This graph shows the relative concentrations of bromine and chlorine atvarious locations on Earth and Mars. Typically, bromine and chlorinestick together in a fixed ratio, as in martian meteorites and Earthseawater. But sometimes the elements split apart and their relativequantities diverge. This separation is usually caused by evaporationprocesses, as in the Dead Sea on Earth. On Mars, at Meridiani Planumand Gusev Crater, this split has been observed to an even greaterdegree than seen on Earth. This puzzling result is currently beingfurther explored by Mars Exploration Rover scientists. Data for theMars locations were taken by the rover's alpha particle X-rayspectrometer.
Name | Value | Additional Values |
---|---|---|
Target | Mars | |
System | ||
Target Type | Planet | |
Mission | Mars Exploration Rover (MER) | Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) |
Instrument Host | Spirit (MER-A) | Curiosity Rover |
Host Type | Rover | |
Instrument | Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS) | |
Detector | ||
Extra Keywords | Color, Crater, Water | |
Acquisition Date | ||
Release Date | 2004-04-01 | |
Date in Caption | ||
Image Credit | NASA/JPL/Cornell/Max Planck Institute | |
Source | photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA05676 | |
Identifier | PIA05676 |