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.
MGS-1C is a modified version of the root MGS-1 simulant, and is enriched in hydrated clay minerals (smectite). This represents the Reference Case “C” in the NASA Mars Water In-Situ Resource Utilization Study.
MGS-1C is specifically designed for ISRU water extraction studies; the M-WIP study concluded that hydrated clay deposits are advantageous for water extraction on Mars, and may be much easier to access and excavate than permafrost deposits.
Mineralogy
| Mineral | Wt.% |
|---|---|
| Smectite | 40.0 |
| Plagioclase | 16.4 |
| Glass-rich basalt | 13.7 |
| Pyroxene | 12.2 |
| Olivine | 8.2 |
| 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.
| Oxide | Wt% |
| SiO2 | 44.8 |
| Al2O3 | 9.8 |
| CaO | 15.3 |
| Fe2O3 | 12 |
| K2O | 3.4 |
| MgO | 9.9 |
| MnO | 0.1 |
| P2O5 | 1 |
| TiO2 | 0.4 |
| SO3 | 2.3 |
| Cl | 0.5 |
| Cr2O3 | 0.1 |
| NiO | 0.1 |
| SrO | 0.2 |
| Total | 99.9 |
Physical Properties
Particle size range: 0-1 mm
Mean particle size (by volume): 24 μm
Photo Credit: Matthew Villegas, Exolith Lab