Tag Archives: phyllosilicates

Layered-sulfates’ history in NE Syrtis Major

[Editor’s note: From a paper by Daven Quinn and Bethany Ehlmann recently published in the Journal of Geophysical Research.] The Deposition and Alteration History of the Northeast Syrtis Major Layered Sulfates • The eroded stratigraphy at Northeast Syrtis Major includes … Continue reading

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HiRISE: In western Mawrth Vallis

In western Mawrth Vallis. The layered deposits here exhibit strong and diverse spectral signatures of clays. HiRISE Picture of the Day archive. [More at links]

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Detecting carbonates on the martian surface

Was Mars warm and wet enough to support life during the planet’s first few hundred million years? Scars of ancient lakes and rivers, as well as minerals that form only when water is present, have convinced many researchers that Mars … Continue reading

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HiRISE: Clay-rich terrain in the Eridania Basin

HiRISE reveals small-scale shapes that often correlate with mineral units and provides information about stratigraphy (i.e., what’s on top and relative ages). This image was acquired for co-analysis with a spectrometer instrument also on our spacecraft called CRISM (Compact Reconnaissance … Continue reading

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HiRISE: Uncommon clay

Uncommon clay. There are some uncommon clays in this sedimentary plain, as first detected in low resolution by the OMEGA instrument on the Mars Express Orbiter. Note the tight cluster of impacts. This image is in the Terra Cimmeria region … Continue reading

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HiRISE: Colorful Mawrth Vallis

Mawrth Vallis is a place on Mars that has fascinated scientists because of the clays and other hydrated minerals detected from orbit. In this image, the enhanced black colors are most likely basaltic sands and rocks, while the green, yellow, … Continue reading

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CRISM: Iron-magnesium phyllosilicates near rim of Gale Crater

CRISM scene FRT0000B5A3 covers the southern wall of Gale crater, 15 km downslope from the rim. This region is gently sloping, compared to the northern wall, potentially indicating that the Gale basement rocks in the crater rim are mantled by … Continue reading

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CRISM: Hydrated minerals of Cydonia Colles

In this scene we observe the knobs within the northern lowlands (Acidalia Planitia) that are Fe/Mg phyllosilicate-bearing (pink-blue) and small, patchy exposures of hydrated silica (green) surrounding the knobs. Previously, phyllosilicates have only been found within impact craters in the … Continue reading

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HiRISE: Looking at martian salts and clays

This 3D perspective view is a composite of both HiRISE and data from CRISM, another instrument onboard MRO. This view covers a small patch of ancient Martian real estate in Terra Sirenum. CRISM collects spectral data that can be used … Continue reading

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Phobos & Deimos likely formed from big impact on Mars

[Editor’s note: From a paper by Timothy Glotch and seven co-authors recently published in the Journal of Geophysical Research.] MGS‐TES Spectra Suggest a Basaltic Component in the Regolith of Phobos • Mars Global Surveyor Thermal Emission Spectrometer spectra of Phobos … Continue reading

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