School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology

SOEST Press Releases: Fall AGU 2005

Felsic rocks discovered in Valles Marineris on Mars

Spectral analysis of the Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) infrared images in the Valles Marineris region on Mars show areas of rocks containing a highly felsic (quartz-bearing) nature. Similar materials have been identified in limited distribution one other region on the planet, but those deposits were not bedrock materials. This occurrence on the floor of a canyon in the Valles Marineris is a new discovery and the materials are present in bedrock form.

The researchers are analyzing both THEMIS and the Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES) atmosphere-subtracted surface spectra to determine the phase(s) responsible for the observed signatures. The THEMIS instrument is aboard Mars Odyssey, and TES is aboard the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft.

The corresponding presentation listed below will describe the mineralogy, morphology and thermophysical properties of these materials as observed by THEMIS and TES, as well as related characteristics observed in the Mars Orbital Camera (MOC) and Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter ( MOLA) data.

Figure Caption: The image on the right shows colorized thermal infrared data of a portion of the Valles Marineris on Mars, as observed by THEMIS. The purple colors represent materials rich in the mineral olivine, which is common in basaltic (low silica) igneous rocks; basaltic rocks with varying amounts of olivine are widespread on Mars. The yellows represent rocks with high silica, primarily in the form of the minerals quartz and feldspar. Such rocks are common on Earth, but extremely rare on Mars. Only one other location on Mars has been identified as having materials with similarly high silica abundance, but those materials appear to be accumulations of sediment, whereas the high silica materials in this region appear to be in the form of bedrock. The image is approximately 30 km across."

High Resolution Image available by contacting Victoria Hamilton.

Corresponding Presentation

P24A-08, Tuesday, December 6, 2005, 17:45h, MCC 3010
Small, Spectrally Distinct Deposits in the Valles Marineris, Mars: A New Lithology?

Victoria Hamilton Contact Info:

Assistant Professor, Hawaii Institute of Geophysics and Planetology, SOEST, (808) 956-3152, hamilton@higp.hawaii.edu

Please contact Victoria Hamilton before using above image for permission.

(Image credit Victoria Hamilton / HIGP / SOEST)

 
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