Mineralogy and chemistry of altered Icelandic basalts: Application to clay mineral detection and understanding aqueous environments on Mars
We used a suite of techniques, including those emulating compositional data sets obtained from Mars orbit and obtainable at the Mars surface, to examine aqueous alteration of basaltic rocks from Iceland as a mineralogic and geochemical analog for Noachian environments on Mars. A sample suite was col...
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ftindianaunivir:oai:scholarworks.iu.edu:2022/18492 2023-05-15T16:52:01+02:00 Mineralogy and chemistry of altered Icelandic basalts: Application to clay mineral detection and understanding aqueous environments on Mars Ehlmann, B.L. Bish, D.L. Ruff, S.W. Mustard, J.F. 2012 http://hdl.handle.net/2022/18492 https://doi.org/10.1029/2012JE004156 en_US eng American Geophysical Union Ehlmann, B. L., Bish, D. L., Ruff, S. W., & Mustard, J. F. (2012). Mineralogy and chemistry of altered Icelandic basalts: Application to clay mineral detection and understanding aqueous environments on Mars. Journal of Geophysical Research E: Planets, 117(10), E00J16. http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2012JE004156 http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2012JE004156 http://hdl.handle.net/2022/18492 © 2012. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved. analog model basalt clay mineral geochemistry Mars mineral alteration mineralogy planetary surface Article 2012 ftindianaunivir https://doi.org/10.1029/2012JE004156 2022-02-06T21:49:00Z We used a suite of techniques, including those emulating compositional data sets obtained from Mars orbit and obtainable at the Mars surface, to examine aqueous alteration of basaltic rocks from Iceland as a mineralogic and geochemical analog for Noachian environments on Mars. A sample suite was collected for laboratory measurement of (1) whole-rock visible/near-infrared (VNIR) reflectance and thermal infrared (TIR) emission spectra; (2) VNIR and TIR reflectance spectra of particle-size separates derived from the bulk rock and from materials extracted from fractures/vesicles; (3) X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns for determination of quantitative modal mineralogy; (4) major element chemistry using flux fusion of whole-rock powders; and (5) electron microprobe analyses of minerals in thin sections. Conclusions about aqueous alteration can be influenced by technique. For these basalts, whole-rock chemical data showed scant evidence for chemical fractionation, but TIR, VNIR, and XRD measurements identified distinctive assemblages of hydrous silicate minerals, differing by sample. XRD provided the most complete and accurate quantitative determination of sample mineralogy. However, VNIR spectroscopy was the technique most useful for determining composition of low-abundance smectite clays, and TIR spectroscopy was the most useful for recognizing hydrated silicates in thin surface coatings. High spatial resolution mineralogical and chemical data sets were useful for understanding the texture and distribution of alteration products and variations in fluid chemistry. No single approach provides a complete assessment of the environment of alteration, demonstrating the importance of employing multiple, synergistic mineralogical and geochemical techniques and instruments in exploration of rock strata from aqueous paleoenvironments on Mars. Article in Journal/Newspaper Iceland IUScholarWorks Indiana University Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets 117 E11 n/a n/a |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
IUScholarWorks Indiana University |
op_collection_id |
ftindianaunivir |
language |
English |
topic |
analog model basalt clay mineral geochemistry Mars mineral alteration mineralogy planetary surface |
spellingShingle |
analog model basalt clay mineral geochemistry Mars mineral alteration mineralogy planetary surface Ehlmann, B.L. Bish, D.L. Ruff, S.W. Mustard, J.F. Mineralogy and chemistry of altered Icelandic basalts: Application to clay mineral detection and understanding aqueous environments on Mars |
topic_facet |
analog model basalt clay mineral geochemistry Mars mineral alteration mineralogy planetary surface |
description |
We used a suite of techniques, including those emulating compositional data sets obtained from Mars orbit and obtainable at the Mars surface, to examine aqueous alteration of basaltic rocks from Iceland as a mineralogic and geochemical analog for Noachian environments on Mars. A sample suite was collected for laboratory measurement of (1) whole-rock visible/near-infrared (VNIR) reflectance and thermal infrared (TIR) emission spectra; (2) VNIR and TIR reflectance spectra of particle-size separates derived from the bulk rock and from materials extracted from fractures/vesicles; (3) X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns for determination of quantitative modal mineralogy; (4) major element chemistry using flux fusion of whole-rock powders; and (5) electron microprobe analyses of minerals in thin sections. Conclusions about aqueous alteration can be influenced by technique. For these basalts, whole-rock chemical data showed scant evidence for chemical fractionation, but TIR, VNIR, and XRD measurements identified distinctive assemblages of hydrous silicate minerals, differing by sample. XRD provided the most complete and accurate quantitative determination of sample mineralogy. However, VNIR spectroscopy was the technique most useful for determining composition of low-abundance smectite clays, and TIR spectroscopy was the most useful for recognizing hydrated silicates in thin surface coatings. High spatial resolution mineralogical and chemical data sets were useful for understanding the texture and distribution of alteration products and variations in fluid chemistry. No single approach provides a complete assessment of the environment of alteration, demonstrating the importance of employing multiple, synergistic mineralogical and geochemical techniques and instruments in exploration of rock strata from aqueous paleoenvironments on Mars. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Ehlmann, B.L. Bish, D.L. Ruff, S.W. Mustard, J.F. |
author_facet |
Ehlmann, B.L. Bish, D.L. Ruff, S.W. Mustard, J.F. |
author_sort |
Ehlmann, B.L. |
title |
Mineralogy and chemistry of altered Icelandic basalts: Application to clay mineral detection and understanding aqueous environments on Mars |
title_short |
Mineralogy and chemistry of altered Icelandic basalts: Application to clay mineral detection and understanding aqueous environments on Mars |
title_full |
Mineralogy and chemistry of altered Icelandic basalts: Application to clay mineral detection and understanding aqueous environments on Mars |
title_fullStr |
Mineralogy and chemistry of altered Icelandic basalts: Application to clay mineral detection and understanding aqueous environments on Mars |
title_full_unstemmed |
Mineralogy and chemistry of altered Icelandic basalts: Application to clay mineral detection and understanding aqueous environments on Mars |
title_sort |
mineralogy and chemistry of altered icelandic basalts: application to clay mineral detection and understanding aqueous environments on mars |
publisher |
American Geophysical Union |
publishDate |
2012 |
url |
http://hdl.handle.net/2022/18492 https://doi.org/10.1029/2012JE004156 |
genre |
Iceland |
genre_facet |
Iceland |
op_relation |
Ehlmann, B. L., Bish, D. L., Ruff, S. W., & Mustard, J. F. (2012). Mineralogy and chemistry of altered Icelandic basalts: Application to clay mineral detection and understanding aqueous environments on Mars. Journal of Geophysical Research E: Planets, 117(10), E00J16. http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2012JE004156 http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2012JE004156 http://hdl.handle.net/2022/18492 |
op_rights |
© 2012. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved. |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1029/2012JE004156 |
container_title |
Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets |
container_volume |
117 |
container_issue |
E11 |
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n/a |
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1766042146849161216 |