Murray Formation
{{Short description|Mudstone ridge slope in Gale Crater, Mars}}
File:PIA18785-MarsCuriosityRover-HIRISE-MurrayRidge-Transition-20140911.jpg
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.{{Cite Q| Q57852716|display-authors=1}}
Stratigraphy
The formation is more than {{convert|300|m|ft|-1}} thick and is part of the Mount Sharp Group which interfingers with units of the Bradbury Group.{{cite Q|Q34497447|display-authors=1}} The formation is composed mostly of basaltic minerals plus clays, though an intermediate horizon contains tridymite, cristobalite, quartz and opal.{{cite book |last1=McSween |first1=Harry |last2=Moersch |first2=Jeffrey |last3=Burr |first3=Devon |last4=Dunne |first4=William |last5=Emery |first5=Joshua |last6=Kah |first6=Linda |last7=McCanta |first7=Molly |title=Planetary Geoscience |date=2019 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |location=Cambridge |isbn=9781107145382 |pages=302–310}}
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.{{Cite Q|Q66314517|display-authors=1}} It unconformably underlies the Stimson formation.{{cite Q|Q66360591|display-authors=1}}
The Murray formation is the target of multiple compelling hints of ancient Martian microbial life. The region contains veins of boron{{Cite journal |doi = 10.1002/2017GL074480|title = In situ detection of boron by Chem Cam on Mars|journal = Geophysical Research Letters|volume = 44|issue = 17|pages = 8739–8748|year = 2017|last1 = Gasda|first1 = Patrick J.|last2 = Haldeman|first2 = Ethan B.|last3 = Wiens|first3 = Roger C.|last4 = Rapin|first4 = William|last5 = Bristow|first5 = Thomas F.|last6 = Bridges|first6 = John C.|last7 = Schwenzer|first7 = Susanne P.|last8 = Clark|first8 = Benton|last9 = Herkenhoff|first9 = Kenneth|last10 = Frydenvang|first10 = Jens|last11 = Lanza|first11 = Nina L.|last12 = Maurice|first12 = Sylvestre|last13 = Clegg|first13 = Samuel|last14 = Delapp|first14 = Dorothea M.|last15 = Sanford|first15 = Veronica L.|last16 = Bodine|first16 = Madeleine R.|last17 = McInroy|first17 = Rhonda|bibcode = 2017GeoRL..44.8739G|doi-access = free|hdl = 2381/41995|hdl-access = free}}{{Cite web | url=https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/09/170905123226.htm | title=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}} and "halos" of silica likely formed by groundwater flows late in the crater's geologic history{{cite journal | last1=Frydenvang | first1=J. | last2=Gasda | first2=P. J. | last3=Hurowitz | first3=J. A. | last4=Grotzinger | first4=J. P. | last5=Wiens | first5=R. C. | last6=Newsom | first6=H. E. | last7=Edgett | first7=K. S. | last8=Watkins | first8=J. | last9=Bridges | first9=J. C. | last10=Maurice | first10=S. | last11=Fisk | first11=M. R. | last12=Johnson | first12=J. R. | last13=Rapin | first13=W. | last14=Stein | first14=N. T. | last15=Clegg | first15=S. M. | last16=Schwenzer | first16=S. P. | last17=Bedford | first17=C. C. | last18=Edwards | first18=P. | last19=Mangold | first19=N. | last20=Cousin | first20=A. | last21=Anderson | first21=R. B. | last22=Payré | first22=V. | last23=Vaniman | first23=D. | last24=Blake | first24=D. F. | last25=Lanza | first25=N. L. | last26=Gupta | first26=S. | last27=Van Beek | first27=J. | last28=Sautter | first28=V. | last29=Meslin | first29=P.-Y. | last30=Rice | first30=M. | last31=Milliken | first31=R. | last32=Gellert | first32=R. | last33=Thompson | first33=L. | last34=Clark | first34=B. C. | last35=Sumner | first35=D. Y. | last36=Fraeman | first36=A. A. | last37=Kinch | first37=K. M. | last38=Madsen | first38=M. B. | last39=Mitrofanov | first39=I. G. | last40=Jun | first40=I. | last41=Calef | first41=F. | last42=Vasavada | first42=A. R. | title=Diagenetic silica enrichment and late-stage groundwater activity in Gale crater, Mars | journal=Geophysical Research Letters | volume=44 | issue=10 | date=May 28, 2017 | issn=0094-8276 | doi=10.1002/2017GL073323 | pages=4716–4724| bibcode=2017GeoRL..44.4716F | url=https://hal-insu.archives-ouvertes.fr/insu-03665968/file/Geophysical%20Research%20Letters%20-%202017%20-%20Frydenvang%20-%20Diagenetic%20silica%20enrichment%20and%20late%25u2010stage%20groundwater%20activity%20in%20Gale.pdf }} and high levels of manganese oxide suggesting Earth-like oxygen levels early in Mars' history.{{cite journal | last1=Gasda | first1=P. J. | last2=Lanza | first2=N. L. | last3=Meslin | first3=P.-Y. | last4=Lamm | first4=S. N. | last5=Cousin | first5=A. | last6=Anderson | first6=R. | last7=Forni | first7=O. | last8=Swanner | first8=E. | last9=L’Haridon | first9=J. | last10=Frydenvang | first10=J. | last11=Thomas | first11=N. | last12=Gwizd | first12=S. | last13=Stein | first13=N. | last14=Fischer | first14=W. W. | last15=Hurowitz | first15=J. | last16=Sumner | first16=D. | last17=Rivera-Hernández | first17=F. | last18=Crossey | first18=L. | last19=Ollila | first19=A. | last20=Essunfeld | first20=A. | last21=Newsom | first21=H. E. | last22=Clark | first22=B. | last23=Wiens | first23=R. C. | last24=Gasnault | first24=O. | last25=Clegg | first25=S. M. | last26=Maurice | first26=S. | last27=Delapp | first27=D. | last28=Reyes-Newell | first28=A. | title=Manganese-Rich Sandstones as an Indicator of Ancient Oxic Lake Water Conditions in Gale Crater, Mars | journal=Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets | volume=129 | issue=5 | date=2024 | issn=2169-9097 | doi=10.1029/2023JE007923 | doi-access=free | bibcode=2024JGRE..12907923G }}