SWIR Investigation of sites of astrobiological interest

Abstract

Rover missions to the rocky bodies of the Solar System and especially to Mars require light- weight, portable instruments that use minimal power, require no sample preparation, and provide suitably diagnostic mineralogical information to an Earth-based exploration team. Short-wave infrared (SWIR) spectroscopic instruments such as the Portable Infrared Mineral Analyser (PIMA, Integrated Spectronics Pty Ltd., Baulkham Hills, NSW, Australia) fulfill all these requirements. We describe an investigation of a possible Mars analogue site using a PIMA instrument. A survey was carried out on the Strelley Pool Chert, an outcrop of stro- matolitic, silicified Archean carbonate and clastic succession in the Pilbara Craton, interpreted as being modified by hydrothermal processes. The results of this study demonstrate the ca- pability of SWIR techniques to add significantly to the geological interpretation of such hy- drothermally altered outcrops. Minerals identified include dolomite, white micas such as il- lite-muscovite, and chlorite. In addition, the detection of pyrophyllite in a bleached and altered unit directly beneath the succession suggests acidic, sulfur-rich hydrothermal activity may have interacted with the silicified sediments of the Strelley Pool Chert.

Key Words: Pilbara, Short-wave infrared, spectroscopy, Mars, Stromatolites, Archean

Cited by in corpus (5)

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• Hyperspectral imaging spectroscopy of a Mars analogue environment at the North Pole Dome, Pilbara Craton, Western Australia
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• Ancient Australian Rocks and the Search for Life on Mars
• MR PRISM - Spectral Analysis Tool for the CRISM