P51D-08
Monitoring of anomalous water distribution by DAN/MSL during first U-turn observational campaign at Marias Pass area in Gale Crater

Friday, 18 December 2015: 09:45
2007 (Moscone West)
Maxim L Litvak1, Igor G. Mitrofanov1, Anton B. Sanin1, Craig J Hardgrove2, William V Boynton3, Karl Harshman4, Insoo Jun5, Denis Lisov1, Ralph Milliken6, Michael A Mischna5, Jeffrey Moersch7 and Christopher Gayle Tate7, (1)Space Research Institute RAS, Moscow, Russia, (2)Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States, (3)University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United States, (4)Univ Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United States, (5)NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, United States, (6)Brown University, Providence, RI, United States, (7)University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, United States
Abstract:
Active neutron spectrometer DAN operates onboard Curiosity rover since its landing in August 2012 and performs measurements of subsurface water distribution along rover’s traverse both in passive (monitoring of bulk content of bound water during rover driving) and active (detailed observations of water depth distribution at the selected rover stops) modes.

On sol 991 continuing its approach to the main strategic target at Aeolis Mons/Gale crater, Curiosity entered in Marias Pass area where DAN observations both in passive and active mode have discovered highest concentration of bound water (>6.5% in average) ever observed during Curiosity surface operations. At the same time ChemCam instrument identified in this area a bright rock unit (named as Elk target) belonging to Murray formation with abnormally high concentration of SiO2 (>75%) and TiO2 (>3%). Post drive analysis of ChemCam and DAN observations performed in Marias Pass area during 991-997 sols inspired Curiosity Science team to make rover’s U-turn and return to the vicinity of Elk target for the detailed investigation of subsurface water distribution and search for rock units similar in elemental composition with Elk target. During this campaign moving with 2-3 m intervals DAN found another several locations with high concentration of subsurface water and ChemCam identified numerous targets with Elk similar composition. These observations have been also supported with contact measurements provided with APXS instrument, which also confirmed high (>70%) silica concentration. Based on the gathered data several hypotheses explaining formation of this area where proposed and possible locations for the next round of drilling and sampling operations where discussed.

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