University of New Mexico
Laser induced breakdown spectroscopy of martian breccia Northwest Africa 7034: comparison with Mars Science Laboratory results
Abstract
dc:description.abstractThe Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) rover is utilizing laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) instrumentation to determine compositions of rocks shot in Gale crater, Mars, from a distance of 1.56-7 meters. At the same time, martian breccia meteorite Northwest Africa (NWA) 7034 was analyzed with the ChemCam engineering model laboratory LIBS instrument at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) at a 1.6 m standoff distance under 7 Torr CO2. Each LIBS location was pulsed with 150 shots at 3 Hz and 13.5 mJ/pulse. Comparison of NWA 7034 LIBS results with the bulk composition acquired with electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) show agreement within LIBS instrument error. Comparison of NWA 7034 data with targets from Gale shows chemical and textural similarities. This study helps bridge the gap between Mars in situ and martian meteorite data by using LIBS data to determine compositions of heterogeneous rock samples outside the compositional range previously observed on Mars.
Degree
thesis:*- Name thesis:degree_name
- Earth and Planetary Sciences
- Level thesis:degree_level
- Masters
- Discipline thesis:degree_discipline
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences
- Year
- 2015
Author and committee
dc:creator, dc:contributor.*- Author dc:creator
-
- Gordon, Suzanne
- Contributors dc:contributor
-
- Newsom, Horton
- Agee, Carl
- McCubbin, Francis
- Scuderi, Louis
Subjects
dc:subject × 4Rights
- Language dc:language
- English
Identifiers
dc:identifier.*- OAI identifier oai:identifier
- oai:digitalrepository.unm.edu:eps_etds-1030