Vis-NIR Spectroscopy of Mineral Mixtures with Montmorillonite and Silica: Implications for Detecting Alteration Products on Mars

Introduction. A variety of secondary silicates have been identified on Mars using Vis-NIR spectroscopic data from the Observatoire pour la Mineralogie, l’Eau, les Glaces et l’Activite (OMEGA) on Mars Express and the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) on Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, including smectite, chlorite, kaolinite, and illite clay minerals and hydrous amorphous silica [1-4]. The detection of these materials is significant because they provide important information about past aqueous environments on Mars. Vis-NIR spectra of specific secondary silicates can be distinguished by the positions and shapes of hydration features. Here, we investigate the detection of secondary silicates by vis-NIR spectroscopy of mixtures with basaltic igneous minerals and either hydrous amorphous silica or montmorillonite. Experimental Procedure. Minor amounts of <2 μm amorphous silica or montmorillonite clay (2.5, 5, 10, and 20 wt%) were physically mixed with augite, andesine, or olivine (75-106 μm). A portion of each mixture was compressed into a pellet. Vis-NIR spectra (0.32-2.55 μm) of particulate and pellet mixtures were measured at RELAB at Brown University, and each spectrum was visually inspected to determine detection limits of secondary silicates based on hydration features. Preliminary Results. Absorptions at 1.4 and 1.9 μm (OH stretch overtone and H2O bend and stretch, respectively) occur in almost all mixture spectra; however, the strength, shape, and position are dependent on the igneous mineral and secondary silicate abundance in the mixture. The morphology of absorptions at ~2.2 μm (from metal-OH bonds) differs between amorphous silica and montmorillonite [3,4], so we use these absorptions to determine the detection limits of amorphous silica and montmorillonite. The 2.2 μm absorption is present in all montmorillonite-mixture spectra, indicating the montmorillonite detection limit is <2.5 wt%; however, the 2.2 μm absorption is generally present in silica-mixture spectra that contain >10 wt% silica. Conclusions. Vis-NIR spectra of our mineral mixtures show that montmorillonite has a lower detection limit than amorphous silica, based on the presence of the ~2.2 μm absorption. This indicates that chemically weathered surfaces on Mars that contain silica must have much more alteration material to be detected than surfaces with clay. Furthermore, the shape and position of the 1.4 and 1.9 μm features changes with igneous mineral type and silica abundance, which adds to the difficulty in using vis-NIR to detect amorphous silica on Mars. Our study is consistent with a previous study that demonstrates the inability to detect thin silica coatings on basaltic particulates by vis-NIR spectroscopy [5], and suggests acidic chemical weathering and the precipitation of amorphous silica on Mars may be more pervasive and intense than vis-NIR spectroscopic data indicate. References. [1] J.-P. Bibring et al. (2006) Science, 312, 400-404. [2] F. Poulet et al. (2005) Nature, 438, 623-627. [3] J.F. Mustard et al. (2008) Nature, 454, 305-309. [4] R.E. Milliken et al. (2008) Geology, 36, 847-850. [5] M.D. Kraft et al. (2007) 7th Int. Conf. Mars, 3396.