Increasing occurrence of sandstone cemented with calcium sulfate on Mount Sharp, Gale Crater, Mars

The Mars Science Laboratory Rover Curiosity has observed calcium sulfate veins in all of the bedrock examined to date in Gale Crater, with the exception of the Bradbury Rise area. The veins are also ubiquitous in the Murray Formation, which is interpreted as fine-grain mudstone. But recently when the rover reached the Murray Buttes on the lower slopes of Mount Sharp, the presence of light-toned rocks with moderate CaO have been observed, suggesting the presence of a cementd porous sandstone. The substantial increase in ChemCam analyses consistent with cemented sandstone (instead of mudstone), along with changes in other sedimentary structures may signal a change in the depositional environment and/or provenance of the lake deposits

Mineralogy of Aram Chaos on Mars derived from OMEGA hyperspectral data

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Composition of the dust on Mars derived from OMEGA hyperpsectral images

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Distribution and Analysis of Calcium Sulfate-Cemented Sandstones Along the MSL Traverse, Gale Crater, Mars

International audienceDetection and distribution of calcium-sulfate cements found in Gale Crater bedrock by MSL Curiosity by ChemCam and their implications for martian history

Analysis of Calcium Sulfate-Cemented Sandstones and Veins Along the MSL Traverse, Gale Crater, Mars

International audienceWe have confirmed the likely presence of Ca-S cement (interpenetrating a silicate matrix) in many ChemCam analyses using the typical 25 dust free shots on each target point to assess homogeneity of targets that are a mixture of Ca-S and silicate