Structural and Elastic Properties of Hydrated Sulfates: Informing Our Understanding of Planetary Interiors
Olivia Pardo, California Institute of Technology
Observations of planetary environments on Earth, Mars and the icy satellites of the solar system have indicated that characterizing the properties of hydrated sulfates is important for understanding the interiors of these planetary bodies. This work contributes to correcting a lack of high-pressure experimental data using X-ray diffraction, synchrotron infrared spectroscopy, and equation of state fitting up to 80 GPa. We identify two structural transitions occurring in szomolnokite (FeSO4.H2O) and find that water is retained in the unit cell across both structural transitions. In comparing the elastic parameters of szomolnokite with other hydrated sulfates, we find a complex chemical and pressure-dependent behavior. Understanding these structural and elastic properties will inform future modeling of sulfur-bearing planetary interiors.
Abstract Author(s): Olivia S. Pardo, Vasilije V. Dobrosavljevic, Tyler Perez, Wolfgang Sturhahn, Zhenxian Liu, George R. Rossman, Jennifer M. Jackson