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The Opportunity Rover's Athena Science Investigation at Meridiani Planum, Mars.
- Source :
-
Science . 12/3/2004, Vol. 306 Issue 5702, p1698-1703. 6p. 2 Color Photographs, 3 Black and White Photographs. - Publication Year :
- 2004
-
Abstract
- The Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity has investigated the Landing site in Eagle crater and the nearby plains within Meridiani Planum. The soils consist of fine-grained basaltic sand and a surface lag of hematite-rich spherules, spherule fragments, and other granules. Wind ripples are common. Underlying the thin soil layer, and exposed within small impact craters and troughs, are flat-lying sedimentary rocks. These rocks are finely laminated, are rich in sulfur, and contain abundant sulfate salts. Small-scale cross-lamination in some locations provides evidence for deposition in flowing liquid water. We interpret the rocks to be a mixture of chemical and siliciclastic sediments formed by episodic inundation by shallow surface water, followed by evaporation, exposure, and desiccation. Hematite-rich spherules are embedded in the rock and eroding from them. We interpret these spherules to be concretions formed by postdepositional diagenesis, again involving liquid water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 00368075
- Volume :
- 306
- Issue :
- 5702
- Database :
- Academic Search Index
- Journal :
- Science
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 15331282
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1106171