No / The ESA/Roscosmos ExoMars rover will be launched in 2018. The primary aim of the mission will be to find evidence of extinct or extant life by extracting samples from the subsurface of Mars. The rover will incorporate a drill that is capable of extracting cores from depths of up to 2 m, a Sample Preparation and Distribution System (SPDS) that will crush the core into small grains and a suite of analytical instruments. A key component of the analytical suite will be the Raman Laser Spectrometer (RLS) that will be used to probe the molecular and mineralogical composition of the samples. In this work we consider the capability of the proposed Raman spectrometer to detect reduced carbon (possibly associated with evidence for extinct life) and to identify the level of thermal alteration/maturity. The Raman analysis of 21 natural samples of shale (originating from regions exhibiting different levels of thermal maturity) is described and it is shown that reduced carbon levels as low as 0.08% can be readily detected. It is also demonstrated that the Raman spectra obtained with the instrument can be used to distinguish between samples exhibiting high and low levels of thermal maturity and that reduced carbon can be detected in samples exposed to significant levels of oxidation (as expected on the surface of Mars). (C) 2014 Published by Elsevier Ltd.

<p> The BAR CLAIM GROUP is located on the western margin of the Selwyn Basin geologic province in south central Yukon. The rock sequence is eugeosynclinal in nature, belonging to the Englishman's Group of the Mississippian. Chronologically, these rocks include massive limestone, white to red chert breccia, dark grey chert breccia, chert pebble conglomerate, lithic wacke, massive barite, grey green chert, and hornblende microdiorite. The elastic units in particular appear to be correlative with the units on the eastern margin of the Selwyn Basin. </p> <p> The barite is light grey, bedded, massive, and contains rare relic rosette structures. Associated minerals include pyrite, galena and minor sphalerite. Extensive recrystallisation and mobilization has occurred, probably as a result of regional compression and faulting. The barite may have had an exhalative origin along fault or extensional zones; however, sedimentogenic sources, such as the redistribution of pre-existing barite, cannot be precluded. </p> / Thesis / Bachelor of Science (BSc)