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Identification of Smectites by IR and LIBS Instruments of Supercam Suite Onboard Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover: Comments on the Non-retrieval of First Drill Core


Affiliations
1 Space Applications Centre (Indian Space Research Organization), Ahmedabad 380 015, India
2 Department of Geology and Geophysics, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur 721 302, India
3 Department of Earth and Environmental Science, KSKV Kachchh University, Bhuj 370 001, India
 

Preliminary investigations on the Infrared Spectrometer onboard Mars 2020 Perseverance rover show the presence of Fe-/Mg-smectite minerals near the first drilling site, Roubion. Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectrometer data show characteristic emission peaks for O, H and the major constituent elements of smectites, viz. Si, Fe, Mg, etc. These minerals suggest aqueous alteration of the basaltic floor of the Jezero crater. The mechanically weak nature of this basalt weathering layer holds clues to the non-retrieval of the first drill core. Water confinement capacity and high porosity–permeability make the smectite-rich rock units a good host for preserving macro- and microscopic biosignatures

Keywords

Biosignature, Drill Core, Jezero Crater, Rover, Smectites, Spectroscopic Analysis
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  • Identification of Smectites by IR and LIBS Instruments of Supercam Suite Onboard Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover: Comments on the Non-retrieval of First Drill Core

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Authors

Subham Sarkar
Space Applications Centre (Indian Space Research Organization), Ahmedabad 380 015, India
Narayan Bose
Department of Geology and Geophysics, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur 721 302, India
Satadru Bhattacharya
Space Applications Centre (Indian Space Research Organization), Ahmedabad 380 015, India
Subhash Bhandari
Department of Earth and Environmental Science, KSKV Kachchh University, Bhuj 370 001, India

Abstract


Preliminary investigations on the Infrared Spectrometer onboard Mars 2020 Perseverance rover show the presence of Fe-/Mg-smectite minerals near the first drilling site, Roubion. Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectrometer data show characteristic emission peaks for O, H and the major constituent elements of smectites, viz. Si, Fe, Mg, etc. These minerals suggest aqueous alteration of the basaltic floor of the Jezero crater. The mechanically weak nature of this basalt weathering layer holds clues to the non-retrieval of the first drill core. Water confinement capacity and high porosity–permeability make the smectite-rich rock units a good host for preserving macro- and microscopic biosignatures

Keywords


Biosignature, Drill Core, Jezero Crater, Rover, Smectites, Spectroscopic Analysis

References





DOI: https://doi.org/10.18520/cs%2Fv123%2Fi1%2F93-96