Michelle poised on the edge of Dune 45 in the Sossusvlei and Sesriem section of the Namib-Naukluft National Park, Namibia
For the past thirty years, the Martian meteorites have served as our preeminent source of data on the mineralogical, chemical and isotopic nature of the Martian crust and interior. Since 1997, however, the paradigm established by the Martian meteorites has been challenged by data from the Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES) on the Mars Global Surveyor mission, which provides mineralogical data from the crust of Mars with global geologic context not provided by the meteorites. The TES data, along with Gamma Ray Spectrometer data from Mars Odyssey and the chemical, mineralogical and spectral data from the Mars Exploration Rovers, provide tantalizing insights into similarities and differences between the Martian meteorites and the lithologies detected by these missions.
In an effort to understand the Martian meteorites and their context in datasets from Mars missions (and vice versa), I conduct experimental and analytical investigations of Martian analog materials. For these investigations, I create tailor-made laboratory analogs of Martian rocks and utilize terrestrial analogs of Martian materials, all of which I analyze for their chemical, mineralogical and visible, near-infrared and thermal infrared spectral characteristics. In all of my studies, I am particularly interested in the role of water in igneous and weathering processes.
