Carbon on Mars

[Marsrocks]

Spirit found abundant carbon material in this formation called comanche:

iron-magnesium carbonate, 16 to 34 percent by weight

Spirit sol 689

Comanche

0-www.nasa.gov.iii-server.ualr.edu/mission_pages/mer/multimedia/gallery/comanche-no-label.html

www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/mer/multimedia/gallery/comanche-with-label.html

planetary.org/blog/article/00002540/

www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=water-mars-carbonate

lh5.ggpht.com/_Bwtl2LFFFQE/SjBprSkfPpI/AAAAAAAABUM/hD4g7BJZIxk/s512/2P188151514EL5M1.jpg

They made this finding with a dust damaged but calibrated Miniature Thermal Emission Spectrometer (Mini-TES) - and confirmed it: "the data from the gamma-ray spectrometer and from a third spectrometer agreed with the Mini-TES spectra."

"The rover's Moessbauer spectrometer, miniature thermal emission spectrometer and alpha particle X-ray spectrometer each examined targets on Comanche that month."

[Marsrocks]

Fractures in Carbonate-Bearing Rocks at Mars' Huygens Basin



Hirise found some carbonates 3 miles deep exposed by cratering.

www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/MRO/multimedia/gallery/pia13800.html

www.marsdaily.com/reports/Some_Of_Mars_Missing_CO2_May_Be_Buried_999.html

hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/ESP_012897_1685

[Marsrocks]

This thread is also at alien anomalies forum under a thread about curiosity the new rover:

alienanomalies.activeboard.com/t46415094/curiosity-the-new-mars-rover/

[Marsrocks]

Sol 698 nav - Spirit looks at comanche up close:

[Marsrocks]

sol 699 spirit micro finds anomaly money - woo hoo!

Just kidding - it is a small flat disc shape though-










marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/all/spirit_m699.html

marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/all/2/m/699/2M188421715EFFAKFFP2936M2M1.JPG

marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/all/2/m/699/2M188422412EFFAKFFP2956M2M1.JPG

[Marsrocks]

Sol 689-698 various shots of comanche:

[Marsrocks]

GE
Sciencewww.sciencemag.org
Prev | Table of Contents | Next
Science 19 December 2008:
Vol. 322 no. 5909 pp. 1828-1832
DOI: 10.1126/science.1164759

* Report

Orbital Identification of Carbonate-Bearing Rocks on Mars

Abstract

Geochemical models for Mars predict carbonate formation during aqueous alteration. Carbonate-bearing rocks had not previously been detected on Mars' surface, but Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter mapping reveals a regional rock layer with near-infrared spectral characteristics that are consistent with the presence of magnesium carbonate in the Nili Fossae region. The carbonate is closely associated with both phyllosilicate-bearing and olivine-rich rock units and probably formed during the Noachian or early Hesperian era from the alteration of olivine by either hydrothermal fluids or near-surface water. The presence of carbonate as well as accompanying clays suggests that waters were neutral to alkaline at the time of its formation and that acidic weathering, proposed to be characteristic of Hesperian Mars, did not destroy these carbonates and thus did not dominate all aqueous environments.

www.sciencemag.org/content/322/5909/1828.full

[Marsrocks]

Spectra of martian dust taken by the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's mini-thermal emission spectrometer are compared to that of the orbital Mars Global Surveyor's thermal emission spectrometer. The graph shows that the two instruments are in excellent agreement.

Graphing silicates, CO2 and carbonates:


photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA05030

[Marsrocks]

Interestingly - um, well- here we go again...

Curiosity rover scientists seem set to annouce - after they do some fact checking, anyway - that the Curiosity rover did a sample analysis of the soil and found organic - that is, carbon-containing - compounds.


news.yahoo.com/mars-mystery-curiosity-rover-made-big-discovery-183538041.html