Japan Geoscience Union Meeting 2022

Presentation information

[E] Oral

P (Space and Planetary Sciences ) » P-PS Planetary Sciences

[P-PS04] Mars and martian moons

Mon. May 23, 2022 1:45 PM - 3:15 PM Exhibition Hall Special Setting (1) (Exhibition Hall 8, Makuhari Messe)

convener:Hideaki Miyamoto(University of Tokyo), convener:Takeshi Imamura(Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo), Tomoki Nakamura(Department of Earth and Planetary Materials Sciences, Faculty of Science, Tohoku University), convener:Hidenori Genda(Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology), Chairperson:Kiyoshi Kuramoto(Department of Cosmosciences, Graduate School of Sciences, Hokkaido University), Koji Matsumoto(RISE Project, National Astronomical Observatory of Japan), Tomoki Nakamura(Department of Earth and Planetary Materials Sciences, Faculty of Science, Tohoku University), Hidenori Genda(Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology), Hideaki Miyamoto(University of Tokyo)

2:30 PM - 2:45 PM

[PPS04-04] Raman spectroscopic characterization of synthesized mafic glass for Mars Moons eXplorer (MMX) Mission

*Shoko Imamura1,2, Yasuhito Sekine1, Yoshio Kono3, Yuichiro Cho2, Haruhisa Tabata2, Shoki Mori2, Hiroyuki Kagi4 (1.Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2.Department of Earth and Planetary Science, University of Tokyo, 3.Geodynamics Research Center, Ehime University, 4.Geochemical Research Center, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo)

Keywords:Phobos, Deimos, Martian moons, Raman spectroscopy, Martian moons eXploration (MMX), Aerodynamic levitation and CO2 laser heating

The Martian moons Phobos and Deimos would provide insights into the early evolution of Mars and the terrestrial planets [1][2]. The origin of these moons is still controversial, with the most likely scenarios being: 1) the capture of asteroids [3] or 2) by a large impact [4]. The main scientific goal of JAXA's Mars Moons eXploration (MMX) mission is to determine the origin of Martian moons. MMX mission includes in-situ observations by the MMX rover. The Raman spectrometer for MMX (RAX) onboarded on the rover would provide information of the mineral composition of surface materials on Phobos [5]. In the impact origin scenario, the building materials of Martian moons are considered to experience high temperatures around 2000 K and then cool [4]. This process would have formed quenched glass from mixtures of an impactor and Martian crust/mantle. Previous studies showed that Raman spectroscopy is useful to constrain chemical compositions of silicic volcanic glass [6][7]; however, no previous work was performed to characterize mafic quenched glass that would have been formed by a large impact onto Mars.

In this study, we perform Raman spectroscopy for synthesized glass particles. The synthesized glass particles were formed from powder mixtures of difference major element compositions, covering the possible range of mixtures of Martian mantle and asteroids. To synthesize a glass particle, a pellet of powder mixtures was heated to 1600–2300°C with aerodynamic levitation and CO2 laser. Raman spectra of the synthesized glass particles were collected using a micro Raman spectrometer. In this presentation, we discuss the spectral characteristics (peak positions and their ratios) of synthesized glass particles for different chemical compositions and implications for detection of impact-induced quenched glass by RAX of the MMX mission.

[1] T. Usui et al. "The importance of Phobos sample return for understanding the Mars-moon system." Space Science Reviews 216.4 (2020): 1-18.
[2] K. Kuramoto et al. "Martian moons exploration MMX: sample return mission to Phobos elucidating formation processes of habitable planets." Earth, Planets and Space 74.1 (2022): 1-31.
[3] J. A. Burns "The dynamical evolution and origin of the Martian moons." Vistas in Astronomy 22 (1978): 193-210.
[4] R. Hyodo et al. "On the impact origin of Phobos and Deimos. I. Thermodynamic and physical aspects." The Astrophysical Journal 845.2 (2017): 125.
[5] Y. Cho et al. "In situ science on Phobos with the Raman spectrometer for MMX (RAX): preliminary design and feasibility of Raman measurements." Earth, Planets and Space 73.1 (2021): 1-11.
[6] D. González-García et al. "A Raman spectroscopic tool to estimate chemical composition of natural volcanic glasses." Chemical Geology 556 (2020): 119819.
[7] D. Giordano et al. "Raman spectroscopy from laboratory and proximal to remote sensing: a tool for the volcanological sciences." Remote Sensing 12.5 (2020): 805.