Gypsum on Mars: A Detailed View at Gale Crater

Gypsum is a common mineral at Gale crater on Mars, currently being explored by the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) rover, Curiosity. In this paper, we summarize the associations of gypsum with other sulfate minerals (bassanite, anhydrite, jarosite, starkeyite, and kieserite) from the lowest levels of the crater’s northern moat zone (Aeolis Palus) up through ~0.8 km of the stratigraphic section in the lower slopes of the sedimentary mound developed around the central peak, Aeolis Mons (informally, Mount Sharp). The analysis is based on results from the CheMin X-ray diffraction instrument on Curiosity, supplemented with information from the rover’s versatile instrument suite. Gypsum does not occur with the same frequency as less hydrous Ca-sulfates, likely, in most cases, because of its dehydration to bassanite and possibly to anhydrite. All three of these Ca-sulfate phases often occur together and, along with other sulfates, in mixed assemblages that are evidence of limited equilibration on a cold, dry planet. In almost all samples, at least one of the Ca-sulfate minerals is present, except for a very limited interval where jarosite is the major sulfate mineral, with the implication of more acidic groundwater at a much later time in Gale crater’s history. Although observations from orbit reveal a sulfate-rich surface, currently active dark basaltic dunes at Gale crater have only small amounts of a single sulfate mineral, anhydrite. Gale crater has provided the most complete mineralogical analysis of a site on Mars so far, but the data in hand show that Gale crater mineralogy is not a blueprint with planet-wide application. The concurrent study of Jezero crater by the Mars 2020 mission and comparisons to what is believed to be the most extensive deposit of gypsum on Mars, in the dune fields at the north polar ice cap, show significant diversity. Unraveling the stories of gypsum and other sulfates on Mars is just beginning.

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Journal
Minerals
Published
2024-08-12
DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/min14080815
Citations
19
Primary Topic
Planetary Science and Exploration
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
6.30

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article

Gypsum on Mars: A Detailed View at Gale Crater

E. B. Rampe, David J. Des Marais, A. A. Fraeman, Valerie Tu et al.
19 citations
Minerals
Planetary Science and Exploration
6.30
article

Gypsum on Mars: A Detailed View at Gale Crater

E. B. Rampe, David J. Des Marais, A. A. Fraeman, Valerie Tu, T. Peretyazhko, J. P. Grotzinger, T. F. Bristow, J. A. Berger, A. H. Treiman, Sarah Simpson, D. F. Blake, M. T. Thorpe, Johannes M. Meusburger, Elisabeth M. Hausrath, Patricia Craig, Aditi Pandey, A. S. Yen, Benjamin M. Tutolo, C. N. Achilles, D. T. Vaniman, W. Rapin, Shaunna M. Morrison, R. V. Morris, Robert M. Hazen, Robert T. Downs, D. W. Ming, Steve Chipera, Nicholas Castle
article en
19 citations

Abstract

Gypsum is a common mineral at Gale crater on Mars, currently being explored by the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) rover, Curiosity. In this paper, we summarize the associations of gypsum with other sulfate minerals (bassanite, anhydrite, jarosite, starkeyite, and kieserite) from the lowest levels of the crater’s northern moat zone (Aeolis Palus) up through ~0.8 km of the stratigraphic section in the lower slopes of the sedimentary mound developed around the central peak, Aeolis Mons (informally, Mount Sharp). The analysis is based on results from the CheMin X-ray diffraction instrument on Curiosity, supplemented with information from the rover’s versatile instrument suite. Gypsum does not occur with the same frequency as less hydrous Ca-sulfates, likely, in most cases, because of its dehydration to bassanite and possibly to anhydrite. All three of these Ca-sulfate phases often occur together and, along with other sulfates, in mixed assemblages that are evidence of limited equilibration on a cold, dry planet. In almost all samples, at least one of the Ca-sulfate minerals is present, except for a very limited interval where jarosite is the major sulfate mineral, with the implication of more acidic groundwater at a much later time in Gale crater’s history. Although observations from orbit reveal a sulfate-rich surface, currently active dark basaltic dunes at Gale crater have only small amounts of a single sulfate mineral, anhydrite. Gale crater has provided the most complete mineralogical analysis of a site on Mars so far, but the data in hand show that Gale crater mineralogy is not a blueprint with planet-wide application. The concurrent study of Jezero crater by the Mars 2020 mission and comparisons to what is believed to be the most extensive deposit of gypsum on Mars, in the dune fields at the north polar ice cap, show significant diversity. Unraveling the stories of gypsum and other sulfates on Mars is just beginning.

MineralsVol. 14(8)
California Institute of Technology (US), Ames Research Center (US), Planetary Science Institute (US), Goddard Space Flight Center (US), Jet Propulsion Laboratory (US), University of Nevada, Las Vegas (US), University of Arizona (US), University of Calgary (CA), Carnegie Institution for Science (US), Johnson Space Center (US), Jacobs (United States) (US), Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planétologie (FR), Lunar and Planetary Institute (US)
National Aeronautics and Space Administration, California Institute of Technology, Louisiana State University, Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Life below water
Openalex Percentile: Top 3%
Planetary Science and Exploration
6.30
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