectra for a depth sequence of samples from Apollo 17 core 74002 collected at Shorty Crater. The data provide new insight into why Fe-Ti-rich quench glass is not directly observed remotely. Resolving this mystery allows the extensive glass-rich deposits at Aristarchus to be recognized as low-Ti pyroclastic glass.

Pieters, C. M.↗
NASA NTRS2005

Mineralogy and Temperature-induced Spectral Investigations of A-type Asteroids 246 Asporina and 446 Aeternitas

A-type asteroids are a relatively rare taxonomic class with no more than 17 known objects. They were first identified as a separate group of R-type asteroids based on broadband spectrophotometry by, and were later classified based on ECAS data by Tholen (1984). These asteroids have moderately high albedos (0.13-0.39), extremely reddish slopes shortward of 0.7 m and a strong absorption feature centered at approx. 1.05 m. More recent surveys like the Small Main-Belt Asteroid Spectroscopic Survey (SMASS) and SMASS II have expanded the taxonomic classes including the A-type, adding 12 new asteroids to the original five.

Reddy, V.↗
NASA NTRS2005

Mineralogy of Asteroids from Observations with the Spitzer Space Telescope

Visible and near-infrared (approximately 0.3 to 4.0 microns) spectroscopy has been successfully employed since the early 1970 s to infer the surface compositions of asteroids. Spectroscopic observations in the thermal infrared (approximately 5 to 40 microns) are similarly promising. Silicate spectra in this range are dominated by Si-O stretch and bend fundamentals, and other minerals have similarly diagnostic bands. Observations in this spectral range are difficult from the ground due to strong telluric absorptions and background emission. Nevertheless, spectral structure has been detected on a few asteroids in the 8 to 14-micron range from the ground, as well as from orbit with the ISO satellite. The Spitzer Space Telescope can observe asteroids with much higher sensitivity over a broader wavelength range than is possible from the ground or was possible with ISO. We present results of measurements of asteroids with the Infrared Spectrograph (IRS) on the Spitzer Space Telescope.

Emery, J. P.↗
NASA NTRS2004

The Use 0f AVIRIS Imagery To Assess Clay Mineralogy And Debris-Flow Potential In Cataract Canyon, Utah: A Preliminary Report

Worldwide debris flows destroy property and take human lives every year (Costa, 1984). As a result of extensive property damage and loss of life there is a pressing need to go beyond just describing the nature and extent of debris flows as they occur. Most of the research into debris-flow initiation has centered on rainfall, slope angle, and existing debris-flow deposits (Costa and Wieczorek, 1987). The factor of source lithology has been recently addressed by studies in the sedimentary terranes of Grand Canyon (Webb et al., 1996; Griffiths et al., 1996) and on the Colorado Plateau as a whole.3 On the Colorado Plateau shales dominated by kaolinite and illite clays are significantly more likely to be recent producers of debris-flows than are shales in which smectite clays dominate.3 Establishing the location of shales and colluvial deposits containing kaolinite and illite clays in sedimentary terranes on the Colorado Plateau is essential to predicting where debris flows are likely to occur. AVIRIS imagery can be used to distinguish between types of clay minerals (Chabrillat et al., 2001), providing the basis for surface-materials maps. The ultimate product of this study will be a model that can be used to estimate the debris-flow hazard in Cataract Canyon, Utah. This model will be based on GIS overlay analysis of debris-flow initiation factor maps, including surface-materials maps derived from AVIRIS data.

Rudd, Lawrence↗
NASA NTRS2004

Microbial Paleontology, Mineralogy and Geochemistry of Modern and Ancient Thermal Spring Deposits and Their Recognition on the Early Earth and Mars"

The vision of this project was to improve our understanding of the processes by which microbiological information is captured and preserved in rapidly mineralizing sedimentary environments. Specifically, the research focused on the ways in which microbial mats and biofilms influence the sedimentology, geochemistry and paleontology of modem hydrothermal spring deposits in Yellowstone national Park and their ancient analogs. Toward that goal, we sought to understand how the preservation of fossil biosignatures is affected by 1) taphonomy- the natural degradation processes that affect an organism from the time of its death, until its discovery as a fossil and 2) diagenesis- longer-term, post-depositional processes, including cementation and matrix recrystallization, which collectively affect the mineral matrix that contains fossil biosignature information. Early objectives of this project included the development of observational frameworks (facies models) and methods (highly-integrated, interdisciplinary approaches) that could be used to explore for hydrothermal deposits in ancient terranes on Earth, and eventually on Mars.

Farmer, Jack D.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Primary Mineralogical and Chemical Characteristics of the Major K/T and Late Eocene Impact Deposits

Three well-characterized, distal impact deposits at the WT boundary and in upper Eocene sediments serve as a baseline for understanding other proposed impact deposits. All contain abundant spherules, evidence of shock metamorphism, and the largest have significant extraterrestrial components (ETCs). The K/T and the Eocene cpx-spherule (cpxS) deposits are global - likely from the events that produced the 180 km Chicxulub and 100 km Popigai craters. The Eocene North American microtektite (NAM) deposit is regional and likely from the event that produced the 45 km Chesapeake Bay crater. These deposits all contain abundant spherules formed from both shock-melted target and mixtures of target and projectile in the ejecta plume. Spherules constitute most of the mass of the distal ejecta. K/T spherules in regional deposits around the Gulf of Mexico are from low-velocity, target-rich ejecta. These can be a few mm in size and form deposits 10s of cm thick. Globally deposited KIT spherules from the plume (typically a few hundred micron size) are both target- and projectile-rich. When well preserved, the global deposits are 3 mm thick. Eocene cpxS deposits are similar to distal K/T with both target- and projectile-rich varieties (Le., glassy microtektite, and cpx spherules). They are smaller on average than WT spherules, concentrated in the 125-250 micron and smaller fractions. They are invariably bioturbated, but the initial deposit was probably less than 1 mm thick. The NAM are composed entirely of target-rich glass. They are similar in size to the cpxS. Size is an important criterion for distal ejecta because droplet size in the impact plume is proportional to the energy of the impact. Both the JUT and cpxS deposits are characterized by well-defined ETCs, commonly measured by Ir. The total Ir deposited is about 55 ng per square cm in WT sediments, and about 11 ng for the cpxS layer. This 5/1 proportion in Ir is generally consistent with the approx.1.8/1 ratio in crater diameters. The NAM have no significant ETC. This may be a function of the smaller impact. It indicates there was no significant projectile-rich plume deposit.

Kyte, Frank T.↗
NASA NTRS2008

An East to West Mineralogical Trend in Mars Exploration Rover Spirit Moessbauer Spectra of Home Plate

Home Plate is a light-toned plateau approx.90 m in diameter within the Inner Basin of the Columbia Hills in Gusev crater on Mars. It is the most extensive exposure of layered bedrock encountered by Spirit to date, and it is composed of clastic rocks of moderately altered alkali basalt composition, enriched in some highly volatile elements. Textural observations suggest an explosive origin and geochemical observations favor volcanism, probably a hydrovolcanic explosion [1]. Since it first arrived at Home Plate on sol 744, Spirit has circumnavigated the plateau (Fig. 1) and is now, since sol 1410, resting at its Winter Haven 3 location at the north end of Home Plate. Results: The MER Moessbauer spectrometers determine Fe oxidation states, identify Fe-bearing mineral phases and quantify the distribution of Fe among oxidation states and mineral phases [2]. Moessbauer spectra of Home Plate bedrock were obtained in five different locations from nine different targets (Fig. 1): Barnhill Ace, Posey Manager, and James Cool Papa Bell Stars at the northwest side of Home Plate; Pesapallo, June Emerson, and Elizabeth Emery on the east side; Texas Chili on the south side; Pecan Pie on the west side; and Chanute on the north side.

Schroder, C.↗
NASA NTRS2008

Chemostratigraphy and Fe Mineralogy of the Victoria Crater Duck Bay Section: Opportunity APXS and Moessbauer Results

Meridiani Planum is a vast plain of approximately horizontally bedded sedimentary rocks composed of mixed and reworked basaltic and evaporitic sands containing secondary, diagenetic minerals [e.g., 1-5]. Because bedding planes are subparallel to topography, investigation of contiguous stratigraphy requires examining exposures in impact craters. Early in the mission (sols 130-317), Opportunity was commanded to do detailed study of exposed outcrops in Endurance crater, including the contiguous Karatepe section at the point of ingress. Just over 1000 sols later and roughly 7 km to the south, the rover is being commanded to do a similar study of the Duck Bay section of Victoria crater. Here we report on the preliminary results from the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) and Moessbauer instruments.

Mittlefehldt, D. W.↗
NASA NTRS2005

The Rio Tinto Basin, Spain: Mineralogy, Sedimentary Geobiology, and Implications for Interpretation of Outcrop Rocks at Meridiani Planum, Mars

Exploration by the NASA rover Opportunity has revealed sulfate- and hematite-rich sedimentary rocks exposed in craters and other surface features of Meridiani Planum, Mars. Modern, Holocene, and Plio-Pleistocene deposits of the Rio Tinto, southwestern Spain, provide at least a partial environmental analog to Meridiani Planum rocks, facilitating our understanding of Meridiani mineral precipitation and diagenesis, while informing considerations of martian astrobiology. Oxidation, thought to be biologically mediated, of pyritic ore bodies by groundwaters in the source area of the Rio Tinto generates headwaters enriched in sulfuric acid and ferric iron. Seasonal evaporation of river water drives precipitation of hydronium jarosite and schwertmannite, while (Mg,Al,Fe(sup 3+))-copiapite, coquimbite, gypsum, and other sulfate minerals precipitate nearby as efflorescences where locally variable source waters are brought to the surface by capillary action. During the wet season, hydrolysis of sulfate salts results in the precipitation of nanophase goethite. Holocene and Plio-Pleistocene terraces show increasing goethite crystallinity and then replacement of goethite with hematite through time. Hematite in Meridiani spherules also formed during diagenesis, although whether these replaced precursor goethite or precipitated directly from groundwaters is not known. The retention of jarosite and other soluble sulfate salts suggests that water limited the diagenesis of Meridiani rocks. Diverse prokaryotic and eukaryotic microorganisms inhabit acidic and seasonally dry Rio Tinto environments. Organic matter does not persist in Rio Tinto sediments, but biosignatures imparted to sedimentary rocks as macroscopic textures of coated microbial streamers, surface blisters formed by biogenic gas, and microfossils preserved as casts and molds in iron oxides help to shape strategies for astrobiological investigation of Meridiani outcrops.

Fernandez-Remolar, David C.↗
NASA NTRS2007

Optical Design of a Compact Imaging Spectrometer for Planetary Mineralogy

We present the design of a compact, wide-angle pushbroom imaging spectrometer suitable for exploration of solar system bodies from low orbit. The spectrometer is based on a single detector array with a broadband response that covers the range 400 to 3000 nm and provides a spectral sampling of 10 nm. The telescope has a 24-deg field of view with 600 spatially resolved elements (detector pixels). A specially designed convex diffraction grating permits optimization of the signal-to-noise ratio through the entire spectral band. Tolerances and design parameters permit the achievement of high uniformity of response through field and wavelength. The spectrometer performance is evaluated in terms of predicted spectral and spatial response functions and from the point of view of minimizing their variation through field and wavelength. The design serves as an example for illustrating the design principles specific to this type of system.

space optics↗