The Amorphous Composition of Three Mudstone Samples from Gale Crater: Implications for Weathering and Diagenetic Processes on Mars

Abstract: The Mars Science Laboratory rover, Curiosity, is exploring the lowermost formation of Gale crater’s central mound. Within this formation, three samples named Marimba, Quela, and Sebina have been analyzed by the CheMin X-ray diffractometer and the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) to determine mineralogy and bulk elemental chemistry, respectively. Marimba and Quela were also analyzed by the SAM (Sample Analysis at Mars) instrument to characterize the type and abundance of volatile phase…