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Sinus Meridiani (Hematite) Landing Site for 2003 MER

Sinus Meridiani (Hematite) Landing Site for 2003 MER. Phil Christensen & The TES Science Team Presentation to NAI MWG by Vicky Hamilton 8 January 2001. Overview. Key Questions Site Selection Considerations Engineering Constraints Instrumental Capabilities Sinus Meridiani Hematite

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Sinus Meridiani (Hematite) Landing Site for 2003 MER

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  1. Sinus Meridiani (Hematite) Landing Site for 2003 MER Phil Christensen & The TES Science Team Presentation to NAI MWG by Vicky Hamilton 8 January 2001

  2. Overview • Key Questions • Site Selection Considerations • Engineering Constraints • Instrumental Capabilities • Sinus Meridiani Hematite • Proposed Mechanisms of Formation • Conclusions

  3. Key Questions • Focus on water & sites of exobiological interest -- where, when, how long? • Existence of aqueous or hydrothermal deposits • Existence/location of carbonates • Composition and abundance of weathering products

  4. Site Selection Considerations • Engineering constraints • Instrumental capabilities • PanCam • Mini-TES spectrometer • Mossbauer spectrometer • Alpha Proton X-ray spectrometer • Microscopic Imager

  5. Engineering Constraints • Latitude • MER-A -15° to +5° • MER-B -10° to +10° (new) • MOLA elevation < -1.3 km • Slope < 15° • Rock abundance < 20% • FCI < 125-165 J m -2 s -1/2 k-1 • No high albedo sites

  6. Instrument Capabilities • Rock, coating, and soil analyses • Optimal conditions for all instruments favor low dust • Spectral discrimination • Surface texture discrimination Sinus Meridiani site has known surface materials useful for in situ “calibration” of both landed instrument packages (Christensen et al. [2000]) • Crystalline hematite • Basaltic material

  7. Sinus Meridiani Hematite • Unique deposit of crystalline hematite • Coarse-grained (10-100’s µm) • Not nanophase • Covers ~10-15% of surface • Excellent correlation of hematite with smooth, layered, friable unit • Probable sedimentary origin • MOC images confirm layering in smooth unit

  8. Hematite Formation Mechanisms I) Chemical precipitation - extensive near-surface water 1) Precipitation from ambient, Fe-rich water (oxide iron formations) 2) Precipitation from hydrothermal fluids 3) Low-temperature dissolution and precipitation through mobile groundwater leaching 4) Surface weathering and coatings II) Thermal oxidation of magnetite-rich lava

  9. Hematite Summary • Crystalline hematite in Sinus Meridiani occurs in situ in a sedimentary rock formation composed primarily of basaltic material with 10-15% hematite • Hematite formed by precipitation from aqueous fluids under either ambient or hydrothermal conditions • Evidence for aqueous mineralization indicates long-term stability of near-surface water on early Mars

  10. Conclusions • Sinus Meridiani sites meet engineering constraints • Unique mineralization in Sinus Meridiani presents intriguing, water-linked environment for further investigation • Current knowledge of Sinus Meridiani mineralogy presents a rare opportunity for MER instruments on both rovers

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