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Katherine Shirley
Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences
Washington University in St. Louis
Advisor: Raymond Arvidson
Abstract
This paper summarizes the work involved in the investigation of gypsum in the Martian circumpolar dune field. Previous research in this area has yielded evidence of hydrated minerals throughout the dunes using Mars Express Observatoire pour la Mine´ralogie, l'Eau, les Glaces et l'Activite´ (OMEGA) and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) data. Here, I use CRISM data to verify that the mineral gypsum is present in the dune field. Analysis of the CRISM image cubes has provided evidence of a concentration gradient for hydrated sulfates, consistent with other research as well as gypsum spectral signatures within the dunes.
Katherine Shirley is a sophomore undergraduate at Washington University in St. Louis. She is majoring in Earth and Planetary Sciences, is a member of the Pathfinder Program for Environmental Sustainability, and currently works within the department with data from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera under the direction of Dr. Bradley Jolliff.
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