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Detection of iron substitution in natroalunite-natrojarosite solid solutions and potential implications for Mars

  • Thomas M. McCollom EMAIL logo , Bethany L. Ehlmann , Alian Wang , Brian M. Hynek and Thelma S. Berquó
Published/Copyright: May 15, 2014
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American Mineralogist
From the journal American Mineralogist Volume 99 Issue 5-6

Abstract

Natroalunite containing substantial amounts of Fe occurs as a prominent secondary phase during acid-sulfate alteration of pyroclastic basalts in volcanic fumaroles in Nicaragua and elsewhere, and has been observed in laboratory simulations of acid-sulfate alteration as well. Reaction path models constrained by field and experimental observations predict that Fe-rich natroalunite should also form as a major secondary phase during alteration of martian basalt under similar circumstances. Here, we evaluate the potential to use spectroscopic methods to identify minerals from the alunite group with chemical compositions intermediate between natroalunite and natrojarosite on the surface of Mars, and to remotely infer their Fe contents. X-ray diffraction and spectroscopic measurements (Raman, visible/ near infrared, mid-infrared, Mössbauer) were obtained for a suite of synthetic solid solutions with a range of Fe contents ranging from natroalunite to natrojarosite. In the visible/near infrared, minerals with intermediate compositions display several spectral features not evident in end-member spectra that could be used to remotely identify these minerals and infer their composition. In addition, Raman spectra, mid-infrared spectra, and X-ray diffraction peaks all show systematic variation with changing Fe content, indicating that these methods could potentially be used to infer mineral compositions as well. The results suggest that alunite group minerals with intermediate Fe compositions may be able to account for some visible/near-infrared and Mössbauer spectral features from Mars that had previously been unidentified or attributed to other phases. Overall, our findings indicate that consideration of solid solutions may lead to new identifications of alunite group minerals on the surface of Mars, and raise the possibility that minerals with compositions intermediate between natroalunite and natrojarosite may be widely distributed on the planet.

Keywords : Mars; alunite group; visible/near infrared spectra; Raman spectra; hydrothermal; acidsulfate alteration
Published Online: 2014-5-15
Published in Print: 2014-5-1

© 2014 by Walter de Gruyter Berlin/Boston

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  1. Highlights and Breakthroughs
  2. Absence of pressure-induced electron spin-state transition of iron in silicate glasses upon compression
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  4. Crossroads in Earth and Planetary Materials
  5. Crystal structures of laihunite and intermediate phases between laihunite-1M and fayalite: Z-contrast imaging and ab initio study
  6. Minerals in the Human Body
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  11. High-pressure behavior of thiospinel CuCr2S4
  12. Martian Rocks and Soil
  13. Mössbauer parameters of iron in phosphate minerals: Implications for interpretation of martian data
  14. A temperature-controlled sample stage for in situ micro-X-ray diffraction: Application to Mars analog mirabilite-bearing perennial cold spring precipitate mineralogy
  15. Detection of iron substitution in natroalunite-natrojarosite solid solutions and potential implications for Mars
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  20. Incorporation of Y and REEs in aluminosilicate garnet: Energetics from atomistic simulation
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  22. Ophirite, Ca2Mg4[Zn2Mn23+(H2O)2(Fe3+W9O34)2]·46H2O, a new mineral with a heteropolytungstate tri-lacunary Keggin anion
  23. Bubble formation during decompression of andesitic melts
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  26. Adsorption of sulfur dioxide on volcanic ashes
  27. Sulfidation of native gold
  28. Electrical conductivity of synthetic mullite single crystals
  29. In situ Raman spectroscopy identification of the S3̅ ion in S-rich hydrothermal fluids from synthetic fluid inclusions
  30. Melting phase equilibria of model carbonated peridotite from 8 to 12 GPa in the system CaO-MgO-Al2O3-SiO2-CO2 and kimberlitic liquids in the Earth’s upper mantle
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  38. Valence state partitioning of V between pyroxene and melt for martian melt compositions Y 980459 and QUE 94201: The effect of pyroxene composition and crystal structure
  39. MSA Award Presentations
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  41. Acceptance of the Mineralogical Society of America Award for 2013
  42. Presentation of the 2013 Roebling Medal of the Mineralogical Society of America to Frank C. Hawthorne
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https://doi.org/10.2138/am.2014.4617
Keywords for this article
Mars; alunite group; visible/near infrared spectra; Raman spectra; hydrothermal; acidsulfate alteration

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Highlights and Breakthroughs
  2. Absence of pressure-induced electron spin-state transition of iron in silicate glasses upon compression
  3. Dolomite discloses a hidden history of subducting slabs
  4. Crossroads in Earth and Planetary Materials
  5. Crystal structures of laihunite and intermediate phases between laihunite-1M and fayalite: Z-contrast imaging and ab initio study
  6. Minerals in the Human Body
  7. A novel technique for fluorapatite synthesis and the thermodynamic mixing behavior of F-OH apatite crystalline solutions
  8. Volcanic Rocks
  9. The cooling kinetics of plagioclase feldspar as revealed by electron-microprobe mapping
  10. Spinels Renaissance–Past, Present, and Future
  11. High-pressure behavior of thiospinel CuCr2S4
  12. Martian Rocks and Soil
  13. Mössbauer parameters of iron in phosphate minerals: Implications for interpretation of martian data
  14. A temperature-controlled sample stage for in situ micro-X-ray diffraction: Application to Mars analog mirabilite-bearing perennial cold spring precipitate mineralogy
  15. Detection of iron substitution in natroalunite-natrojarosite solid solutions and potential implications for Mars
  16. Articles
  17. Harmunite CaFe2O4: A new mineral from the Jabel Harmun, West Bank, Palestinian Autonomy, Israel
  18. An assessment of the reliability of melt inclusions as recorders of the pre-eruptive volatile content of magmas
  19. Beryllium mineral evolution
  20. Incorporation of Y and REEs in aluminosilicate garnet: Energetics from atomistic simulation
  21. Role of silica for the progress of serpentinization reactions: Constraints from successive changes in mineralogical textures of serpentinites from Iwanaidake ultramafic body, Japan
  22. Ophirite, Ca2Mg4[Zn2Mn23+(H2O)2(Fe3+W9O34)2]·46H2O, a new mineral with a heteropolytungstate tri-lacunary Keggin anion
  23. Bubble formation during decompression of andesitic melts
  24. Manganese carbonate formation from amorphous and nanocrystalline precursors: Thermodynamics and geochemical relevance
  25. Insights into the crystal chemistry of Earth materials rendered by electron density distributions: Pauling’s rules revisited
  26. Adsorption of sulfur dioxide on volcanic ashes
  27. Sulfidation of native gold
  28. Electrical conductivity of synthetic mullite single crystals
  29. In situ Raman spectroscopy identification of the S3̅ ion in S-rich hydrothermal fluids from synthetic fluid inclusions
  30. Melting phase equilibria of model carbonated peridotite from 8 to 12 GPa in the system CaO-MgO-Al2O3-SiO2-CO2 and kimberlitic liquids in the Earth’s upper mantle
  31. Effect of orientation on ion track formation in apatite and zircon
  32. Major, minor, and trace element composition of pyromorphite-group minerals as recorder of supergene weathering processes from the Schwarzwald mining district, SW Germany
  33. Toward an accurate ab initio estimation of compressibility and thermal expansion of diamond in the [0, 3000 K] temperature and [0, 30 GPa] pressures ranges, at the hybrid HF/DFT theoretical level
  34. Vanadio-oxy-chromium-dravite, NaV3(Cr4Mg2)(Si6O18)(BO3)3(OH)3O, a new mineral species of the tourmaline supergroup
  35. Graţianite, MnBi2S4, a new mineral from the Bǎiţa Bihor skarn, Romania
  36. Letters
  37. Microporous gold: Comparison of textures from Nature and experiments
  38. Valence state partitioning of V between pyroxene and melt for martian melt compositions Y 980459 and QUE 94201: The effect of pyroxene composition and crystal structure
  39. MSA Award Presentations
  40. Presentation of the Mineralogical Society of America Award for 2013 to Wendy Li-Wen Mao
  41. Acceptance of the Mineralogical Society of America Award for 2013
  42. Presentation of the 2013 Roebling Medal of the Mineralogical Society of America to Frank C. Hawthorne
  43. Acceptance of the 2013 Roebling Medal of the Mineralogical Society of America
  44. Presentation of the Distinguished Public Service Award for 2013 of the Mineralogical Society of America to Pierrette Tremblay
  45. Acceptance of the Distinguished Public Service Award for 2013 of the Mineralogical Society of America
  46. Presentation of the Dana Medal of the Mineralogical Society of America for 2014 to Patricia Dove
  47. Acceptance of the Dana Medal of the Mineralogical Society of America for 2014
  48. Book Review
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