Publications by authors named "Alexander B Bryk"

Between January 2019 and January 2021, the Mars Science Laboratory team explored the Glen Torridon (GT) region in Gale crater (Mars), known for its orbital detection of clay minerals. Mastcam, Mars Hand Lens Imager, and ChemCam data are used in an integrated sedimentological and geochemical study to characterize the Jura member of the upper Murray formation and the Knockfarril Hill member of the overlying Carolyn Shoemaker formation in northern GT. The studied strata show a progressive transition represented by interfingering beds of fine-grained, recessive mudstones of the Jura member and coarser-grained, cross-stratified sandstones attributed to the Knockfarril Hill member.

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Gale crater, the field site for NASA's Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover, contains a diverse and extensive record of aeolian deposition and erosion. This study focuses on a series of regularly spaced, curvilinear, and sometimes branching bedrock ridges that occur within the Glen Torridon region on the lower northwest flank of Aeolis Mons, the central mound within Gale crater. During Curiosity's exploration of Glen Torridon between sols ∼2300-3080, the rover drove through this field of ridges, providing the opportunity for in situ observation of these features.

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Article Synopsis
  • Heterolithic surfaces with pebbles and boulders are found on the lower slopes of Mt. Sharp in Gale crater, Mars, studied by the Curiosity rover in specific units named Blackfoot, Brandberg, and Bimbe.
  • These units consist of varying shapes and sizes of boulders, indicating a complex geological history, particularly in relation to the underlying Murray and Stimson formations.
  • Rover observations reveal that despite differences in visible coloration from orbit, the boulders appear similar in color from the ground, with chemical analyses linking them to other geological formations throughout the Gale crater area.
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