Recognizing impact glass on Mars using surface texture, mechanical properties, and mid-infrared spectroscopic methods.

摘要

A primary goal of future Mars sample return missions is to obtain samples whose isotopic ages can be used to place absolute time constraints on the relative Martian crater chronology. Thus, identifying the origin of surface material as impact or volcanic prior to its return to Earth will be critical. This dissertation focuses on four strategies for identifying and characterizing impact melt breccias from both landed and orbital perspectives. In Part 1, the geology of Viking 2 Landing (VL2) site is re-evaluated using recently acquired orbital data. Measurements of relict landform topography indicate that a layer of sedimentary material at least 120 m thick has been eroded from the site. Crater counts indicate an extreme deficiency of small-diameter craters (500 m), indicating that resurfacing has continued up to the present. Thermal inertia data over the site is consistent with some rocks being impact-emplaced and possibly impact-derived. In Part 2, three textural characteristics were identified as potential discriminants between vesicular impact and volcanic glasses: vesicle shape (elongation), orientation, and spatial density. Additionally, a theoretical model was developed to constrain the conditions necessary for the preservation of deformed bubble textures. The results suggest that deformed bubbles are unlikely to be preserved in typical Martian basalts or basaltic andesites. Part 3 is an endeavor to extract science from mission support operations. First, a method for determining the bulk density of rocks via a pushing (i.e., by a robotic spacecraft arm) was developed and applied to VL2 rock-pushing data. Although the large measurement uncertainties preclude drawing firm conclusions, the results demonstrate the feasibility of the technique. Second, results from the Rock Abrasion Tool (RAT) on the Spirit rover were analyzed to infer the mechanical strength of ground surfaces. Rocks in the Columbia Hills were found to be mechanically consistent with impact melt breccias. In Part 4, systematic variations in glass mid-infrared reststrahlen band positions were determined with variations in glass chemistry, degree of crystallinity, and quench rate. Results indicate that the spectra of rapidly quenched glasses with a high fictive temperature exhibit shifts to shorter wavelengths, causing them to appear more silica-rich.