Our latest drillhole has gone successfully, at Big Sky. We will compare the compositional and X-ray diffraction data mineral data to that of the Buckskin drillhole to try and understand the unusual silica enrichments. Are we looking at compositions not unlike terrestrial sandstones formed by erosion of a differentiated crust, or is the composition dominated by the alteration of basaltic composition sediments – which releases silica?Identifying the different types of silica (SiO2) minerals that form at characteristic temperatures will help resolve this when combined with all the Curiosity imagery.
This week at the European Planetary Science Congress in Nantes, France, we are discussing many of the Curiosity results including alteration of the Gale sediments by groundwaters.
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