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Science 3 December 2004:
Vol. 306. no. 5702, pp. 1740 - 1745
DOI: 10.1126/science.1104653
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Research Articles

Jarosite and Hematite at Meridiani Planum from Opportunity's Mössbauer Spectrometer

G. Klingelhöfer,1* R. V. Morris,2 B. Bernhardt,1 C. Schröder,1 D. S. Rodionov,1,3 P. A. de Souza, Jr.,1,4 A. Yen,5 R. Gellert,1,6 E. N. Evlanov,3 B. Zubkov,3 J. Foh,1,7 U. Bonnes,7 E. Kankeleit,7 P. Gütlich,1 D. W. Ming,2 F. Renz,1 T. Wdowiak,8 S. W. Squyres,9 R. E. Arvidson10

Mössbauer spectra measured by the Opportunity rover revealed four mineralogical components in Meridiani Planum at Eagle crater: jarosite- and hematite-rich outcrop, hematite-rich soil, olivine-bearing basaltic soil, and a pyroxene-bearing basaltic rock (Bounce rock). Spherules, interpreted to be concretions, are hematite-rich and dispersed throughout the outcrop. Hematitic soils both within and outside Eagle crater are dominated by spherules and their fragments. Olivine-bearing basaltic soil is present throughout the region. Bounce rock is probably an impact erratic. Because jarosite is a hydroxide sulfate mineral, its presence at Meridiani Planum is mineralogical evidence for aqueous processes on Mars, probably under acid-sulfate conditions.

1 Institut für Anorganische und Analytische Chemie, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität, Staudinger Weg 9, D-55128 Mainz, Germany.
2 National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX 77058, USA.
3 Space Research Institute IKI, 117997 Moscow, Russia.
4 Companhia Vale do Rio Doce (CVRD) Group, Vitoria, Brazil.
5 Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA.
6 Max Planck Institut für Chemie, Becher-Weg 27, D-55128 Mainz, Germany.
7 Darmstadt University of Technology, D-64289 Darmstadt, Germany.
8 University of Alabama, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA.
9 Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.
10 Washington University, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA.

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: klingel{at}mail.uni-mainz.de

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