HR: 0800h
AN: P21A-0209    [Abstracts]
TI: Spectroscopy of Salt-Cemented Materials; Evidence for the Occurrence of Water in the Martian Surface Layer
AU: * Baldridge, A M
EM: alice@asu.edu
AF: Arizona State Univeristy, MC 6305, Tempe, AZ 85287 United States
AU: Christensen, P
EM: Philip.Christensen@asu.edu
AF: Arizona State Univeristy, MC 6305, Tempe, AZ 85287 United States
AB: Salt-cemented surfaces on Mars are key indicators of the role water played in the planet's past. Crusts and salts have been observed at the Martian landing sites and have been inferred from orbital measurements of thermal inertia and albedo. If water exists or existed at the surface of Mars, salt crusts would be expected to form, coating and cementing the upper layers of sediment. To date there is a lack of information on the infrared spectral properties of salt-cemented materials. Studies of playa environments have suggested that spectra of cemented surfaces may be very different from mixtures of particulates. Properties affecting the spectral features of salt-cemented surfaces include surface texture, spatial relationship to non-salt particles, abundance of salt, the degree of induration, the composition of the salt as well as the properties of the cemented material. In analyzing spectral observations of the Martian surface it is essential to characterize the unique spectral properties of salt-cemented materials. This study explores the formation of salt crusts and coatings and their relation to spectral properties in the thermal infrared. Laboratory results will be used to analyze thermal infrared data for Mars to constrain the mineralogy and abundance of salts on Mars and provide insight into the amount and distribution of water present at the surface.
DE: 5464 Remote sensing
SC: Planetary Sciences [P]
MN: 2004 AGU Fall Meeting