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Home , Bradbury Landing, CheMin, Mount Sharp

David Vaniman, Steve Chipera, Patricia Craig Calendar Year 2018

I. Report on research

For calendar year 2018, focus remained on the Science Laboratory (MSL) mission. Vaniman’s involvement with MSL continued in roles with two instruments, the CheMin X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray florescence (XRF) instrument and, to lesser extent, the ChemCam laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) and remote micro-imager (RMI) instrument. Chipera and Craig are involved with the CheMin instrument.

(1) Research at the MSL Crater Field Site on Mars

(1a) CheMin Instrument on MSL.

David Vaniman is a Co-I on the CheMin instrument for (MSL); the PI is Tom Bristow of NASA Ames. This report also covers Steve Chipera, who is a Co-I for the CheMin instrument, and Patricia Craig, who is a Postdoctoral Research Scientist for the CheMin team. Steve Chipera works through PSI as a Senior Research Associate for the MSL mission and reports to Dave Vaniman. Patricia Craig, who is a Postdoctoral Research Scientist at PSI, also reports to Dave Vaniman. Vaniman has tactical, data analysis, and Planetary data System (PDS) reporting roles for MSL. Steve Chipera has a data analysis role and Patricia Craig has both tactical and data analysis roles for MSL.

As members of the CheMin Science Team tasked with operations, Vaniman’s and Craig’s tactical participation included operations in the role of combined Payload Uplink Lead and Payload Downlink Lead (PUDL).

With Dick Morris (NASA-JSC) and Mike Wilson (NASA-Ames), Vaniman completed three additional rounds of data delivery for the Planetary Data System (PDS), one on February 16, 2018 (PDS release #17), one on June 29, 2018 (PDS release #18), and one on November 2, 2018 (PDS release #19).

During this reporting period Vaniman, Chipera, and Craig assisted in characterization of Mars samples analyzed by CheMin. New samples collected and analyzed during this period were drill samples form Vera Rubin Ridge (informally known as Hematite Ridge). The three drill samples collected were Duluth, Stoer, and Highfield. Chipera’s expertise was used in application of FULLPAT analysis for quantifying amorphous, poorly crystalline, and components in these samples.

Vaniman, Chipera and Craig contributed to five research papers that were published during this review period. A paper by Bristow et al. (2018) studied clay minerals at Gale cater with implications for surface chemical weathering, lake levels, and atmospheric infiltration. Two back-to-back papers by Morrison et al. (2018a,b) developed algorithms for obtaining crystal chemistry from X-ray diffraction data (Part 1) and applied these methods to the mineralogy of Gale crater (Part 2). In Rampe et al. (2018) Chemin XRD data and CRISM-based estimates of mineralogy were used to examine variability in mineralogy and mineral sources in eolain dunes encountered on the lower slopes of . In Vaniman et al. (2018) we reported on gypsum, bassanite and anhydrite at Gale crater and discussed mineral dehydration reactions within CheMin (gypsum dehydration to bassanite); the polyphase Ca-sulfate associations at Gale crater reflect limited opportunities for equilibration and presage mixed salt associations anticipated in higher strata that are more sulfate-rich and may mark local or global environmental change

In Bristow et al. (2018), the accumulated clay mineral data for Gale crater was examined for indications of evolution of aqueous conditions and possible habitats. The ~3.5–billion year (Ga) fluvio- lacustrine in Gale crater contain up to ~28 weight % clay minerals. The paper shows that clay mineral X-ray diffraction and evolved gas analyses have paleoenvironmental significance. While perennial lake mudstones are characterized by Fe-saponite, the stratigraphic intervals associated with episodic lake drying contain Al-rich, Fe3+-bearing dioctahedral smectite. Minor ferripyrophyllite, interpreted as wind- blown detritus, is found in candidate aeolian deposits. Results suggest that dioctahedral smectite formed by near-surface chemical weathering driven by fluctuations in lake level and atmospheric infiltration, a process leading to the redistribution of nutrients and potentially influencing the cycling of gases that help regulate climate.

Back-to-back papers by Morrison et al., (2018a,b) address (Part 1, 2018a) general relationships between unit-cell parameters and composition for rock-forming minerals and (Part 2, 2018b) the specific crystal chemistry of minerals at Gale crater. In Part 1, mathematical relationships between unit-cell parameters and chemical composition were developed for selected mineral phases. Algorithms were developed for estimating the chemical composition of phases based solely on X-ray diffraction data. The mineral systems studied include plagioclase, alkali , clinopyroxenes, orthopyroxenes, Mg-Fe olivines, magnetites and other selected spinel oxides, and alunite-jarosite. These methods assume simple compositions of Na-Ca for plagioclase, K-Na for alkali feldspar, Mg-Fe-Ca for , and Mg-Fe for olivine; however, some minor elements may occur and their impact on measured unit-cell parameters is discussed. In Part 2, the crystal chemical algorithms of Part 1 were used to estimate the chemical composition of selected mineral phases observed with the CheMin X-ray diffractometer at Gale crater. The samples in Part 2 include eolian soils ( and Gobabeb), mudstones of the Yellowknife Bay formation (John Klein and Cumberland) and the Murray formation (Confidence Hills, Mojave2, and Telegraph Peak), as well as the sandstone Windjana and sandstones of the unaltered Stimson formation (Big Sky and Okoruso) and the altered Stimson formation (Greenhorn and Lubango). Compositional ranges for , , olivines and magnetites are constrained by this study.

Rampe et al. (2018) examined active eolian sands near linear dunes encountered during the Bagnold Dunes campaign in Gale crater, using the Ogunquit Beach scoop sample from a large-ripple trough within the Mount Desert Island ripple field. This sand is dominated by basaltic igneous minerals and X-ray amorphous materials. CheMin mineralogy of the prior Gobabeb sample acquired at a large-ripple crest on the Namib barchan dune is similar to Ogunquit Beach. Ogunquit Beach, however, contains more plagioclase and Gobabeb contains more olivine. Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM)- based estimates of mineralogy at the optical surface of Namib Dune and Mount Desert Island demonstrate that surface sands are enriched in olivine and depleted in plagioclase at Mount Desert Island relative to Namib Dune. Differences between CheMin-derived and CRISM-derived mineralogies suggest sorting by grain size on bedform to dune field scales. Crystal chemistry from CheMin suggests contributions from multiple igneous sources and the local bedrock.

In Vaniman et al. (2018) we show that gypsum, bassanite, and anhydrite are common minerals at Gale crater. Warm conditions (~6 to 30 °C) within CheMin drive gypsum dehydration to bassanite; measured surface temperatures and modeled temperature depth profiles indicate that near-equatorial warm-season surface heating can also cause gypsum dehydration to bassanite. By accounting for instrumental dehydration effects we are able to quantify the in situ abundances of Ca-sulfate phases in sedimentary rocks and in eolian sands at Gale crater. All three Ca-sulfate minerals occur together in some sedimentary rocks and their abundances and associations vary stratigraphically. Several Ca-sulfate diagenetic events are indicated. Salinity-driven anhydrite precipitation at temperatures below ~50 °C may be supported by co- occurrence of more soluble salts. An alternative pathway to anhydrite via dehydration might be possible, but if so would likely be limited to warmer near-equatorial dark eolian sands that presently contain only anhydrite. The polyphase Ca-sulfate associations at Gale crater reflect limited opportunities for equilibration, and they presage mixed salt associations anticipated in higher strata that are more sulfate-rich and may mark local or global environmental change. Mineral transformations within CheMin also provide a better understanding of changes that might occur in samples returned from Mars.

(1b) ChemCam instrument on MSL

ChemCam laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) and remote micro-imaging (RMI) continued to be used extensively during 2018. Vaniman is a Co-investigator on the ChemCam instrument on Mars Science Laboratory (MSL); the PI is Roger Wiens of Los Alamos National Laboratory. During 2018, Vaniman ceded management of the weekly ChemCam Geochemistry Working Group to Roger Wiens. By December, Vaniman completed his work with CheCam and is now solely focused on CheMin for the MSL mission.

(1c) Mars analog research in New Mexico

Vaniman continued to analyze Mars-relevant samples from ash beds in Santa Fe Group sediments of the Española basin, and sulfur-bearing samples of the Valles caldera in New Mexico. These analyses used a X-ray diffraction instrument similar to the CheMin instrument on MSL. The ash beds occur in a setting that may be comparable to that of the Buckskin siliceous sediment sample analyzed by MSL in Gale crater. Samples from the Valles caldera were collected in a study led by Anna Szynkiewicz of the University of Tennessee; the goal of this study is to constrain sulfur cycling between groundwater, rock, stream discharge and precipitation using an approach that has bearing on methods to understand such cycling on Mars. An abstract (Szynkiewicz et al. 2018; see below) was presented at AGU this year, and two papers are in press for publication in 2019 (EPSL).

II. Publications

Peer-reviewed Publications 2018

Bristow, T.F., E. B. Rampe, C.N. Achilles, D.F. Blake, S.J. Chipera, P. Craig, J.A. Crisp, D.J. Des Marais, R.T. Downs, R. Gellert, J.P. Grotzinger, S. Gupta, R.M. Hazen, B. Horgan, J.V. Hogancamp, N. Mangold, P.R. Mahaffy, A.C. McAdam, D.W. Ming, J.M. Morookian, R.V. Morris, S.M. Morrison, A.H. Treiman, D.T. Vaniman, A.R. Vasavada, and A.S. Yen (2018) Clay mineral diversity and abundance in sedimentary rocks of Gale crater, Mars. Science Advances, 4. doi.10.1126/sciadv.aar3330.

Morrison, S.M., R.T. Downs, D.F. Blake, A. Prabhu, A. Eleish, D.T. Vaniman, D.W. Ming, E.B. Rampe, R.M. Hazen, C.N. Achilles, A.H. Treiman, A.S. Yen, R.V. Morris, T.F. Bristow, S.J. Chipera, P.C. Sarrazin, K.V. Fendrich, J.M. Morookian, J.D. Farmer, D.J. Des Marais, and P.I. Craig. (2018a) Relationships between unit-cell parameters and composition for rock-forming minerals on Earth, Mars, and other extraterrestrial bodies. American Mineralogist, 103, 848-856. doi.org/10.2138/am-2018- 6123.

Morrison, S.M., R.T. Downs, D.F. Blake, D.T. Vaniman, D.W. Ming, R.M. Hazen, A.H. Treiman, C.N. Achilles, A.S. Yen, R.V. Morris, E.B. Rampe, T.F. Bristow, S.J. Chipera, P.C. Sarrazin, R. Gellert, K.V. Fendrich, J.M. Morookian, J.D. Farmer, D.J. Des Marais, and P.I. Craig. (2018b) Crystal chemistry of martian minerals from through Naukluft Plateau, Gale crater, Mars. American Mineralogist, 103, 857-871. doi.org/10.2138/am-2018-6124.

Rampe, E.B., M.G.A. Lapotre, T.F. Bistow, R.E. Arvidson, R.V. Morris, C.N. Achilles, C. Weitz, D.F. Blake, D.W. Ming, S.M. Morrison, D.T. Vaniman, S.J. Chipera, R.T. Downs, J.P. Grotzinger, R.M. Hazen, T.S. Peretyazhko, B. Sutter, V. Tu, A.S. Yen, B. Horgan, N. Castle, P.I. Craig, D.J. Des Marais, J. Farmer, R. Gellert, A.C. McAdam, J.M. Morookian, P.C. Sarrazin, and A. Treiman. (2018) Sand mineralogy within the Bagnold dunes, Gale crater, as observed in situ and from orbit. Geophysical Research Letters, 45. doi.org/10.1029/2018GL079073. Vaniman, D.T., G.M. Martínez, E.B. Rampe, T.F. Bristow, D.F. Blake, A.S. Yen, D.W. Ming, W. Rapin, P.-Y. Meslin, J.M. Morookian, R.T. Downs, S.J. Chipera, R.V. Morris, S.M. Morrison, A.H. Treiman, C.N. Achilles, K. Robertson, J.P. Grotzinger, R.M. Hazen, R.C. Wiens, and D.Y. Sumner. (2018) Gypsum, bassanite, and anhydrite at Gale crater, Mars. American Mineralogist, 103, 1011- 1020. doi.org/10.2138/am-2018-6346.

Abstracts

2018 Lunar and Conference

Achilles, C.N., G.W. Downs, R.T. Downs, R.V. Morris, E.B. Rampe, D.W. Ming, S.J. Chipera, D.F. Blake, D.T. Vaniman, T.F. Bristow, A.S. Yen, S.M. Morrison, A.H. Treiman, P.I. Craig, J.A. Crisp, R.M. Hazen, V.M. Tu, and N. Castle, 2018. Amorphous phase characterization through X-ray diffraction profile modeling: Implications for amorphous phases in Gale crater rocks and soils, abstract #2661.

Bridges, J.C., L.J. Hicks, M.A. Miller, S.P. Schwenzer, U. Ott, J. Filiberto, C. Chavez, H. , A.H. Treiman, S.P. Kelley, J.M. Moore, T.D. Swindle, M.A. Bullock, R.A. McIntosh, and P. Craig. 2018. hydrothermal alteration: Comparing Nakhlite secondary mineralogy to water-rock reaction experiments, abstract #2028.

Craig, P.I., A. Rudolph, R.V. Morris, C.N. Achilles, E.B. Rampe, A.H. Treiman, T.F. Bristow, D.W. Ming, D. F. Blake, D.T. Vaniman, R.T. Downs, S.M. Morrison, A.S. Yen, J. Farmer, D.J. Des Marais, N. Castle, S.J. Chipera, R. Hazen, T.S. Peretyazhko, and V. Tu, 2018. Collapsed smectite in Gale crater: Martian clay minerals may have been on acid, abstract #1986.

Morris, R.V., E.B. Rampe, S.M. Morrison, D.T. Vaniman, R.T. Downs, C.N. Achilles, A.H. Treiman, A.S. Yen, D.W. Ming, R.M. Hazen, T.F. Bristow, D.F. Blake, S.J. Chipera, M. , J C. Hamilton, T.G. , L. Le, J.V. Hogancamp, V.M. Tu, and S.A. Mertzman, 2018. High sanidine with a hydrothermal origin on Manua Kea volcano (Hawaii) as a process analogue for high sanidine detected at Gale crater (Mars) by CheMin XRD, abstract #2183.

Rampe, E.B., T.F. Bristow, D.F. Blake, D.T. Vaniman, C.N. Achilles, N. Castle, S.J. Chipera, P.I. Craig, D.J. Des Marais, R.T. Downs, J. Farmer, R. Hazen, B. Horgan, M. Lapotre, D.W. Ming, R.V. Morris, S.M. Morrison, T.S. Peretyazhko, H. Treiman, V. Tu, and A. S. Yen, 2018. Mineralogy of aeolian sand in Gale crater, Mars, abstract #1654.

Rudolph, A.N., P.I. Craig, E.B. Rampe, and J.V. Hogancamp, 2018. Aqueous alteration of smectite in acid-sulfate fluids: Implications for clay mineralogy at Gale crater, abstract #3001.

Yen, A.S., R. Gellert, L.M. Thompson, A.H. Treiman, R.V. Morris, D.T. Vaniman, B.C. , J.A. Berger, and R.E. Kronyak, 2018. Mobility of potassium-rich fluids on Mars: Implications for diagenesis, abstract #2690.

2018 Geological Society of America Annual Meeting

Rampe, E.B., M.G. Lapotre, T.F. Bristow, R. Arvidson, R.V. Morris, C.N. Achilles, C.M. Weitz, D.F. Blake, D.W. Ming, S.M. Morrison, D. Vaniman, S. Chipera, R.T. Downs, K.S. Edgett, J.P. Grotzinger, R.M. Hazen, T. Peretyazhko, B. Sutter, V.M. Tu, A.S. Yen, B. Horgan, N. Castle, P.I. Craig, S.M. Czarnecki, D.J. Des Marais, J.D. Farmer, T.S.J. Gabriel, R. Gellert, C.J. Hardgrove, A. McAdam, J.M. Morookian, P. Sarrazin, and A.H. Treiman, 2018. Using mineralogy of the Bagnold dune field in Gale crater to interpret eolian sediment sorting on the . Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 50, No. 6, doi: 10.1130/abs/2018AM-318832.

Tu, V.M., E.B. Rampe, T.F. Bristow, D.F. Blake, D.T. Vaniman, R.V. Morris, D. Ming, A.S. Yen, C.N. Achilles, N. Castle, S.M. Morrison, R.T. Downs, R.M. Hazen, P.I. Craig, D.J. Des Marais, A.H. Treiman, S. Chipera, and G.W. Downs, 2018. An overview of alteration in the Murray Formation, Gale crater, Mars. Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 50, No. 6, doi: 10.1130/abs/2018AM-321054

2018 American Geophysical Union Meeting

Achilles, C., G. Downs, R.T. Downs, R.V. Morris, S. Chipera, D.W. Ming, E.B. Rampe, A. McAdam, C.A. Knudson, D.F. Blake, T. Bristow, D. Vaniman, A. Yen11, S.M. Morrison, P. Craig, R. Hazen, V. Tu, and N. Castle, 2018. Characterizing X-ray amorphous phases through diffraction profile modeling: Understanding weathering and diagenesis in Gale crater. AGU abstract P43A-02.

Archer. P.D. Jr., D.W. Ming, B. Sutter, R.V. Morris, B.C. Clark, P.R. Mahaffy, J.J. Wray, A.G. Fairén, R. Gellert, A. Yen, D.F. Blake, D. Vaniman, D.P. Glavin, J.L. Eigenbrode, M.G. Trainer, R. Navarro- Gonzalez, C. McKay, C. Freissinet, and P. Martin, 2018. Oxychlorine detection in Gale Crater, Mars and implications for past environmental conditions. AGU abstract P31F-3753.

Bristow, T., E.B. Rampe, C. Achilles, D.F. Blake, N.R. Castle, S. Chipera, P. Craig, J.A. Crisp, D.J. Des Marais, G. Downs, R.T. Downs, A. Fraeman, J.P. Grotzinger, R.M. Hazen, J.R. Johnson, C.H. House, P.R. Mahaffy, C. Malespin, A. McAdam, D.W. Ming, J. Morookian, R.V. Morris, S.M. Morrison, V. Tu, D. Vaniman, A.R. Vasavada, A. Yen, and MSL Science Team, 2018. The mineralogical record of redox at Gale crater. AGU abstract P41A-04.

Morrison, S.M., P. Feifei, O.C. Gagné, A. Prabhu, A. Eleish, P.A. Fox, R.T. Downs, T. Bristow, E.B. Rampe, D.F. Blake, D. Vaniman, C. Achilles, D.W. Ming, A. Yen, A.H. Treiman, R.V. Morris, S. Chipera, P. Craig, V. Tu, N. Castle, P. Sarrazin, D.J. Des Marais, and R. Hazen, 2018. Predicting multi-component mineral compositions in Gale crater, Mars with label distribution learning. AGU abstract P21I-3438.

Rampe, E.B., T. Bristow, D.F. Blake, D. Vaniman, R.V. Morris, D.W. Ming, A. Yen, C. Achilles, S. Chipera, V. Tu, K.S. Edgett, J.L. Eigenbrode, R. Gellert, J.P. Grotzinger, S.M. Morrison, D.J. Des Marais, G. Downs, R.T. Downs, S. Gupta, R.M. Hazen, L.C. Kah, T. Peretyazhko, M.R. Salvatore, M.E. , K.L. Siebach, B. Sutter, L.M. Thompson, A.H. Treiman, J.A. Berger, N. Castle, P. Craig, A.G. Fairén, O. Forni, J. Hurowitz, and N. Lanza, 2018. Evidence for alteration and diagenesis at Gale crater, Mars from the rover (invited). AGU abstract P43A-01.

Szynkiewicz, A., F.E. Goff, A.M. Faiia, and D. Vaniman, 2018. Aqueous sulfate budget at volcanic terrains and implications for sulfate origin in diagenetic fluids from Gale crater on Mars. AGU abstract P43A-04.

III. Awards and Honors

Not this year.

IV. Service to the Science Community (e.g., advisory panels, society offices) a) Vaniman provided peer review of three papers (American Mineralogist and GRL). b) Vaniman completed three additional rounds of data deliveries of CheMin X-ray diffraction and X-ray fluorescence data for the Planetary Data System (PDS), one on February 16, 2018 (MSL PDS release #17, with public release on March 16, 2018), one on June 29, 2018 (MSL PDS release #18, with public release on August 1, 2018), and one on November 2, 2018 (MSL PDS release #19, with public release on December 5, 2018).

V. Teaching Activities/Public Lectures a) Vaniman gave a presentation on Mars and its place in the solar system at Phoebe Hearst Elementary School in Sacramento, CA, April 18, 2018 (6th grade). b) Craig has given guest lectures and laboratory demonstrations about Mars in general and about MSL/CheMin to the Solar System Astronomy (AST 101) class at Horry-Georgetown Technical College (HGTC). The AST 101 course is a descriptive survey of the universe with emphasis on the properties of objects in the solar system. When the students reached the chapter about Mars, the course professor invited Craig to talk to the students about Mars, the history of Mars exploration, and her role and experience with MSL and CheMin. In the lab component of the course, Craig also conducted the MarsBound! activity with the students - an interactive activity in which they learn more detail about NASA’s current Mars Exploration Strategy and design their own mission to Mars based on this Strategy. Craig has begun working with the astronomy professor and Physical Science Department Head at HGTC to customize this activity so that it can be used for HGTC’s online AST 101 sections as well. They hope to have this completed and ready to disperse to the online students by the Spring 2019 semester.