Simultaneous physical retrieval of Martian geophysical parameters using Thermal Emission Spectrometer spectra: the φ-MARS algorithm.

In this paper, we present a new methodology for the simultaneous retrieval of surface and atmospheric parameters of Mars. The methodology is essentially based on similar codes implemented for high-resolution instruments looking at Earth, supported by a statistical retrieval procedure used to initialize the physical retrieval algorithm with a reliable first guess of the atmospheric parameters. The methodology has been customized for the Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES), which is a low-resolution interferometer. However, with minor changes to the forward and inverse modules, it is applicable to any instrument looking at Mars, and with particular effectiveness to high-resolution instruments. The forward module is a monochromatic radiative transfer model with the capability to calculate analytical Jacobians of any desired geophysical parameter. In the present work, we describe the general methodology and its application to a large sample of TES spectra. Results are drawn for the case of surface temperature and emissivity, atmospheric temperature profile, water vapor, and dust and ice mixing ratios. Comparison with climate models and other TES data analyses show very good agreement and consistency.

Noachian and more recent phyllosilicates in impact craters on Mars.

Hundreds of impact craters on Mars contain diverse phyllosilicates, interpreted as excavation products of preexisting subsurface deposits following impact and crater formation. This has been used to argue that the conditions conducive to phyllosilicate synthesis, which require the presence of abundant and long-lasting liquid water, were only met early in the history of the planet, during the Noachian period (> 3.6 Gy ago), and that aqueous environments were widespread then. Here we test this hypothesis by examining the excavation process of hydrated minerals by impact events on Mars and analyzing the stability of phyllosilicates against the impact-induced thermal shock. To do so, we first compare the infrared spectra of thermally altered phyllosilicates with those of hydrated minerals known to occur in craters on Mars and then analyze the postshock temperatures reached during impact crater excavation. Our results show that phyllosilicates can resist the postshock temperatures almost everywhere in the crater, except under particular conditions in a central area in and near the point of impact. We conclude that most phyllosilicates detected inside impact craters on Mars are consistent with excavated preexisting sediments, supporting the hypothesis of a primeval and long-lasting global aqueous environment. When our analyses are applied to specific impact craters on Mars, we are able to identify both pre- and postimpact phyllosilicates, therefore extending the time of local phyllosilicate synthesis to post-Noachian times.

Orbital identification of carbonate-bearing rocks on Mars.

Geochemical models for Mars predict carbonate formation during aqueous alteration. Carbonate-bearing rocks had not previously been detected on Mars' surface, but Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter mapping reveals a regional rock layer with near-infrared spectral characteristics that are consistent with the presence of magnesium carbonate in the Nili Fossae region. The carbonate is closely associated with both phyllosilicate-bearing and olivine-rich rock units and probably formed during the Noachian or early Hesperian era from the alteration of olivine by either hydrothermal fluids or near-surface water. The presence of carbonate as well as accompanying clays suggests that waters were neutral to alkaline at the time of its formation and that acidic weathering, proposed to be characteristic of Hesperian Mars, did not destroy these carbonates and thus did not dominate all aqueous environments.