Carbonate Detection With SuperCam in Igneous Rocks on the Floor of Jezero Crater, Mars
Name
JGR Planets - 2022 - Clavé - Carbonate Detection With SuperCam in Igneous Rocks on the Floor of Jezero Crater Mars.pdf
Description
Published version
Size
2.46 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
de90845791caff19b2a1eaed2f670f55
Date Issued
December 14, 2022
Journal
Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets
Publisher
American Geophysical Union
Citation
Clavé, E., Benzerara, K., Meslin, P.-Y., Forni, O., Royer, C., Mandon, L., et al. (2023). Carbonate detection with SuperCam in igneous rocks on the floor of Jezero Crater, Mars. Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, 128, e2022JE007463.
Version
Final published version
Abstract
Perseverance explored two geological units on the floor of Jezero Crater over the first 420 Martian days of the Mars2020 mission. These units, the Máaz and Séítah formations, are interpreted to be igneous in origin, with traces of alteration. We report the detection of carbonate phases along the rover traverse based on laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS), infrared reflectance spectroscopy (IRS), and time-resolved Raman (TRR) spectroscopy by the SuperCam instrument. Carbonates are identified through direct detection of vibrational modes of CO3 functional groups (IRS and TRR), major oxides content, and ratios of C and O signal intensities (LIBS). In Séítah, the carbonates are consistent with magnesite-siderite solid solutions (Mg# of 0.42–0.70) with low calcium contents (<5 wt.% CaO). They are detected together with olivine in IRS and TRR spectra. LIBS and IRS also indicate a spatial association of the carbonates with clays. Carbonates in Máaz are detected in fewer points, as: (a) siderite (Mg# as low as 0.03); (b) carbonate-containing coatings, enriched in Mg (Mg# ∼0.82) and spatially associated with different salts. Overall, using conservative criteria, carbonate detections are rare in LIBS (∼30/2,000 points), IRS (∼15/2,000 points), and TRR (1/150 points) data. This is best explained by (a) a low carbonate content overall, (b) small carbonate grains mixed with other phases, (c) intrinsic complexity of in situ measurements. This is consistent with orbital observations of Jezero crater, and similar to compositions of carbonates previously reported in Martian meteorites. This suggests a limited carbonation of Jezero rocks by locally equilibrated fluids.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences
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DOI of Published Version
10.1029/2022je007463
