Marchand, G. J. | Search NASA

NASA NTRS2005

Integrated Spectroscopic Studies of MIL03346

Spectroscopic studies of the SNC meteorites continue to be of great interest because they provide the only "ground truth" available for ongoing Mossbauer, thermal emittance, MidIR, nearIR, and visible spectral analysis of the martian surface. We present here results of an integrated series of measurements made on the same split of MIL03346, in order to expand our understanding of the properties of these materials and to relate them to other SNCs.

Dyar, M. D.↗

NASA NTRS2004

Evidence for a Wet, Reduced Martian Interior

Knowledge of the oxygen fugacity and hydrogen content of the source regions of martian meteorites is of paramount importance in constraining phase equilibria, crystallization sequences, and geodynamic processes of the martian interior, as well as models of the planet's evolution. To date, these interpretations have been hindered by the paucity in SNC meteorites of Fe-Ti oxides used in conventional oxybarometry, and by the presence of secondary alteration products that make it impossible to quantify primary hydrogen abundances in SNC minerals and melts based on whole rock samples. We present here the first transmission FTIR spectra of individual mineral grains from SNC meteorites, and interpret those results along with Mossbauer data on mineral separates from the same meteorites. Our goal is to quantify the amount of water and the oxygen fugacity present in the source regions for the rocks comprising the meteorites.

Dyar, M. D.↗