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At least 361 records · Page 20
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NASA NTRS1990

Imaging spectroscopy of Mars (0.4-1.1 micron) during the 1988 opposition

The paper presents imaging spectroscopic data and preliminary interpretations acquired during the 1988 perihelic opposition of Mars at the highest spatial resolution achieved from earth for spectrometric measurements (all contiguous spatial sampling for nearly 70 percent of the planet) and at a higher spectral resolution (R = 350) than most previous measurements in the (0.4-1.1)-micron wavelength range. Absorption features appearing near 0.6-0.7 and 0.80-0.95 micron are attributed to Fe(3+) crystal field transitions, confirming previously made measurements at lower spectral resolution. It is shown that attempts to reconcile the overall spectral shape with those of laboratory minerals or Mars analog soils spectra affirm the recent interpretations that hematite may account for nearly all of the 18 wt pct Fe2O3 measured by Viking Landers.

Bell, J. F., III↗
NASA NTRS1991

Mechanisms of ilmenite reduction and their impact on the design of effective reactor systems

One of the first activities at a lunar base could be oxygen recovery from ilmenite (FeTiO3). Oxygen produced from lunar soils could be used to fuel transportation vehicles operating in near-earth space. The first step in developing a suitable reactor system for lunar operation is to determine the mechanisms and rates of oxygen removal from ilmenite. In-situ gravimetric measurements and microscopic examinations were used to determine the hydrogen reduction mechanisms of synthetic ilmenite discs between 823 to 1353 K. A shrinking core reaction model, modified to account for the growth of an iron film on the surface of discs, was capable of predicting experimentally observed conversion-time relationships. The observed reduction mechanism, kinetic rates, and associated activation energy established a base line from which comparisons could be made to improve oxygen yield and removal rates. One proposed technique to improve the rate and extent of oxygen removal was to preoxidize ilmenite. Preoxidation is commonly used during the reduction of ilmenite ores in the iron industry and has been employed for many years to lower operating temperatures and increase reduction rates. This technology could prove beneficial for oxygen production facilities on the Moon as less massive reactor vessels and/or less energy could be associated with a process including preoxidation. X ray diffraction and energy dispersive spectroscopy were utilized to follow the progression of ilmenite oxidation at 1123 and 1140 K and the reduction of pseudobrookite (Fe2TiO5) at 873 and 973 K. Structures formed during the progress of oxidation were related to the system's phase diagrams. Results indicated that after initially producing ilmenite-hematite solutions and rutile (TiO2), pseudobrookite was the end product of oxidation at all temperatures examined (1049 to 1273 K). Initial results from the reduction of pseudobrookite indicate a series of phases are produced including ferropseudobrookite (FeTi2O5), ulvospinel (Fe2TiO4), and ilmenite. Rates of pseudobrookite reduction were typically 50 to 200 times that of ilmenite.

Briggs, R. A.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Reflectance spectroscopy of palagonite and iron-rich montmorillonite clay mixtures: Implications for the surface composition of Mars

Because of the power of remote sensing reflectance spectroscopy in determining mineralogy, it was used as the major method of identifying possible mineral analogs of the Martian surface. A summary of proposed Martian surface compositions from reflectance spectroscopy before 1979 was presented. Since that time, iron-rich montmorillonite clay, nanocrystalline or nanophase hematite, and palagonite were suggested as Mars soil analog materials.

Orenberg, J. B.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Comparison of Landsat Thematic Mapper and Geophysical and Environmental Research Imaging Spectrometer data for the Cuprite mining district, Esmeralda, and Nye counties, Nevada

Landsat TM images and Geophysical and Environmental Research Imaging Spectrometer (GERIS) data were analyzed for the Cuprite mining district and compared to available geologic and alteration maps of the area. The TM data, with 30 m resolution and 6 broadbands, allowed discrimination of general mineral groups. Clay minerals, playa deposits, and unaltered rocks were mapped as discrete spectral units using the TM data, but specific minerals were not determined, and definition of the individual alteration zones was not possible. The GERIS, with 15 m spatial resolution and 63 spectral bands, permitted construction of complete spectra and identification of specific minerals. Detailed spectra extracted from the images provided the ability to identify the minerals alunite, kaolinite, hematite, and buddingtonite by their spectral characteristics. The GERIS data show a roughly concentrically zoned hydrothermal system. The mineralogy mapped with the aircraft system conforms to previous field and multispectral image mapping. However, identification of individual minerals and spatial display of the dominant mineralogy add information that can be used to help determine the morphology and genetic origin of the hydrothermal system.

Kierein-Young, Kathryn S.↗
NASA NTRS1990

The origin of the White Beds below the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary in the Gubbio section, Italy

This paper examines the origin of the 20-50-cm-thick set of whitish limestone beds found immediately underlying the Cretaceous-Tertiary (K-T) boundary in Umbrian sections. On the basis of isothermal remanent magnetization (IRM) acquisitions and thermal demagnetization experiments, it is argued that the white beds were deposited under the same conditions as the underlying pink beds and that the anomalously low IRM intensities found in the white beds resulted from the reduction of hematite in the originally pink beds followed by the removal of the Fe(2+) ions. The whitening of the beds is ascribed to the consequence of downward infiltration of reducing waters resulting from the large quantity of organic matter produced by the extinctions at the K-T boundary. The white interval below the K-T boundary is thus compatible with the hypothesis of impact-triggered mass extinction.

Lowrie, W.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Integration of visible-through microwave-range multispectral image data sets for geologic mapping

Multispectral remote sensing data sets collected during the Geologic Remote Sensing Field Experiment (GRSFE) conducted during 1989 in the southwestern U.S. were used to produce thematic image maps showing details of the surface geology. LANDSAT TM (Thematic Mapper) images were used to map the distribution of clays, carbonates, and iron oxides. AVIRIS (Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer) data were used to identify and map calcite, dolomite, sericite, hematite, and geothite, including mixtures. TIMS (Thermal Infrared Multispectral Scanner) data were used to map the distribution of igneous rock phases and carbonates based on their silica contents. AIRSAR (Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar) data were used to map surface textures related to the scale of surface roughness. The AIRSAR also allowed identification of previously unmapped fault segments and structural control of lithology and minerology. Because all of the above data sets were geographically referenced, combination of different data types and direct comparison of the results with conventional field and laboratory data sets allowed improved geologic mapping of the test site.

Kruse, Fred A.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Oxygen in the Martian atmosphere: Regulation of PO2 by the deposition of iron formations on Mars

During Earth's early history, and prior to the evolution of its present day oxygenated atmosphere, extensive iron rich siliceous sedimentary rocks were deposited, consisting of alternating layers of silica (chert) and iron oxide minerals (hematite and magnetite). The banding in iron formations recorded changes of atmosphere-hydrosphere interactions near sea level in the ancient ocean, which induced the oxidation of dissolved ferrous iron, precipitation of insoluble ferric oxides and silica, and regulation of oxygen in Earth's early atmosphere. Similarities between the Archean Earth and the composition of the present day atmosphere on Mars, together with the pervasive presence of ferric oxides in the Martian regolith suggest that iron formation might also have been deposited on Mars and influenced the oxygen content of the Martian atmosphere. Such a possibility is discussed here with a view to assessing whether the oxygen content of the Martian atmosphere has been regulated by the chemical precipitation of iron formations on Mars.

Burns, Roger G.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Mars: Compositional variability of ferric/ferrous minerals and polar volatiles from groundbased imaging spectroscopy

In an attempt to further constrain the ferric and ferrous mineralogy of Mars, Bell et al. (1989; 1990) obtained high resolution imaging spectroscopic data of much of the Martian surface in the visible and near-infrared (0.4-1.1 micron) during the 1988 opposition. Preliminary analysis of these data showed further evidence of crystalline hematite absorption features at 0.8-0.9 microns and 0.6-0.7 microns. Additionally, the 0.6-0.7 micron Fe(III) band was shown to vary across the surface, with a substantial correlation with albedo in the region studied. Calibration of this 1988 data set (along with a similar data set obtained during the 1990 opposition) has been ongoing, and some of the most recent results of the analysis of these data using linear spectral mixture modeling are reported.

Bell, James F., III↗
NASA NTRS1992

Mars surface weathering products and spectral analogs: Palagonites and synthetic iron minerals

There are several hypotheses regarding the formation of Martian surface fines. These surface fines are thought to be products of weathering processes occurring on Mars. Four major weathering environments of igneous rocks on Mars have been proposed; (1) impact induced hydrothermal alterations; (2) subpermafrost igneous intrusion; (3) solid-gas surface reactions; and (4) subaerial igneous intrusion over permafrost. Although one or more of these processes may be important on the Martian surface, one factor in common for all these processes is the reaction of solid or molten basalt with water (solid, liquid, or gas). These proposed processes, with the exception of solid-gas surface reactions, are transient processes. The most likely product of transient hydrothermal processes are layer silicates, zeolites, hydrous iron oxides and palagonites. The long-term instability of hydrous clay minerals under present Martian conditions has been predicted; however, the persistence of such minerals due to slow kinetics of dehydration, or entrapment in permafrost, where the activity of water is high, can not be excluded. Anhydrous oxides of iron (e.g., hematite and maghemite) are thought to be stable under present Martian surface conditions. Oxidative weathering of sulfide minerals associated with Martian basalts has been proposed. Weathering of sulfide minerals leads to a potentially acidic permafrost and the formation of Fe(3) oxides and sulfates. Weathering of basalts under acidic conditions may lead to the formation of kaolinite through metastable halloysite and metahalloysite. Kaolinite, if present, is thought to be a thermodynamically stable phase at the Martian surface. Fine materials on Mars are important in that they influence the surface spectral properties; these fines are globally distributed on Mars by the dust storms and this fraction will have the highest surface area which should act as a sink for most of the absorbed volatiles near the surface of Mars. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to: (1) examine the fine fraction mineralogy of several palagonitic materials from Hawaii; and (2) compare spectral properties of palagonites and submicron sized synthetic iron oxides with the spectral properties of the Martian surface.

Golden, D. C.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Spectral signature of oxidized pyroxenes - Implications to remote sensing of terrestrial planets

The effect of the structural Fe(3+) or disseminated ferric oxides in oxidized ferromagnesian silicates on the reflectance spectral profiles of the remnant Fe(2+) ions in oxidized silicates was investigated. Results of spectral measurements in the visible NIR region, performed on several well-characterized pyroxenes representative of different structural types and compositions, were correlated with data obtained from the Mossbauer spectra of the oxidation products. The measurements made it possible to determine the relative proportions of Fe(2+) and Fe(3+) ions present in the oxidized pyroxenes and provided information on the amorphous ferric oxide phases present in the oxidation products. The results also suggest a mechanism for producing the nanophase hematite popularly considered to be responsible for the features observed around 0.62 and 0.87 micron in the remotely sensed spectra of Mars.

Straub, D'arcy W.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Partition coefficients for iron between plagioclase and basalt as a function of oxygen fugacity - Implications for Archean and lunar anorthosites

As a prelude to determinations of the content of total iron as FeO(T) in melts in equilibrium with calcic anorthosites, the partition coefficients (Ds) for FeO(T) between calcic plagioclase and basaltic melt were determined, as a function of oxygen fugacity (f(O2)), for a basaltic composition that occurs as matrices for plagioclase megacrysts. Results showed that, at the liquidus conditions, the value of D for FeO(T) between calcic plagioclase and tholeiitic basalt changed little (from 0.030 to 0.044) between the very low f(O2) of the iron-wustite buffer and that of the quartz-fayalite-magnetite (QFM) buffer. At fugacities above QFM, the value for D increased rapidly to 0.14 at the magnetite-hematite buffer and to 0.33 in air. The increase in D results from the fact that, at f(O2) below QFM, nearly all of the Fe is in the Fe(2+) state; above QFM, the Fe(3+)/Fe(2+) ratio in the melt increases rapidly, causing more Fe to enter the plagioclase which accepts Fe(3+) more readily than Fe(2+).

Phinney, W. C.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Aqueous geochemistry on Mars: Possible clues from salts and clays in SNC meteorites

All subgroups of the shergottite, nakhlite, and chassignite (SNC) meteorites contain traces of water precipitated minerals that include various combinations of carbonates, sulfates, halides, ferric oxides, and aluminosilicate clays of preterrestrial origin. Oxygen three-isotope analysis of thermally extracted bulk water has confirmed that at least some of the water in SNC's is, indeed, extraterrestrial. A mixture of aqueous precipitates found in the SNC's, comprising smectite, illite, and gypsum (with minor halite +/- calcite and hematite), provides a self-consistent, though not unique, model for the bulk elemental composition of surface sediments at the Viking Lander sites. Therefore, if the salts and clays in SNC's are truly linked to aqueous alteration and soil formation on Mars, then the suite of SNC secondary minerals might provide the best currently available insight into near-surface martian chemistry.

Gooding, James L.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Systematic variations in the spectral properties of bright regions on Mars

The color and albedo of the martian surface define two basic surface units, dark gray material interpreted as relatively unaltered 'rock' and bright reddish material interpreted as weathered 'soil'. Understanding the processes contributing to soil formation first requires assessment of the soil's composition and compositional diversity. We report first results of an investigation of the character and variability of Fe- and water-bearing phases in bright reddish materials using ISM data. We also explore implications of these results for chemical evolution of martian soil. Information on the composition and distribution of bright reddish material comes from three major sources: Viking images, measurements by the XRF and GCMS instruments on the Viking Landers, and spectroscopic data. The XRF experiment found nearly identical, Fe-rich major-element compositions comparable to weathered basalt. Soil water, amounting to approximately 1-3 wt. percent as measured by the GCMS, was liberated mostly by heating to greater than or equal to 350 C, suggesting that it is present in a chemically bound form. Spectroscopic studies have detected ferric oxide, probably hematite, as well as molecular water. However, the identities of major silicate phases have been controversial, with conflicting evidence regarding phyllosilicates. Two main interpretations of this evidence have been proposed: Weathering of basaltic glasses by H2O and CO2 formed a mixture of oxides, salts, and metastable phyllosilicates such as montmorillonite and 'palagonite' formed when basaltic melt contacted ground ice or water. Palagonite is a hydrated basaltic glass containing dispersed ferric oxide, recrystallized in varying degrees to phyllosilicates. Typically it is aphanitic, although some examples contain phenocrysts. In either case, eolian redistribution is thought to have resulted in the material's global homogenization. Imaging spectroscopic data returned by the ISM instrument on Phobos 2 provide a powerful new basis for evaluating the composition and origin of martian soil because they are indicative of the presence and distribution of water- and Fe-bearing phases whose mineralogy is sensitive to the history of chemical weathering.

Murchie, Scott↗
NASA NTRS1992

Reflectance spectroscopy and GEX simulation of palagonite and iron-rich montmorillonite clay mixtures: Implications for the surface composition of Mars

Because of the power of remote sensing reflectance spectroscopy in determining mineralogy, it has been used as the major method of identifying a possible mineral analogue of the martian surface. A summary of proposed martian surface compositions from reflectance spectroscopy before 1979 was presented by Singer et al. Since that time, iron-rich montmorillonite clay, nanocrystalline or nanophase hematite, and palagonite have been suggested as Mars soil analogue materials. Palagonite in petrological terms is best described as an amorphous, hydrated, ferric iron, silica gel. Montmorillonite is a member of the smectite clay group, and its structure is characterized by an octahedral sheet in coordination with two tetrahedral sheets in which oxygen atoms are shared. The crystal unity of montmorillonite is well defined in contrast to palagonite where it is considered amorphous or poorly crystalline at best. Because of the absence of the diagnostic strong 2.2-micron reflectance band characteristic of clays in the near-infrared (NIR) spectrum of Mars and palagonite and based upon a consideration of wide wavelength coverage (0.3-50 microns), Roush et al. concluded that palagonite is a more likely Mars surface analogue. In spite of the spectral agreement of palagonite and the Mars reflectance spectrum in the 2.2-micron region, palagonite shows poor correspondence with the results of the Viking LR experiment. In contrast, iron-rich montmorillonite clays show relatively good agreement with the results of the Viking LR experiment. This spectral study was undertaken to evaluate the spectral properties of mixtures of palagonite and Mars analogue iron-rich montmorillonite clay (16-18 wt. percent Fe as Fe2O3) as a Mars surface mineralogical model. Mixtures of minerals as Mars surface analogue materials have been studied before, but the mixtures were restricted to crystalline clays and iron oxides.

Orenberg, J. B.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Charge-coupled device imaging spectroscopy of Mars. II - Results and implications for Martian ferric mineralogy

Materials similar to nanophase ferric oxides are presently seen to dominate the spectral behavior of the Martian surface in the visible-to-near-IR, in view of imaging spectroscopic observations of Mars. Attention is accordingly given to models for the formation of hematite and other ferric minerals in both current terrestrial environments and in the current and past, possibly wetter Martian climate. It is noted that imaging spectroscopy is an ideal tool for high spatial resolution spacecraft and telescopic studies of the Martian surface.

Bell, James F., III↗
NASA NTRS1991

Remote sensing of ferric iron minerals as guides for gold exploration

The relationship between the surficial iron mineralogy and economic mineralization is investigated, using data from an airborne imaging spectrometer (the 63-channel Geophysical and Environmental Research Imaging Spectrometer) to map the distribution of iron minerals in the Cripple Creek mining district in Colorado. The airborne image data were coregistered with the field map data for the distribution of iron oxides in the district, in a geographic information computer system, in order to compare their information content. It is shown that the remote imagery was able to uniquely identify the mineral hematite, a mixture of goethite/jarosite, and a mixture of hematite/goethite.

Taranik, Dan L.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Thermally altered palagonitic tephra - A spectral and process analog to the soil and dust of Mars

Six palagonitic soil samples (PH-1 through PH-6) which were collected at 30-cm intervals from a lava slab on Mauna Kea, Hawaii, are studied. The samples present an alteration sequence caused by heating during emplacement of molten lava over a preexisting tephra cone. Techniques employed include visible and near-IUR spectroscopy, Moessbauer spectroscopy, and magnetic analysis. The four samples closest to the slab (PH-1 through PH-4) were strongly altered in response to heating during its emplacement; their iron oxide mineralogy is dominated by nanophase ferric oxide. The sample adjacent to the slab (PH-1) has a factor of 3 less H2O and contains crystalline hematite and magnetite in addition to nanophase ferric oxide. It is argued that localized thermal alteration events may provide a volumetrically important mechanism for the palagonitization of basaltic glass and the production of crystalline ferric oxides on Mars.

Bell, James F., III↗
NASA NTRS1993

Changes in Hawaiian palagonite FE mineralogy associated with thermal alteration: Implications for Mars

We have studied six Hawaiian palagonitic tephra samples (PH-1 through PH-6) from a site where a Mauna Loa lava flow has partially embayed a Mauna Kea cinder cone Tephra samples that were not affected by the lava flow (PH-5, PH-6) consist of partially palagonitized coarse-grained glassy Hawaiitic particles whose iron mineralogy is dominated by nanophase ferric oxide (np-Ox) and olivine. Samples closest to the lava flow (PH-1 through PH-4) have been strongly altered and their iron mineralogy is dominated by np-Ox, magnetite, and hematite. This suite of samples has many spectral similarities to Martian bright regions; thus, this localized thermal alteration event may be an analog to similar processes on Mars that lead to the production of small amounts of crystalline ferric oxides within a poorly-crystalline or amorphous palagonitic matrix.

Bell, James F., III↗