Murray Formation

The Murray Formation is the name given to a distinctive mudstone geologic formation studied by the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Curiosity at the Gale Crater, Mars.^[1]

Stratigraphy

The formation is more than 300 metres (980 ft) thick^[2] and is part of the Mount Sharp Group which interfingers with units of the Bradbury Group.^[3] The formation is composed mostly of basaltic minerals plus clays, though an intermediate horizon contains tridymite, cristobalite, quartz and opal.^[4]

The Murray formation has five named subunits, the Pahrump Hills Member, Hartmann's Valley Member, Karasburg Member, Sutton Island Member, and Vera Rubin Ridge Member.^[2] It unconformably underlies the Stimson formation.^[5]

The Murray formation is the target of multiple compelling hints of ancient Martian microbial life. The region contains veins of boron^[6]^[7] and "halos" of silica likely formed by groundwater flows late in the crater's geologic history^[8] and high levels of manganese oxide suggesting Earth-like oxygen levels early in Mars' history.^[9]

References

^ E.B. Rampe; et al. (August 2017). "Mineralogy of an ancient lacustrine mudstone succession from the Murray formation, Gale crater, Mars". Earth and Planetary Science Letters. LPI contribution. 471: 172–185. Bibcode:2017E&PSL.471..172R. doi:10.1016/J.EPSL.2017.04.021. ISSN 0012-821X. Wikidata Q57852716.
^ ^a ^b C. M. Fedo; et al. (March 2018), Sedimentology and Stratigraphy of the Murray Formation, Gale Crater, Mars (PDF), Houston: Lunar and Planetary Institute, Bibcode:2018LPI....49.2078F, Wikidata Q66314517
^ J P Grotzinger; et al. (1 October 2015). "Deposition, exhumation, and paleoclimate of an ancient lake deposit, Gale crater, Mars". Science. 350 (6257): aac7575. Bibcode:2015Sci...350.7575G. doi:10.1126/SCIENCE.AAC7575. ISSN 0036-8075. PMID 26450214. Wikidata Q34497447.
^ McSween, Harry; Moersch, Jeffrey; Burr, Devon; Dunne, William; Emery, Joshua; Kah, Linda; McCanta, Molly (2019). Planetary Geoscience. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 302–310. ISBN 9781107145382.
^ S.G. Banham; et al. (2017), The Stimson Formation: Determining the Morphology of a Dry Aeolian Dune System and its Climatic Significance in Gale Crater, Mars (PDF), Wikidata Q66360591
^ Gasda, Patrick J.; Haldeman, Ethan B.; Wiens, Roger C.; Rapin, William; Bristow, Thomas F.; Bridges, John C.; Schwenzer, Susanne P.; Clark, Benton; Herkenhoff, Kenneth; Frydenvang, Jens; Lanza, Nina L.; Maurice, Sylvestre; Clegg, Samuel; Delapp, Dorothea M.; Sanford, Veronica L.; Bodine, Madeleine R.; McInroy, Rhonda (2017). "In situ detection of boron by Chem Cam on Mars". Geophysical Research Letters. 44 (17): 8739–8748. Bibcode:2017GeoRL..44.8739G. doi:10.1002/2017GL074480. hdl:2381/41995.
^ "Discovery of boron on Mars adds to evidence for habitability: Boron compounds play role in stabilizing sugars needed to make RNA, a key to life".
^ Frydenvang, J.; Gasda, P. J.; Hurowitz, J. A.; Grotzinger, J. P.; Wiens, R. C.; Newsom, H. E.; Edgett, K. S.; Watkins, J.; Bridges, J. C.; Maurice, S.; Fisk, M. R.; Johnson, J. R.; Rapin, W.; Stein, N. T.; Clegg, S. M.; Schwenzer, S. P.; Bedford, C. C.; Edwards, P.; Mangold, N.; Cousin, A.; Anderson, R. B.; Payré, V.; Vaniman, D.; Blake, D. F.; Lanza, N. L.; Gupta, S.; Van Beek, J.; Sautter, V.; Meslin, P.-Y.; Rice, M.; Milliken, R.; Gellert, R.; Thompson, L.; Clark, B. C.; Sumner, D. Y.; Fraeman, A. A.; Kinch, K. M.; Madsen, M. B.; Mitrofanov, I. G.; Jun, I.; Calef, F.; Vasavada, A. R. (May 28, 2017). "Diagenetic silica enrichment and late-stage groundwater activity in Gale crater, Mars" (PDF). Geophysical Research Letters. 44 (10): 4716–4724. Bibcode:2017GeoRL..44.4716F. doi:10.1002/2017GL073323. ISSN 0094-8276.
^ Gasda, P. J.; Lanza, N. L.; Meslin, P.-Y.; Lamm, S. N.; Cousin, A.; Anderson, R.; Forni, O.; Swanner, E.; L’Haridon, J.; Frydenvang, J.; Thomas, N.; Gwizd, S.; Stein, N.; Fischer, W. W.; Hurowitz, J.; Sumner, D.; Rivera-Hernández, F.; Crossey, L.; Ollila, A.; Essunfeld, A.; Newsom, H. E.; Clark, B.; Wiens, R. C.; Gasnault, O.; Clegg, S. M.; Maurice, S.; Delapp, D.; Reyes-Newell, A. (2024). "Manganese-Rich Sandstones as an Indicator of Ancient Oxic Lake Water Conditions in Gale Crater, Mars". Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets. 129 (5). Bibcode:2024JGRE..12907923G. doi:10.1029/2023JE007923. ISSN 2169-9097.

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[1] E.B. Rampe; et al. (August 2017). "Mineralogy of an ancient lacustrine mudstone succession from the Murray formation, Gale crater, Mars". Earth and Planetary Science Letters. LPI contribution. 471: 172–185. Bibcode:2017E&PSL.471..172R. doi:10.1016/J.EPSL.2017.04.021. ISSN 0012-821X. Wikidata Q57852716.

[sedimentology-2] C. M. Fedo; et al. (March 2018), Sedimentology and Stratigraphy of the Murray Formation, Gale Crater, Mars (PDF), Houston: Lunar and Planetary Institute, Bibcode:2018LPI....49.2078F, Wikidata Q66314517

[3] J P Grotzinger; et al. (1 October 2015). "Deposition, exhumation, and paleoclimate of an ancient lake deposit, Gale crater, Mars". Science. 350 (6257): aac7575. Bibcode:2015Sci...350.7575G. doi:10.1126/SCIENCE.AAC7575. ISSN 0036-8075. PMID 26450214. Wikidata Q34497447.

[4] McSween, Harry; Moersch, Jeffrey; Burr, Devon; Dunne, William; Emery, Joshua; Kah, Linda; McCanta, Molly (2019). Planetary Geoscience. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 302–310. ISBN 9781107145382.

[stimson-5] S.G. Banham; et al. (2017), The Stimson Formation: Determining the Morphology of a Dry Aeolian Dune System and its Climatic Significance in Gale Crater, Mars (PDF), Wikidata Q66360591

[6] Gasda, Patrick J.; Haldeman, Ethan B.; Wiens, Roger C.; Rapin, William; Bristow, Thomas F.; Bridges, John C.; Schwenzer, Susanne P.; Clark, Benton; Herkenhoff, Kenneth; Frydenvang, Jens; Lanza, Nina L.; Maurice, Sylvestre; Clegg, Samuel; Delapp, Dorothea M.; Sanford, Veronica L.; Bodine, Madeleine R.; McInroy, Rhonda (2017). "In situ detection of boron by Chem Cam on Mars". Geophysical Research Letters. 44 (17): 8739–8748. Bibcode:2017GeoRL..44.8739G. doi:10.1002/2017GL074480. hdl:2381/41995.

[7] "Discovery of boron on Mars adds to evidence for habitability: Boron compounds play role in stabilizing sugars needed to make RNA, a key to life".

[Frydenvang_Gasda_Hurowitz_Grotzinger_2017_pp._4716–4724-8] Frydenvang, J.; Gasda, P. J.; Hurowitz, J. A.; Grotzinger, J. P.; Wiens, R. C.; Newsom, H. E.; Edgett, K. S.; Watkins, J.; Bridges, J. C.; Maurice, S.; Fisk, M. R.; Johnson, J. R.; Rapin, W.; Stein, N. T.; Clegg, S. M.; Schwenzer, S. P.; Bedford, C. C.; Edwards, P.; Mangold, N.; Cousin, A.; Anderson, R. B.; Payré, V.; Vaniman, D.; Blake, D. F.; Lanza, N. L.; Gupta, S.; Van Beek, J.; Sautter, V.; Meslin, P.-Y.; Rice, M.; Milliken, R.; Gellert, R.; Thompson, L.; Clark, B. C.; Sumner, D. Y.; Fraeman, A. A.; Kinch, K. M.; Madsen, M. B.; Mitrofanov, I. G.; Jun, I.; Calef, F.; Vasavada, A. R. (May 28, 2017). "Diagenetic silica enrichment and late-stage groundwater activity in Gale crater, Mars" (PDF). Geophysical Research Letters. 44 (10): 4716–4724. Bibcode:2017GeoRL..44.4716F. doi:10.1002/2017GL073323. ISSN 0094-8276.

[Gasda_Lanza_Meslin_Lamm_2024-9] Gasda, P. J.; Lanza, N. L.; Meslin, P.-Y.; Lamm, S. N.; Cousin, A.; Anderson, R.; Forni, O.; Swanner, E.; L’Haridon, J.; Frydenvang, J.; Thomas, N.; Gwizd, S.; Stein, N.; Fischer, W. W.; Hurowitz, J.; Sumner, D.; Rivera-Hernández, F.; Crossey, L.; Ollila, A.; Essunfeld, A.; Newsom, H. E.; Clark, B.; Wiens, R. C.; Gasnault, O.; Clegg, S. M.; Maurice, S.; Delapp, D.; Reyes-Newell, A. (2024). "Manganese-Rich Sandstones as an Indicator of Ancient Oxic Lake Water Conditions in Gale Crater, Mars". Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets. 129 (5). Bibcode:2024JGRE..12907923G. doi:10.1029/2023JE007923. ISSN 2169-9097.

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