Soils of eagle crater and Meridiani Planum at the opportunity Rover landing site
Science
By: Laurence A. Soderblom, R. C. Anderson, R. E. Arvidson, J.F. Bell III, N.A. Cabrol, W. Calvin, P. R. Christensen, B. C. Clark, T. Economou, B.L. Ehlmann, W. H. Farrand, D. Fike, Ralf Gellert, T.D. Glotch, M.P. Golombek, R. Greeley, J.P. Grotzinger, Kenneth E. Herkenhoff, D.J. Jerolmack, J. R. Johnson, B. Jolliff, C. Klingelhofer, A.H. Knoll, Z.A. Learner, R. Li, M. C. Malin, S. M. McLennan, H.Y. McSween, D. W. Ming, R.V. Morris, J. W. Rice Jr., L. Richter, R. Rieder, D. Rodionov, C. Schroder, F.P. Seelos IV, J.M. Soderblom, S. W. Squyres, R. Sullivan, W.A. Watters, C.M. Weitz, M.B. Wyatt, A. Yen, and J. Zipfel
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Abstract
The soils at the Opportunity site are fine-grained basaltic sands mixed with dust and sulfate-rich outcrop debris. Hematite is concentrated in spherules eroded from the strata. Ongoing saltation exhumes the spherules and their fragments, concentrating them at the surface. Spherules emerge from soils coated, perhaps from subsurface cementation, by salts. Two types of vesicular clasts may represent basaltic sand sources. Eolian ripples, armored by well-sorted hematite-rich grains, pervade Meridiani Planum. The thickness of the soil on the plain is estimated to be about a meter. The flatness and thin cover suggest that the plain may represent the original sedimentary surface.
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Soils of eagle crater and Meridiani Planum at the opportunity Rover landing site |
| Series title | Science |
| DOI | 10.1126/science.1105127 |
| Volume | 306 |
| Issue | 5702 |
| Year Published | 2004 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) |
| Contributing office(s) | Astrogeology Science Center |
| Description | 4 p. |
| Larger Work Type | Article |
| Larger Work Subtype | Journal Article |
| Larger Work Title | Science |
| First page | 1723 |
| Last page | 1726 |
| Other Geospatial | Mars; Meridiani |
| Google Analytic Metrics | Metrics page |