Laboratory synthesis, spectroscopic characteristics, and conversion relationships of five calcium sulfate double salts relevant to Mars

Abstract

Calcium sulfate veins have been found in Gale crater and Endeavour crater as indicators of Martian fluid events. The presence of mixed-cation sulfates has been suggested because a wide variety of sulfates containing different cation elements have been detected in in-situ exploration targets (e.g., soils, drilled materials, calcium sulfate veins, and sandstones). In order to establish a spectroscopic library of mixed-cation sulfates, five calcium sulfate double salts (CSDS) were successfully synthesized using high-temperature solid phase reaction and aqueous solution precipitation methods. The phase and homogeneity of these samples were confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD). Raman, mid-infrared (MIR), visible and near-infrared (VNIR), and Laser-induced breakdown spectrometry (LIBS) spectra were also collected to study vibrational features and elemental emission properties. All these spectral data are valuable for the mixed-cation sulfate detections by those payloads with similar spectroscopic technologies empolyed on Mars. We also studied the conversion relationships among five CSDS, providing constraints for their origins in sedimentary (e.g., calcium sulfate veins) and volcanic environments on Mars.