Science Report
02/27/2013
Melissa Battler
Today we traveled to the canyon ENE of MDRS, to investigate sulfate
minerals within (what I believe to be?) the Summerville formation. I
sampled white powder from the surface of the soil in two locations, as
well as what appeared to be an iron-rich soil weathering out from a
shale unit just below a conglomerate. The latter may have been part of
the Salt Wash member of the Morrison Formation, but I'm not sure, and
I welcome feedback from the Remote Science Team! The white powder and
the rusty red-brown soil are suspected to contain sulfate minerals,
and will be analyzed via X-ray diffraction, and compared to UV-vis-nIR
results, which will be used as a proxy to satellite spectral data. In
addition, preliminary sampling of nodular gypsum was done. I will aim
to return to this site tomorrow to finish sampling of nodular and vein
gypsum for my sulfate study, and for a colleague to investigate fluid
inclusions.