Water Abundance of Dunes in Gale Crater, Mars From Active Neutron Experiments and Implications for Amorphous Phases
Abstract We report the water abundance of Bagnold Dune sand in Gale crater, Mars by analyzing active neutron experiments using the Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons instrument. We report a bulk water‐equivalent‐hydrogen abundance of 0.68 ± 0.15 wt%, which is similar to measurements several kilometers away...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wiley
2018-12-01
|
| Series: | Geophysical Research Letters |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1029/2018GL079045 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1850272664931794944 |
|---|---|
| author | T. S. J. Gabriel C. Hardgrove S. Czarnecki E. B. Rampe W. Rapin C. N. Achilles D. Sullivan S. Nowicki L. Thompson M. Litvak I. Mitrofanov R. T. Downs |
| author_facet | T. S. J. Gabriel C. Hardgrove S. Czarnecki E. B. Rampe W. Rapin C. N. Achilles D. Sullivan S. Nowicki L. Thompson M. Litvak I. Mitrofanov R. T. Downs |
| author_sort | T. S. J. Gabriel |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract We report the water abundance of Bagnold Dune sand in Gale crater, Mars by analyzing active neutron experiments using the Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons instrument. We report a bulk water‐equivalent‐hydrogen abundance of 0.68 ± 0.15 wt%, which is similar to measurements several kilometers away and from those taken of the dune surface. Thus, the dune is likely dehydrated throughout. Furthermore, we use geochemical constraints, including bulk water content, to develop compositional models of the amorphous fraction for which little information is known. We find the amorphous fraction contains ∼26‐ to 64‐wt% basaltic glass and up to ∼24‐wt% rhyolitic glass, suggesting at least one volcanic source for the dune material. We also find a range of hydrated phases may be present in appreciable abundances, either from the incorporation of eroded aqueously altered sediments or the direct alteration of the dune sand. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-4741a39e90cd490cb1503efb878281f1 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 0094-8276 1944-8007 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2018-12-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Geophysical Research Letters |
| spelling | doaj-art-4741a39e90cd490cb1503efb878281f12025-08-20T01:51:44ZengWileyGeophysical Research Letters0094-82761944-80072018-12-01452312,76612,77510.1029/2018GL079045Water Abundance of Dunes in Gale Crater, Mars From Active Neutron Experiments and Implications for Amorphous PhasesT. S. J. Gabriel0C. Hardgrove1S. Czarnecki2E. B. Rampe3W. Rapin4C. N. Achilles5D. Sullivan6S. Nowicki7L. Thompson8M. Litvak9I. Mitrofanov10R. T. Downs11School of Earth and Space Exploration Arizona State University Tempe AZ USASchool of Earth and Space Exploration Arizona State University Tempe AZ USASchool of Earth and Space Exploration Arizona State University Tempe AZ USANASA Johnson Space Center Houston TX USACalifornia Institute of Technology Pasadena CA USANASA Goddard Spaceflight Center Greenbelt MD USASchool of Earth and Space Exploration Arizona State University Tempe AZ USAISR-1: Space Science and Applications Los Alamos National Laboratory Los Alamos NM USAPlanetary and Space Science Centre University of New Brunswick Fredericton New Brunswick CanadaInstitute for Space Research Russian Academy of Sciences Moscow RussiaInstitute for Space Research Russian Academy of Sciences Moscow RussiaDepartment of Geosciences University of Arizona Tucson AZ USAAbstract We report the water abundance of Bagnold Dune sand in Gale crater, Mars by analyzing active neutron experiments using the Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons instrument. We report a bulk water‐equivalent‐hydrogen abundance of 0.68 ± 0.15 wt%, which is similar to measurements several kilometers away and from those taken of the dune surface. Thus, the dune is likely dehydrated throughout. Furthermore, we use geochemical constraints, including bulk water content, to develop compositional models of the amorphous fraction for which little information is known. We find the amorphous fraction contains ∼26‐ to 64‐wt% basaltic glass and up to ∼24‐wt% rhyolitic glass, suggesting at least one volcanic source for the dune material. We also find a range of hydrated phases may be present in appreciable abundances, either from the incorporation of eroded aqueously altered sediments or the direct alteration of the dune sand.https://doi.org/10.1029/2018GL079045neutron spectroscopyMarswateramorphousDANCuriosity rover |
| spellingShingle | T. S. J. Gabriel C. Hardgrove S. Czarnecki E. B. Rampe W. Rapin C. N. Achilles D. Sullivan S. Nowicki L. Thompson M. Litvak I. Mitrofanov R. T. Downs Water Abundance of Dunes in Gale Crater, Mars From Active Neutron Experiments and Implications for Amorphous Phases Geophysical Research Letters neutron spectroscopy Mars water amorphous DAN Curiosity rover |
| title | Water Abundance of Dunes in Gale Crater, Mars From Active Neutron Experiments and Implications for Amorphous Phases |
| title_full | Water Abundance of Dunes in Gale Crater, Mars From Active Neutron Experiments and Implications for Amorphous Phases |
| title_fullStr | Water Abundance of Dunes in Gale Crater, Mars From Active Neutron Experiments and Implications for Amorphous Phases |
| title_full_unstemmed | Water Abundance of Dunes in Gale Crater, Mars From Active Neutron Experiments and Implications for Amorphous Phases |
| title_short | Water Abundance of Dunes in Gale Crater, Mars From Active Neutron Experiments and Implications for Amorphous Phases |
| title_sort | water abundance of dunes in gale crater mars from active neutron experiments and implications for amorphous phases |
| topic | neutron spectroscopy Mars water amorphous DAN Curiosity rover |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1029/2018GL079045 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT tsjgabriel waterabundanceofdunesingalecratermarsfromactiveneutronexperimentsandimplicationsforamorphousphases AT chardgrove waterabundanceofdunesingalecratermarsfromactiveneutronexperimentsandimplicationsforamorphousphases AT sczarnecki waterabundanceofdunesingalecratermarsfromactiveneutronexperimentsandimplicationsforamorphousphases AT ebrampe waterabundanceofdunesingalecratermarsfromactiveneutronexperimentsandimplicationsforamorphousphases AT wrapin waterabundanceofdunesingalecratermarsfromactiveneutronexperimentsandimplicationsforamorphousphases AT cnachilles waterabundanceofdunesingalecratermarsfromactiveneutronexperimentsandimplicationsforamorphousphases AT dsullivan waterabundanceofdunesingalecratermarsfromactiveneutronexperimentsandimplicationsforamorphousphases AT snowicki waterabundanceofdunesingalecratermarsfromactiveneutronexperimentsandimplicationsforamorphousphases AT lthompson waterabundanceofdunesingalecratermarsfromactiveneutronexperimentsandimplicationsforamorphousphases AT mlitvak waterabundanceofdunesingalecratermarsfromactiveneutronexperimentsandimplicationsforamorphousphases AT imitrofanov waterabundanceofdunesingalecratermarsfromactiveneutronexperimentsandimplicationsforamorphousphases AT rtdowns waterabundanceofdunesingalecratermarsfromactiveneutronexperimentsandimplicationsforamorphousphases |