IMPLICATIONS OF SCALING VISIBLE AND NEAR IR SPECTROSCOPIC DATA ON DETECTION OF MINERALOGY: A CASE STUDY IN RIO TINTO, SPAIN

The ability to rapidly characterize the morphology and mineralogy of habitable environments is important to future reconnaissance and exploration missions to Mars. Visible and near-IR spectrometers have great utility in mapping planetary surface mineralogy, identifying both primary iron-bearing minerals (i.e. olivine, pyroxene) and secondary minerals, such as clays and sulfates. Orbital spectrometers around Mars, such as OMEGA, can map mafics, clays and sulfates on global scales. Similarly, the Mars rovers have identified mafic and sulfate mineralogy through thermal emission, Mossbauer and APX spectroscopy. However, integrating global and local spectroscopic measurements requires careful consideration of spectral and spatial trade-offs, which also must be considered in designing future landed science instruments.

We use the Rio Tinto, in southwestern Spain, as proving grounds for our study into the implications of scaling between several spectral and spatial resolutions. The Rio Tinto is an important Martian analog for its acidic conditions leading to iron and sulfate mineralogy and an associated complex biological system. Techniques learned when combining hyperspectral data from a point spectrometer used in the field with aerial data over the Rio Tinto (captured by Hymap) are applicable to future reconnaissance and exploration mission to Mars. We are determining spatial and spectral scales at which critical indicators of habitability are diminished and lost. This study yields important lessons to apply to future exploration missions integrating orbital spectrometers with rovers/landers.