Regolith
Regolith is the layer of rocky or icy debris, sand, and dust made by meteoritic impact and erosion that forms the uppermost surface of planets, satellites and asteroids. It is a possible construction material in the form of bricks or compressed regolith blocks. Loose or binder regolith may also be used as a radiation shield.
Landscapes with regolith formation have been found that look like they were shaped by the flow of water. Those formations were probably created by "gas-supported density flows", [1] but older formation seem likely to have actually been shaped by water.
Composition
The below table gives estimates of mineral composition based on the soil sample measurements performed by two Mars probes. Only the 6 most abundant minerals are listed.
| SiO2 | Fe2O3 | Al2O3 | MgO | CaO | SO3 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Viking | 46.3 | 19.4 | 7.7 | 6.4 | 6.2 | 7.9 |
| Pathfinder | 48.6 | 17.5 | 8.3 | 7.5 | 6.3 | 5.4 |
The following table shows the results of an analysis of 11 igneous meteorites of Martian origin, which were divided into 5 standard geological categories based on their composition.
| Element | Atoms/gram | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basalt | Lherzolite | Clinopyroxenite | Orthopyroxenite | Dunite | |
| O | 1.60 X 1022 | 1.58 X 1022 | 1.54 X 1022 | 1.65 X 1022 | 1.51 X 1022 |
| Na | 2.35 X 1020 | 9.15 X 1019 | 1.13 X 1020 | 2.66 X 1019 | 2.51 X 1019 |
| Mg | 1.61 X 1021 | 4.07 X 1021 | 1.79 X 1021 | 3.77 X 1021 | 4.81 X 1021 |
| Al | 8.50 X 1020 | 3.34 X 1020 | 1.94 X 1020 | 1.45 X 1020 | 8.23 X 1019 |
| Si | 5.01 X 1021 | 4.50 X 1021 | 4.88 X 1021 | 5.38 X 1021 | 3.87 X 1021 |
| P | 5.60 X 1019 | 2.00 X 1019 | 3.76 X 1018 | 0 | 6.41 X 1018 |
| K | 1.23 X 1019 | 3.31 X 1018 | 2.93 X 1019 | 1.95 X 1018 | 5.31 X 1018 |
| Ca | 1.06 X 1021 | 4.04 X 1020 | 1.56 X 1021 | 1.98 X 1020 | 6.52 X 1019 |
| Ti | 8.21 X 1019 | 3.28 X 1019 | 2.59 X 1019 | 1.53 X 1019 | 7.60 X 1018 |
| Mn | 4.42 X 1019 | 3.91 X 1019 | 5.69 X 1019 | 4.04 X 1019 | 4.51 X 1019 |
| Fe | 1.58 X 1021 | 1.67 X 1021 | 1.79 X 1021 | 1.46 X 1021 | 2.29 X 1021 |
References
- ↑ How the landscape is formed to the shape of floods: THE COLLAPSE ORIGIN OF DENSITY FLOWS ON MARS
- ↑ Bell JF, McSween HY, Crisp JA, Morris RV, Murchie SL, Bridges NT,...Soderblom L. (2000). Mineralogic and compositional properties of Martian soil and dust: Results from Mars Pathfinder. Journal of Geophysical Research, 105(E1), 1721-1755. https://doi.org/10.1029/1999JE001060
- ↑ Kim MY, Thibeault SA, Simonsen LC, Wilson JW. (1998). Comparison of Martian Meteorites and Martian Regolith as Shield Materials for Galactic Cosmic Rays. NASA TP-1998-208724. http://hdl.handle.net/2060/19980237030
