Eighth International Conference on Mars (2014) 1031.pdf FIELD GUIDE TO HUSBAND HILL, GUSEV CRATER. Shoshanna B. Cole1,2 and Steve W. Squyres1, 1Department of Astronomy, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, 2
[email protected] Introduction: The Mars Exploration Rover Spir- Cumberland Ridge. In a rare occurrence in the Co- it’s trek across Husband Hill [1, 2] is the best- lumbia Hills, this site encompasses three outcrops side- documented hiking trail on Mars today. Many studies by-side. The elemental abundances of these layered have been conducted on the rich dataset covering this Watchtower Class exposures are nearly identical de- region [3, 4], including one which produced a field spite their varied mineralogies and textures [6]. They reconnaissance geologic map [5], yet new analyses and are particularly high in Ti and P, and their Cr is below observations have not been synthesized into a concise the detection threshold of Spirit’s Alpha Particle X-ray summary of the Husband Hill assemblage since 2006 Spectrometer (APXS) [8]. The iron oxidation state 3+ [6] – before Spirit had reached the summit. In this (Fe /Fetotal) increases systematically from 0.43 on Me- presentation, we will take a virtual field trip through thuselah, the westernmost outcrop, to 0.94 on the east- this late Noachian/early Hesperian terrain, following in ern side of the easternmost outcrop, Larry’s Lookout Spirit’s footsteps. On our way, we will “conduct” ac- [10]. As you walk the outcrops in this direction, ob- tivities that test hypotheses related to the emplacement serve the decreasing size of the fine-scale nodules and alteration of the features we observe.