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ExoMars Raman Laser Spectrometer (RLS): development of chemometric tools to classify ultramafic igneous rocks on Mars.

ABSTRACT: This work aims to evaluate whether the multi-point analysis the ExoMars Raman Laser Spectrometer (RLS) will perform on powdered samples could serve to classify ultramafic rocks on Mars. To do so, the RLS ExoMars Simulator was used to study terrestrial analogues of Martian peridotites and pyroxenites by applying the operational constraints of the Raman spectrometer onboard the Rosalind Franklin rover. Besides qualitative analysis, RLS-dedicated calibration curves have been built to estimate the relative content of olivine and pyroxenes in the samples. These semi-quantitative results, combined with a rough estimate of the concentration ratio between clino- and ortho-pyroxene mineral phases, were used to classify the terrestrial analogues. XRD data were finally employed as reference to validate Raman results. As this preliminary work suggests, ultramafic rocks on Mars could be effectively classified through the chemometric analysis of RLS data sets. After optimization, the proposed chemometric tools could be applied to the study of the volcanic geological areas detected at the ExoMars landing site (Oxia Planum), whose mineralogical composition and geological evolution have not been fully understood.

SUBMITTER: Veneranda M

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7550563 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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ExoMars Raman Laser Spectrometer (RLS): development of chemometric tools to classify ultramafic igneous rocks on Mars.

Veneranda Marco M Lopez-Reyes Guillermo G Manrique-Martinez Jose Antonio JA Sanz-Arranz Aurelio A Lalla Emmanuel E Konstantinidis Menelaos M Moral Andoni A Medina Jesús J Rull Fernando F

Scientific reports 20201012 1

This work aims to evaluate whether the multi-point analysis the ExoMars Raman Laser Spectrometer (RLS) will perform on powdered samples could serve to classify ultramafic rocks on Mars. To do so, the RLS ExoMars Simulator was used to study terrestrial analogues of Martian peridotites and pyroxenites by applying the operational constraints of the Raman spectrometer onboard the Rosalind Franklin rover. Besides qualitative analysis, RLS-dedicated calibration curves have been built to estimate the r ...[more]

PMID: 33046782

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Project description:Oxide minerals contained in ultramafic rocks are useful tools to assess the redox conditions of the rock and fluids liberated upon progressive serpentinite dehydration during subduction, as these minerals contain a relevant redox-sensitive element, iron. Previous studies have revealed that magnetite predominates across the antigorite-out reaction. However, the fate of magnetite and other oxides at higher pressure and temperature conditions has remained underexplored. We present a comprehensive petrological and geochemical study of oxide-sulfide-silicate mineral assemblages in metaperidotites beyond antigorite- and chlorite-out reactions (T = 650-850 °C and P = 1-3 GPa). Several ultramafic lenses, covering different bulk rock compositions and extents of oxidation upon oceanic serpentinization, were investigated from the Central Alps, Switzerland. Results point to two endmember scenarios: (i) Most frequently, metaperidotites have olivine with a Mg# of 89-91 (defined as molar Mg/(Mg + Fetot) × 100) and contain low oxide modes (0.06-1.41 vol.%), hematite is absent, and redox conditions are weakly oxidized and buffered by orthopyroxene-olivine-magnetite. (ii) Rare occurrence, high olivine Mg# > 94.5 metaperidotites display coexisting hematite and magnetite, high oxide modes (up to 4 vol.%), and redox conditions are hematite-magnetite (HM) buffered (Δlog10fO2,QFM of + 3 to + 4). Spinel displays evolving compositions from magnetite over chromite to Al-Cr-spinel, roughly correlating with increasing temperature. Most of the samples buffered by the olivine-orthopyroxene-magnetite assemblage contain coexisting pentlandite ± pyrrhotite, thus identifying stable sulfides beyond antigorite dehydration for these weakly oxidized samples (Δlog10fO2,QFM < 2.5). No sulfides were recognized in the highly oxidized sample. The transition of magnetite to chromite at around 700 °C goes along with a shift in fO2 to lower values. At the prevailing oxygen fugacity in the weakly oxidized metaperidotites sulfur in a coexisting fluid is always present in its reduced form. However, oxidized sulfur can be stable in the dehydration fluids released from highly oxidized serpentinites.Supplementary informationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00410-023-02032-w.

Dataset Information

ExoMars Raman Laser Spectrometer (RLS): development of chemometric tools to classify ultramafic igneous rocks on Mars.

Publications

ExoMars Raman Laser Spectrometer (RLS): development of chemometric tools to classify ultramafic igneous rocks on Mars.

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