Abstract: Drill fines created by the Curiosity rover at Gale Crater, Mars have exhibited variable visible/near-infrared spectral features attributable to the presence of ferrous and ferric minerals. Drilled locations within the Murray formation and on the Vera Rubin Ridge (VRR) were shown by the CheMin instrument to contain significant amounts of hematite. However, typical hematite spectral features (e.g., absorptions near 530 nm and 860 nm) have varied inconsistently with hematite abundances. This sug...

Source: Variations in Visible/Near-Infrared Hematite Spectra Related to Grain Size and Crystallinity