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Premiers Résultats Géologiques De Curiosity : Galets Roulés, Cryoclastie (?), Roche Riche En Feldspaths… Opportunity Découvre Des "Myrtilles" Martiennes Atypiques

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Premiers Résultats Géologiques De Curiosity : Galets Roulés, Cryoclastie (?), Roche Riche En Feldspaths… Opportunity Découvre Des 1/14 Premiers résultats géologiques de Curiosity : galets roulés, cryoclastie (?), roche riche en feldspaths… Opportunity découvre des "myrtilles" martiennes atypiques 19/10/2012 Auteur(s) : Pierre Thomas Laboratoire de Sciences de la Terre / ENS Lyon Publié par : Olivier Dequincey Résumé Des galets arrondis, galets éclatés par le froid ou les chocs thermiques, des minéraux de type feldspaths et des sphérules d"un nouveau genre sur Mars. Table des matières Exploitation des images prises depuis l'orbite par Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) Curiosity, interprétation rapide d'images choisies et commentées par la NASA Curiosity, interprétation "à chaud" d'images brutes (raw images) Opportunity continue son exploration du cratère Endeavour et découvre des myrtilles d'un type nouveau Cela fait maintenant 9 semaines que Curiosity s'est posé dans le cratère Gale. Nous l'avons quitté, fin août, alors qu'il venait de quitter son site d'atterrissage et commençait à se diriger vers le site nommé Glenelg. Pendant ce mois de septembre, a été publié un panorama 360° du site d'atterrissage de Curiosity, panorama "animé" où l'on peut naviguer, aller à droite ou à gauche, zoomer sur le secteur qui nous intéresse. Exploitation des images prises depuis l'orbite par Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) On peut trouver dans le site de Curiosity (rubrique Images) ou dans celui du JPL/NASA des images prises par Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter depuis son orbite, images légendées, commentées... En voici trois. https://planet-terre.ens-lyon.fr/ressource/galet-feldspath-myrtilloides-Mars.xml - Version du 07/04/21 2/14 Source - © 2012 NASA/JPL-Caltech/Univ. of Arizona Figure 1. Trajet de Curiosity jusqu'au sol 56 (56ème jour martien de sa mission), soit le 2 octobre 2012. Curiosity ne s'est pas déplacé significativement de ce lieu pendant les 10 sols qui ont suivi. Il lui reste 176 m pour arriver à sa première destination, le site Glennelg. Sur cette carte, le Nord est en haut. Source - © 2012 NASA/JPL-Caltech/Univ. of Arizona Figure 2. Les environs immédiats de la destination choisie par les géologues du JPL (croix noire) dans le secteur de Glenelg. Vue depuis l'orbite, la géologie de ce secteur de plus fort albédo, et de ses énigmatiques polygones sombres est très intrigante et alléchante. Source - © 2012 NASA/JPL-Caltech/Univ. of Arizona Figure 3. Anaglyphe (image en relief) du secteur de Glenelg. Pour voir le relief, il faut mettre des lunettes avec des films transparents colorés : bleu vert pour l'œil droit, rouge pour l'œil gauche. On voit alors très bien le relief (exagéré). On s'aperçoit alors que la destination de Curiosity (les terrains plus clairs et leurs mosaïques de polygones sombres) correspond à une dépression. https://planet-terre.ens-lyon.fr/ressource/galet-feldspath-myrtilloides-Mars.xml - Version du 07/04/21 3/14 Curiosity, interprétation rapide d'images choisies et commentées par la NASA Ces figures de la rubrique Images, rappelons-le, correspondent à une sélection de photos choisies, commentées, orientées… par la NASA. L'interprétation que nous proposons est donc très "influencée" par ces commentaires. Source - © 2012 NASA/JPL-Caltech, détail Source - © 2012 NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS, détail Figure 5. Vue prise le sol 21 (27 août) vers l'arrière de Figure 4. Vue prise depuis le site d'atterrissage de Curiosity, en direction de l'Ouest. Curiosity, en direction de l'Est, vers le site Glenelg. On voit très bien les traces laissées par les 6 roues, et le C'est sur ces terrains relativement peu accidentés que site d'atterrissage en bout de piste. devra rouler Curiosity. Source - © 2012 NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS and PSI, modifié Source - © 2012 NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS Figure 7. Détail du micro-conglomérat comparé à un Figure 6. Micro-conglomérat constitué de galets dont la équivalent terrestre. taille la plus fréquente est d'environ 0,5 cm. La majorité des mini-galets sont arrondis (ce micro- La majorité des mini-galets sont arrondis (ce micro- conglomérat est donc un micro-poudingue), preuve que conglomérat est donc un micro-poudingue), preuve que ces mini-galets ont subi un transport par de l'eau liquide. ces mini-galets ont subi un transport par de l'eau liquide. La NASA a publié côte à côte ce mini-conglomérat Cette image date du sol 27 (2 septembre 2012). martien et un équivalent terrestre. L'image martienne date du sol 27 (2 septembre 2012). https://planet-terre.ens-lyon.fr/ressource/galet-feldspath-myrtilloides-Mars.xml - Version du 07/04/21 4/14 Source - © 2012 NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS Source - © 2012 NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS Figure 9. Gros plan sur une couche de conglomérat et Figure 8. Une couche de conglomérat photographiée un "gros" galet. par Curiosity, sol 39 (14 septembre 2012). Détail de la partie en bas à gauche de la figure Ces conglomérats ne forment pas une couche continue, précédente. mais des "trainées" allongées, très vraisemblablement d'ancien chenaux ou lits de ruisseaux plus ou moins Un galet arrondi pluri-centimétrique est visible, preuve torrentiels. que le courant à l'origine du transport de ces galets pouvait avoir une assez grande vitesse. Quand la NASA a publié ces images de conglomérat, preuve d'un transport de galets par des eaux courantes assez rapides, elle a insisté (à juste titre) sur l'importance de la découverte, mais suggérant sans le dire que c'était totalement inattendu. Certains médias se sont emparés de cette découverte en disant qu'on avait là la preuve de l'existence de l'eau sur Mars. Rappelons que l'eau (sous forme de glace) a été découverte sur Mars en 1666 (règne de Louis XIV), et qu'on a la preuve que de l'eau liquide a coulé à la surface de Mars dans un passé lointain depuis 1971 (mission Mariner 9). La découverte de ces anciens lits de ruisseau ou chenaux plus ou moins deltaïques est plus une confirmation de ce qu'on attendait qu'une surprise : Curiosity s'est en effet posé sur la partie distale (aval) d'un cône de déjection torrentiel issu du bord Nord du cratère Gale. https://planet-terre.ens-lyon.fr/ressource/galet-feldspath-myrtilloides-Mars.xml - Version du 07/04/21 5/14 Source - © 2012 NASA/JPL-Caltech/Univ. of Arizona Source - © 2012 Google earth Figure 11. Carte altimétrique de la plaine située entre le Figure 10. image Google Mars oblique (prise en Mont Sharp et le bord NNO du cratère Gale au niveau du direction du SSE) sur l'ensemble du cratère Gale, avec le débouché de la Peace Vallis. Mont Sharp en son centre. Le cône alluvial (alluvial fan) issu de cette vallée a été Le site d'atterrissage de Curiosity est repéré par la "renforcé" en gris pour être plus visible. Curiosity s'est punaise rouge. Au premier plan, dévalant du bord NNO du posé (croix rouge) en partie distale de ce cône. Rien cratère Gale jusque dans la plaine entourant le mont d'étonnant qu'on y trouve ce qui ressemble à des lits de Sharp, on voit très bien un système de gorges et vallées ruisseaux / chenaux, avec des galets globalement de torrentielles (Peace Vallis) qui débouchent dans la plaine petite taille vue la position distale du site d'atterrissage. juste "en face" de Curiosity. L'ellipse noire correspond à l'ellipse de confiance où devait atterrir Curiosity. Source - © 2012 NASA/JPL-Caltech - Google earth Figure 12. Comparaison entre le cône alluvial de Peace Valley dans le cratère Gale et un équivalent terrestre. Sur le cône martien, la NASA à surligné en bleu les chenaux et bras de ruisseaux les plus importants et a limité par deux traits rouges les limites du cône. L'image Google Earth du cône alluvial terrestre (d'une taille légèrement supérieure) provient du grand désert au NO de la Chine. https://planet-terre.ens-lyon.fr/ressource/galet-feldspath-myrtilloides-Mars.xml - Version du 07/04/21 6/14 Source - © 2012 NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS Figure 13. Cadre géologique du rocher nommé Jake Matijevic. Le rocher Jake Matijevic a fait l'objet des premiers essais de la "caméra microscope" et des premières analyses par fluorescence αX (APXS = Alpha-Particle-X-ray-Spectrometer), analyses couplées avec d'autres effectuées par ChemCam. Source - © 2012 NASA/JPL-Caltech Source - © 2012 NASA/JPL-Caltech Figure 14. Le rocher nommé Jake Matijevic, première Figure 15. Bras instrumental de Curiosity effectuant ses cible où ont été testés simultanément ALPS et Chemcam. analyses sur Jake Matijevic. Image prise le sol 43 (19 septembre 2012). Image brute de la Navcam Left A, sol 46. Source - © 2012 NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS Figure 16. Gros plan de Jake Matijevic réalisé par la caméra microscope MAHLI (Mars Hand Lens Imager). Source - © 2012 NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS La morphologie de surface semble plus refléter une Figure 17. Le rocher Jake Matijevic après analyses. surface d'érosion éolienne que la nature et la structure de Image annotée et mise en ligne le 11 octobre 2012. la roche. Les minéraux ne sont pas visibles (trop petits, Les points rouges correspondent à des points d'analyse ou masqués par la poussière et la patine d'érosion ?). laser par ChemCam, les zones grisées aux champs des Photo prise le sol 47 (23 septembre 2012). photos de ChemCam, et les cercles violet à la surface analysé par APXS. La NASA a légèrement "défloré" les résultats des analyses du rocher Jake Matijevic, en écrivant des phrases à la https://planet-terre.ens-lyon.fr/ressource/galet-feldspath-myrtilloides-Mars.xml - Version du 07/04/21 7/14 fois alléchantes (pour un géologue) mais trop vagues pour qu'on puisse conclure : « On Earth, rocks with composition like the Jake rock typically come from processes in the planet's mantle beneath the crust, from crystallization of relatively water-rich magma at elevated pressure » et « It's high in elements consistent with the mineral feldspar, and low in magnesium and iron », ce qu'on peut traduire par, respectivement, « Sur Terre, des roches de la composition du rocher nommé Jake proviennent typiquement de processus internes au manteau, sous la croûte, à partir de la cristallisation d'un magma riche en eau à forte pression » et « Son abondance en divers éléments chimiques est compatible avec les feldspaths, avec peu de magnésium et de fer ».
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