Mineralogy of a mudstone at Yellowknife Bay, Gale crater, Mars

MSL Science Team

doi:10.1126/science.1243480

Mineralogy of a mudstone at Yellowknife Bay, Gale crater, Mars

MSL Science Team

Geosciences

Planetary Science Institute
Indiana University Bloomington
NASA Johnson Space Center
NASA Ames Research Center
Chesapeake Energy Corporation
University of Arizona
Universities Space Research Association
California Institute of Technology
United Technologies Corporation
Stony Brook University
University of New Mexico
Arizona State University
Institute de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planétologie
SETI Institute
Brown University
University of California at Davis
Malin Space Science Systems
Imperial College London

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

596 Scopus citations

Abstract

Sedimentary rocks at Yellowknife Bay (Gale crater) on Mars include mudstone sampled by the Curiosity rover. The samples, John Klein and Cumberland, contain detrital basaltic minerals, calcium sulfates, iron oxide or hydroxides, iron sulfides, amorphous material, and trioctahedral smectites. The John Klein smectite has basal spacing of ∼10 angstroms, indicating little interlayer hydration. The Cumberland smectite has basal spacing at both ∼13.2 and ∼10 angstroms. The larger spacing suggests a partially chloritized interlayer or interlayer magnesium or calcium facilitating H₂O retention. Basaltic minerals in the mudstone are similar to those in nearby eolian deposits. However, the mudstone has far less Fe-forsterite, possibly lost with formation of smectite plus magnetite. Late Noachian/Early Hesperian or younger age indicates that clay mineral formation on Mars extended beyond Noachian time.

Original language	English
Article number	1243480
Journal	Science
Volume	343
Issue number	6169
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1243480
State	Published - 2014

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10.1126/science.1243480

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@article{ef00bb97d74949c39da8724aa60e997d,

title = "Mineralogy of a mudstone at Yellowknife Bay, Gale crater, Mars",

abstract = "Sedimentary rocks at Yellowknife Bay (Gale crater) on Mars include mudstone sampled by the Curiosity rover. The samples, John Klein and Cumberland, contain detrital basaltic minerals, calcium sulfates, iron oxide or hydroxides, iron sulfides, amorphous material, and trioctahedral smectites. The John Klein smectite has basal spacing of ∼10 angstroms, indicating little interlayer hydration. The Cumberland smectite has basal spacing at both ∼13.2 and ∼10 angstroms. The larger spacing suggests a partially chloritized interlayer or interlayer magnesium or calcium facilitating H2O retention. Basaltic minerals in the mudstone are similar to those in nearby eolian deposits. However, the mudstone has far less Fe-forsterite, possibly lost with formation of smectite plus magnetite. Late Noachian/Early Hesperian or younger age indicates that clay mineral formation on Mars extended beyond Noachian time.",

author = "\{MSL Science Team\} and Vaniman, \{D. T.\} and Bish, \{D. L.\} and Ming, \{D. W.\} and Bristow, \{T. F.\} and Morris, \{R. V.\} and Blake, \{D. F.\} and Chipera, \{S. J.\} and Morrison, \{S. M.\} and Treiman, \{A. H.\} and Rampe, \{E. B.\} and M. Rice and Achilles, \{C. N.\} and Grotzinger, \{J. P.\} and McLennan, \{S. M.\} and J. Williams and Bell, \{J. F.\} and Newsom, \{H. E.\} and Downs, \{R. T.\} and S. Maurice and P. Sarrazin and Yen, \{A. S.\} and Morookian, \{J. M.\} and Farmer, \{J. D.\} and K. Stack and Milliken, \{R. E.\} and Ehlmann, \{B. L.\} and Sumner, \{D. Y.\} and G. Berger and Crisp, \{J. A.\} and Hurowitz, \{J. A.\} and R. Anderson and \{Des Marais\}, \{D. J.\} and Stolper, \{E. M.\} and Edgett, \{K. S.\} and S. Gupta and N. Spanovich and Christophe Agard and Verdasca, \{Jos{\'e} Alexandre Alves\} and Ryan Anderson and Doug Archer and Carlos Armiens-Aparicio and Ray Arvidson and Evgeny Atlaskin and Sushil Atreya and Andrew Aubrey and Burt Baker and Michael Baker and Tonci Balic-Zunic and David Baratoux and Julien Baroukh",

year = "2014",

doi = "10.1126/science.1243480",

language = "English",

volume = "343",

journal = "Science",

issn = "0036-8075",

number = "6169",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Mineralogy of a mudstone at Yellowknife Bay, Gale crater, Mars

AU - MSL Science Team

AU - Vaniman, D. T.

AU - Bish, D. L.

AU - Ming, D. W.

AU - Bristow, T. F.

AU - Morris, R. V.

AU - Blake, D. F.

AU - Chipera, S. J.

AU - Morrison, S. M.

AU - Treiman, A. H.

AU - Rampe, E. B.

AU - Rice, M.

AU - Achilles, C. N.

AU - Grotzinger, J. P.

AU - McLennan, S. M.

AU - Williams, J.

AU - Bell, J. F.

AU - Newsom, H. E.

AU - Downs, R. T.

AU - Maurice, S.

AU - Sarrazin, P.

AU - Yen, A. S.

AU - Morookian, J. M.

AU - Farmer, J. D.

AU - Stack, K.

AU - Milliken, R. E.

AU - Ehlmann, B. L.

AU - Sumner, D. Y.

AU - Berger, G.

AU - Crisp, J. A.

AU - Hurowitz, J. A.

AU - Anderson, R.

AU - Des Marais, D. J.

AU - Stolper, E. M.

AU - Edgett, K. S.

AU - Gupta, S.

AU - Spanovich, N.

AU - Agard, Christophe

AU - Verdasca, José Alexandre Alves

AU - Anderson, Ryan

AU - Archer, Doug

AU - Armiens-Aparicio, Carlos

AU - Arvidson, Ray

AU - Atlaskin, Evgeny

AU - Atreya, Sushil

AU - Aubrey, Andrew

AU - Baker, Burt

AU - Baker, Michael

AU - Balic-Zunic, Tonci

AU - Baratoux, David

AU - Baroukh, Julien

PY - 2014

Y1 - 2014

N2 - Sedimentary rocks at Yellowknife Bay (Gale crater) on Mars include mudstone sampled by the Curiosity rover. The samples, John Klein and Cumberland, contain detrital basaltic minerals, calcium sulfates, iron oxide or hydroxides, iron sulfides, amorphous material, and trioctahedral smectites. The John Klein smectite has basal spacing of ∼10 angstroms, indicating little interlayer hydration. The Cumberland smectite has basal spacing at both ∼13.2 and ∼10 angstroms. The larger spacing suggests a partially chloritized interlayer or interlayer magnesium or calcium facilitating H2O retention. Basaltic minerals in the mudstone are similar to those in nearby eolian deposits. However, the mudstone has far less Fe-forsterite, possibly lost with formation of smectite plus magnetite. Late Noachian/Early Hesperian or younger age indicates that clay mineral formation on Mars extended beyond Noachian time.

AB - Sedimentary rocks at Yellowknife Bay (Gale crater) on Mars include mudstone sampled by the Curiosity rover. The samples, John Klein and Cumberland, contain detrital basaltic minerals, calcium sulfates, iron oxide or hydroxides, iron sulfides, amorphous material, and trioctahedral smectites. The John Klein smectite has basal spacing of ∼10 angstroms, indicating little interlayer hydration. The Cumberland smectite has basal spacing at both ∼13.2 and ∼10 angstroms. The larger spacing suggests a partially chloritized interlayer or interlayer magnesium or calcium facilitating H2O retention. Basaltic minerals in the mudstone are similar to those in nearby eolian deposits. However, the mudstone has far less Fe-forsterite, possibly lost with formation of smectite plus magnetite. Late Noachian/Early Hesperian or younger age indicates that clay mineral formation on Mars extended beyond Noachian time.

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/84892938458

U2 - 10.1126/science.1243480

DO - 10.1126/science.1243480

M3 - Article

C2 - 24324271

AN - SCOPUS:84892938458

SN - 0036-8075

VL - 343

JO - Science

JF - Science

IS - 6169

M1 - 1243480

ER -

Mineralogy of a mudstone at Yellowknife Bay, Gale crater, Mars

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