Open AccessNickel on Mars: Constraints on meteoritic material at the surface
Author(s) -
Yen A. S.,
Mittlefehldt D. W.,
McLennan S. M.,
Gellert R.,
Bell J. F.,
McSween H. Y.,
Ming D. W.,
McCoy T. J.,
Morris R. V.,
Golombek M.,
Economou T.,
Madsen M. B.,
Wdowiak T.,
Clark B. C.,
Jolliff B. L.,
Schröder C.,
Brückner J.,
Zipfel J.,
Squyres S. W.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
journal of geophysical research: planets
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.67
H-Index - 298
eISSN - 2156-2202
pISSN - 0148-0227
DOI - 10.1029/2006je002797
Subject(s) - martian , meteorite , mars exploration program , martian soil , geology , impact crater , martian surface , astrobiology , sedimentary rock , regolith , crust , nickel , mineralogy , geochemistry , chondrite , achondrite , materials science , metallurgy , physics
Impact craters and the discovery of meteorites on Mars indicate clearly that there is meteoritic material at the Martian surface. The Alpha Particle X‐ray Spectrometers (APXS) on board the Mars Exploration Rovers measure the elemental chemistry of Martian samples, enabling an assessment of the magnitude of the meteoritic contribution. Nickel, an element that is greatly enhanced in meteoritic material relative to samples of the Martian crust, is directly detected by the APXS and is observed to be geochemically mobile at the Martian surface. Correlations between nickel and other measured elements are used to constrain the quantity of meteoritic material present in Martian soil and sedimentary rock samples. Results indicate that analyzed soils samples and certain sedimentary rocks contain an average of 1% to 3% contamination from meteoritic debris.