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TES Spectra of Mars Pyroxene Minerals
First minerals identified from TES observations! The very
first mineral that the Mars Global Surveyor TES team reported
seeing on Mars is pyroxene. The top two spectra are of the
pyroxene mineral, augite. The bottom spectrum is a TES
observation of Hebes Chasma on Mars. The three arrows indicate spectral
features that are similar between the pyroxenes and the Mars spectrum.
Other features in the Mars spectrum are caused by other minerals (not yet
identified) and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Pyroxenes are a class
of minerals composed of silicon, oxygen, plus magnesium, iron, and calcium.
Pyroxenes are common in volcanic rocks. For more information, see
"Understanding Martian Volcanic Rocks and Their Minerals With the MGS TES,"
by Vicky Hamilton, TES News, v. 4, no. 2, May 1995.
For TES News Article Related to This Figure, See...
MGS and TES Update, December 19, 1997
by Greg Mehall
TES News is published quarterly by the Arizona Mars K-12 Education
Program. This newsletter may be copied for EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY.
EDITED BY Kenneth S. Edgett, Arizona Mars K-12 Education Program,
Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA.
E-mail: ken.edgett@asu.edu
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