1 kilogram = 2.2 pounds
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Developed By: University of Central Florida
Available From: CLASS Exolith Lab
Publications: Cannon, K. M., D. T. Britt, T. M. Smith, R. F. Fritsche, and D. Batcheldor (2019), Mars Global Simulant MGS-1: A Rocknest-based Open Standard for Basaltic Martian Regolith Simulants. Icarus, 317, 470-478.
The Jezero Delta Simulant (JEZ-1) was made to simulate anticipated materials in the Jezero Crater deltas that will be investigated by the NASA Mars 2020 rover. The simulant is a mixture of MGS-1 mineralogy with smectite clay, Mg-carbonate, and additional olivine that have all been detected from orbital remote sensing in the Jezero delta deposits.
The state of lithificaiton, mineralogy, and grain size distribution are likely variable throughout the Jezero deltas; JEZ-1 represents unconsolidated material, but can be compacted under various pressures to form a more cohesive solid.
Mineralogy
| Mineral | Wt.% |
|---|---|
| Olivine | 32.0 |
| Plagioclase | 16.0 |
| Glass-rich basalt | 13.5 |
| Pyroxene | 12.0 |
| Mg-carbonate | 11.0 |
| Smectite | 6.0 |
| Mg-sulfate | 2.4 |
| Ferrihydrite | 2.1 |
| Hydrated silica | 1.8 |
| Magnetite | 1.1 |
| Anhydrite | 1.0 |
| Fe-carbonate | 0.8 |
| Hematite | 0.3 |
Bulk Chemistry
This table shows the relative abundances of each element detected by X-ray fluorescence (XRF). The relative abundances of elements detected by XRF in geological samples are quantified as oxides. In the simulant, these elements are contained in the minerals described in the Mineralogy table above, and not necessarily in oxide form. These data are from the Hamilton Analytical Lab.
| Oxide | Wt% |
| SiO2 | 36.4 |
| TiO2 | 0.4 |
| Al2O3 | 8.0 |
| FeO | 11.9 |
| MnO | 0.1 |
| MgO | 25.6 |
| CaO | 4.6 |
|
Na2O |
0.9 |
| K2O | 0.3 |
| P2O5 | 0.1 |
| LOI* | 10.0 |
| Total** | 98.4 |
*Loss on ignition
**Excluding volatiles and trace elements; see spec sheet.
Physical Properties
Particle size range: <0.04 – 500 μm
Mean particle size (by volume): 70 μm
Bulk density: 1.54 g/cm3
Note that bulk density is not an inherent property and depends on the level of compaction.
Photo Credit: Matthew Villegas, Exolith Lab