Depth selective Mossbauer spectroscopy: Analysis and simulation of 6.4 keV and 14.4 keV spectra obtained from rocks at Gusev Crater, Mars, and layered laboratory samples

The miniaturized Mössbauer spectrometer (MIMOS) II Mössbauer spectrometers on the Mars Exploration Rovers (MER) simultaneously obtained 6.4 keV and 14.4 keV Mössbauer spectra from rock and soil targets. Because photons with lower energy have a shallower penetration depth, 6.4 keV spectra contain more mineralogical information about the near-surface region of a sample than do 14.4 keV spectra. The influence of surface layers of varying composition and thickness on Mössbauer spectra was investigated by Monte Carlo simulation and by measurement using a copy of the MER MIMOS II instrument and samples with one or two layers of known thicknesses. Thin sections of minerals or metallic Fe foil on top of a thick mineral sample were used to produce samples with thin layers of known thickness on a thick substrate. Monte Carlo simulation of MER spectra obtained on the rock Mazatzal, which displays a coating on a basaltic substrate, and other Adirondack Class rocks results in a calculated thickness of 10 micrometer for the Mazatzal surface layer. The 6.4 keV spectra obtained on Adirondack Class rocks, on laboratory samples, and in Monte Carlo calculations show an apparent olivine enrichment which is not related to any observable surface layer

Subsurface Weathering of Rocks and Soils at Gusev Crater

Data collected by the Mars Exploration Rover (MER) Spirit at Gusev Crater suggest that enhanced weathering of rocks and soils occurs beneath the immediate surface. We suggest that this alteration occurs over geological timescales under present climatic conditions and is a result of diurnal condensation of thin-films of water on subsurface materials. Additional information is included in the original extended abstract

A semi‐active human digital twin model for detecting severity of carotid stenoses from head vibration—A coupled computational mechanics and computer vision method

In this work we propose a methodology to detect the severity of carotid stenosis from a video of a human face with the help of a coupled blood flow and head vibration model. This semi‐active digital twin model is an attempt to link non‐invasive video of a patient face to the percentage of carotid occlusion. The pulsatile nature of blood flow through the carotid arteries induces a subtle head vibration. This vibration is a potential indicator of carotid stenosis severity and it is exploited in the present study. A head vibration model has been proposed in the present work that is linked to the forces generated by blood flow with or without occlusion. The model is used to generate a large number of virtual head vibration data for different degrees of occlusion. In order to determine the in vivo head vibration, a computer vision algorithm is adopted to use human face videos. The in vivo vibrations are compared against the virtual vibration data generated from the coupled computational blood flow/vibration model. A comparison of the in vivo vibration is made against the virtual data to find the best fit between in vivo and virtual data. The preliminary results on healthy subjects and a patient clearly indicate that the model is accurate and it possesses the potential for detecting approximate severity of carotid artery stenoses

Application of 57Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy as a tool for mining exploration of bornite (Cu5FeS4) copper ore

Nuclear resonance methods, including Mössbauer spectroscopy, are considered as unique techniques suitable for remote on-line mineralogical analysis. The employment of these methods provides potentially significant commercial benefits for mining industry. As applied to copper sulfide ores, Mössbauer spectroscopy method is suitable for the analysis noted. Bornite (formally Cu5FeS4) is a significant part of copper ore and identification of its properties is important for economic exploitation of commercial copper ore deposits. A series of natural bornite samples was studied by 57Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy. Two aspects were considered: reexamination of 57Fe Mössbauer properties of natural bornite samples and their stability irrespective of origin and potential use of miniaturized Mössbauer spectrometers MIMOS II for in-situ bornite identification. The results obtained show a number of potential benefits of introducing the available portative Mössbauer equipment into the mining industry for express mineralogical analysis. In addition, results of some preliminary 63,65Cu nuclear quadrupole resonance (NQR) studies of bornite are reported and their merits with Mössbauer techniques for bornite detection discussed

Raman-Mössbauer-XRD studies of selected samples from “Los Azulejos” outcrop: A possible analogue for assessing the alteration processes on Mars

The outcrop of “Los Azulejos” is visible at the interior of the Cañadas Caldera in Tenerife Island (Spain). It exhibits a great variety of alteration processes that could be considered as terrestrial analogue for several geological processes on Mars. This outcrop is particularly interesting due to the content of clays, zeolite, iron oxides, and sulfates corresponding to a hydrothermal alteration catalogued as “Azulejos” type alteration. A detailed analysis by portable and laboratory Raman systems as well as other different techniques such as X ray diffraction (XRD) and Mössbauer spectroscopy has been carried out (using twin-instruments from Martian lander missions: Mössbauer spectrometer MIMOS-II from the NASA-MER mission of 2001 and the XRD diffractometer from the NASA-MSL Curiosity mission of 2012). The mineral identification presents the following mineral species: magnetite, goethite, hematite, anatase, rutile, quartz, gregoryite, sulphate (thenardite and hexahydrite), diopside, feldspar, analcime, kaolinite and muscovite. Moreover, the in-situ Raman and Micro-Raman measurements have been performed in order to compare the capabilities of the portable system specially focused for the next ESA Exo-Mars mission. The mineral detection confirms the sub-aerial alteration on the surface and the hydrothermal processes by the volcanic fluid circulations in the fresh part. Therefore, the secondary more abundant mineralization acts as the color agent of the rocks. Thus, the zeolite-illite group is the responsible for the bluish coloration, as well as the feldspars and carbonates for the whitish and the iron oxide for the redish parts. The XRD system was capable to detect a minor proportion of pyroxene, which is not visible by Raman and Mössbauer spectroscopy due to the “Azulejos” alteration of the parent material on the outcrop. On the other hand, Mössbauer spectroscopy was capable of detecting different types of iron-oxides (Fe3+/2+-oxide phases). These analyses emphasize the strength of the different techniques and the working synergy of the three different techniques together for planetary space missions.The work was supported by the MICINN with the Project AYA-2008-04529.Peer reviewe

In-situ Mössbauer Spectroscopy with MIMOS II at Rio Tinto, Spain

The Rio Tinto, located in southwest Spain, exhibits a nearly constant, acidic pHvalue along its course. Due to the formation of sulfate minerals, Rio Tinto is considered a potential analogue site for sulfate-rich regions on Mars, in particular at the landing site of the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity, where the ferric sulfate mineral jarosite was identified with Opportunity's Mössbauer spectrometer. Primary and secondary mineralogy was investigated in situ with portable Raman and Mössbauer spectrometers at four different Rio Tinto sampling sites. The two techniques analyse different sample portions due to their specific field of view and sampling depth and provide complementary mineralogical information

Athena MIMOS II Mossbauer spectrometer investigation

Mössbauer spectroscopy is a powerful tool for quantitative mineralogical analysis of Fe-bearing materials. The miniature Mössbauer spectrometer MIMOS II is a component of the Athena science payload launched to Mars in 2003 on both Mars Exploration Rover missions. The instrument has two major components: (1) a rover-based electronics board that contains power supplies, a dedicated central processing unit, memory, and associated support electronics and (2) a sensor head that is mounted at the end of the instrument deployment device (IDD) for placement of the instrument in physical contact with soil and rock. The velocity transducer operates at a nominal frequency of 25 Hz and is equipped with two 57Co/Rh Mössbauer sources. The reference source (5 mCi landed intensity), reference target (alpha-Fe2O3 plus alpha-Fe0), and PIN-diode detector are configured in transmission geometry and are internal to the instrument and used for its calibration. The analysis Mössbauer source (150 mCi landed intensity) irradiates Martian surface materials with a beam diameter of 1.4 cm. The backscatter radiation is measured by four PIN-diode detectors. Physical contact with surface materials is sensed with a switch-activated contact plate. The contact plate and reference target are instrumented with temperature sensors. Assuming 18% Fe for Martian surface materials, experiment time is 6–12 hours during the night for quality spectra (i.e., good counting statistics); 1–2 hours is sufficient to identify and quantify the most abundant Fe-bearing phases. Data stored internal to the instrument for selectable return to Earth include Mössbauer and pulse-height analysis spectra (512 and 256 channels, respectively) for each of the five detectors in up to 13 temperature intervals (65 Mössbauer spectra), engineering data for the velocity transducer, and temperature measurements. The total data volume is 150 kB. The mass and power consumption are 500 g (400 g for the sensor head) and 2 W, respectively. The scientific measurement objectives of the Mössbauer investigation are to obtain for rock, soil, and dust (1) the mineralogical identification of iron-bearing phases (e.g., oxides, silicates, sulfides, sulfates, and carbonates), (2) the quantitative measurement of the distribution of iron among these iron-bearing phases (e.g., the relative proportions of iron in olivine, pyroxenes, ilmenite, and magnetite in a basalt), (3) the quantitative measurement of the distribution of iron among its oxidation states (e.g., Fe2+, Fe3+, and Fe6+), and (4) the characterization of the size distribution of magnetic particles. Special geologic targets of the Mössbauer investigation are dust collected by the Athena magnets and interior rock and soil surfaces exposed by the Athena Rock Abrasion Tool and by trenching with rover wheels

2018 MAX-C/ExoMars Mission: The Orleans Mars-Analogue Rock Collection for Instrument Testing

International audienceIn order to reply to the exobiological goals of the 2018 MAX-C/ExoMars mission, the Orléans-OSUC analogue rock collection and database contains well characterised Mars analogue rocks and minerals for use in instrument testing and in situ missions

Application of 57Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy as a tool for mining exploration of bornite (Cu5FeS4) copper ore

Nuclear resonance methods, including Mössbauer spectroscopy,are considered as unique techniques suitable for remote on-line mineralogical analysis. The employment of these methods provides potentially significant commercial benefits for mining industry. As applied to copper sulfide ores, Mössbauer spectroscopy method is suitable for the analysis noted. Bornite (formally Cu5FeS4) is a significant part of copper ore and identification of its properties is important for economic exploitation of commercial copper ore deposits. A series of natural bornite samples was studied by 57Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy. Two aspects were considered: reexamination of 57Fe Mössbauer properties of natural bornite samples and their stability irrespective of origin and potential use of miniaturized Mössbauer spectrometers MIMOS II for in-situ bornite identification. The results obtained show a number of potential benefits of introducing the available portative Mössbauer equipment into the mining industry for express mineralogical analysis. In addition, results of some preliminary 63,65Cu nuclear quadrupole resonance (NQR) studies of bornite are reported and their merits with Mössbauer techniques for bornite detection discussed. © 2013 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht