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Scott M. McLennanDistinguished Professor B.Sc.(Hon), University of Western Ontario, 1975 M.Sc., University of Western Ontario, 1977 Ph.D., Australian National University, 1981 Research Fellow, Australian National University, 1981-1986 Faculty member at Stony Brook since 1987 |
Preserved within sedimentary rocks is a record of planetary history. At any time eroding sediments are providing a sampling of the exposed crust and are being influenced by the contemporaneous climate. Using sedimentary compositions, it is possible to evaluate the tectonic, climatic and geographic conditions under which a sedimentary rock was deposited. Since sediments are present throughout much of the geological histories of both Earth and Mars, it is possible to trace the evolution of the surfaces of these planets. The current interests of Professor McLennan lie in evaluating the evolution of planetary crusts and planetary surficial processes primarily using the chemical composition of sedimentary rocks. It is now clear that there have been active sedimentary environments of highly diverse origins operating on Mars, especially early in its history. Accordingly, through his involvement with various planetary missions to Mars, Professor McLennan is involved with evaluating the chemical and mineralogical composition of Martian surface materials in terms of sedimentary provenance, sedimentary processes, and crustal evolution.
Recent research projects include the following:
1. Mars Mission Support and Research
Professor McLennan is a member of the science teams for the 2011 Mars Science Laboratory
mission (Curiosity rover) and the 2018 InSight Lander mission in the role of participating
scientist. He is also on two instrument teams (PIXL and SuperCam) for the Mars2020
Perseverance rover mission. His role is to support mission planning and operations
and to carry out research using the most recently returned data from Mars. Professor
McLennan formerly was a participating scientist on the 2003 Mars Exploration Rover
(Spirit and Opportunity rovers) mission and 2001 Mars Odyssey Gamma Ray Spectrometer
experiment. He has supervised a number student and post-doctoral collaborators on
these missions.
2. Sedimentary Geochemistry on Mars
Chemical analyses of surface rocks (especially sedimentary rocks) and soils returned
during the Viking, Pathfinder, Spirit, Opportunity, Phoenix, Curiosity and Perseverance
missions, coupled with mineralogical and chemical data from a variety of orbital missions,
provide important constraints on the geological history of Mars. Professor McLennan
is currently carrying out research to evaluate these results in terms of crustal evolution
and the various “source-to-sink” sedimentary processes that may have operated at the
Martian surface during its history.
3. Geochemical Evolution of Planetary Crusts
The origin, composition and evolution of planetary crusts remains a long-standing
research interest of Professor McLennan, summarized in the book (with S. R. Taylor),
Planetary Crusts: Their Composition, Origin, and Evolution (Cambridge), which won the Geoscience Information Society's 2010 Award for Best Reference
Work. With the arrival of the InSight Lander at the surface of Mars in November 2018,
Professor McLennan was selected as a Participating Scientist on that mission and been
working with InSight geophysical data, coupled with orbital Gamma Ray Spectroscopy
from the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission, to refine models for the composition of the Martian
crust and mantle and to place the findings into the broader context of better understanding
the nature and evolution of terrestrial planets and exoplanets.
Selected Publications
(asterisk indicates student/post-doc co-author)
McLennan, S. M. (2022) Composition of planetary crusts and planetary differentiation. In: T. K. P. Gregg R. M. S. Lopes aand S. A. Fagents (Eds.) Planetary Volcanism Across the Solar System. Elsevier (Amsterdam) pp. 287-331.
McLennan, S. M. and Rudnick, R. L. (2021) Stuart Ross Taylor (1925-2021): A tribute to his life and scientific career. Meteor. Planet. Sci., 56, 1784-1791, doi:10.1111/maps.13733.
Mangold, N., Gupta, S. et al. (incl. S. M. McLennan) (2021) Perseverance rover reveals an ancient delta-lake system and flood deposits at Jezero crater, Mars. Science, 374, doi:10.1126/science.abl4051.
Knapmeyer-Endrun, B., Panning, M. P. et al. (incl. S. M. McLennan) (2021) Thickness and structure of the Martian crust from InSight seismic data. Science 373, 438-443.
Khan, A., Ceylan, S. et al. (incl. S. M. McLennan) (2021) Imaging the upper mantle structure of Mars with InSight seismic data. Science 373, 434-438.
Plesa, A.-C., Bozdag, E., Rivoldini, A., Knapmeyer, M., McLennan, S. M. et al. (2021) Seismic velocity variation in a 3D Martian mantle: Implications for the InSight measurements. J. Geophys. Res. – Planets 126, e2020JE006755.
Smith*, R. J., McLennan, S. M., Achilles, C. N., Dehouck, E., Horgan, B. H. N., Mangold, N., Rampe, E. B., Salvatore, M., Siebach, K. L. and Sun, V. (2021) X-ray amorphous components in sedimentary rocks of Gale crater, Mars: Evidence for ancient formation and long-lived aqueous activity. J. Geophys. Res. – Planets, 126, e2020JE006782.
Banaerdt, W. B., Smrekar, S. et al. (including S. McLennan) (2020) Initial results from the InSight mission on Mars. Nature Geosci., 13, 183-189.
Wang, A., Yan, Y., Jolliff, B. L., McLennan, S. M., Wang, K., Shi, E. and Farrell, W. M. (2020) Chlorine release from common chlorides by martian dust activity. J. Geophys. Res.– Planets, 125, e2019JE006283. https://doi.org/10.1029/2019JE006283.
McLennan, S. M., Grotzinger, J. P., Hurowitz, J. A. and Tosca N. J. (2019) The sedimentary cycle on early Mars. Ann. Rev. Earth Planet. Sci., 47, 91-118.
Jolliff, B. L., Mittlefehldt, D. W., Farrand, W. H., Knoll, A. H., McLennan, S. M. and Gellert, R. (2019) Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity: Water and other volatiles on ancient Mars. In: J. Filiberto and S. P. Schwenzer (Eds.) Volatiles in the Martian Crust. Elsevier (Amsterdam) pp. 285-328.
Zhao*, Y.-Y. S., McLennan, S. M., Jackson, A. W. and Karunatillake, S. (2018) Photochemical controls on chlorine and bromine geochemistry at the Martian surface. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 497, 102-112.
McLennan, S. M. (2018) Lanthanide rare earths. In: W. M. White (Ed.) Encyclopedia of Geochemistry, 2nd Ed. Springer-Verlag (Switzerland), doi:10.1007/978-3-319-39193-9_96-1.
Hurowitz, J. A., Grotzinger, J. P., Fischer, W. W., Milliken, R. E., Stein, N., Vasavada, A. R., Blake, D. F., Dehouck, E., Eigenbrode, J. L., Fairen, A. G., Frydenvang, J., Gellert, R., Grant, J. A., Gupta, S., Herkenhoff, K. E., McLennan, S. M., Ming, D. W., Rampe, E. B., Schmidt, M. E., Siebach, K., Stack-Morgan, K., Sumner, D. Y. and Wiens, R. C. (2017) Redox stratification of an ancient lake in Gale Crater, Mars. Science, 356, eaah6849, doi:10.1126/science.aah6849.
Siebach, K. L., Baker, M. B., Grotzinger, J. P., McLennan, S. M., Gellert, R., Thompson, L. M. and Hurowitz, J. A. (2017) Sorting out compositional trends in sedimentary rocks of the Bradbury Group (Aeolus Palus), Gale Crater, Mars. J. Geophys. Res. – Planets, 122, doi:10.1002/2016JE005195.
Cino*, C. D., Dehouck, E. and McLennan, S. M. (2017) Geochemical constraints on the presence of clay minerals in the Burns Formation, Meridiani Planum, Mars. Icarus, 281, 137-150.
Dehouck*, E., McLennan, S. M., Sklute, E. C. and Dyar, M. D. (2017) Stability and fate of ferrihydrite during episodes of water/rock interactions on early Mars: Experimental approach. J. Geophys. Res. – Planets, 122, doi:10.1002/2016JE005222.
McLennan, S. M., Anderson, R. B. et al. (2014) Elemental geochemistry of sedimentary rocks in Yellowknife Bay, Gale Crater, Mars. Science, 343, doi:10.1126/science.1244734.
Grotzinger, J P., Sumner, D. Y. et al. (incl. S. M. McLennan, S. M.) (2014) A habitable fluvio-lacustrine environment at Yellowknife Bay, Gale Crater, Mars. Science, 343, doi:10.1126/science.1242777.
Dehouck*, E., McLennan, S. M., Meslin, P.-Y. and Cousin, A. (2014) Constraints on abundance, composition and nature of X-ray amorphous components of soils and rocks at Gale crater, Mars. J. Geophys. Res. 119, 2640-2657, doi:10.1002/2014JE004716.
Zhao*, Y.-Y. S., McLennan, S. M. and Schoonen, M. A. A. (2014) Behavior of bromide, chloride and phosphate during low temperature aqueous Fe(II) oxidation processes on Mars. J. Geophys. Res.-Planets, 119, doi:10.1002/2013JE004417.
McSween Jr., H. Y. and McLennan, S. M. (2014) Mars. In: H. D. Holland and K. Turekian, eds., Treatise on Geochemistry, 2nd Ed.; Vol. 2, A. M. Davis, ed., Planets, Asteroids, Comets and The Solar System (Elsevier, Amsterdam) pp. 251-300.
Grotzinger, J. P., Hayes, A. G., Lamb, M. P. and McLennan, S. M. (2013) Sedimentary processes on Earth, Mars, Titan and Venus. In: S. J. Mackwell et al., eds., Comparative Climatology of Terrestrial Planets, pp. 439-472. Univ. Arizona Press, Tucson.
Johnson, C., McLennan, S. M., McSween, H. Y. and Summons, R. E. (2013) Smaller, better, more: Five decades of advances in geochemistry. In Bickford, M. E., ed. The Web of Geological Sciences: Advances, Impacts, and Interactions, Geol. Soc. Am. Spec Paper 500, 1-44, doi:10.1130/2013.2500(08).
McLennan, S. M. (2012) Geochemistry of sedimentary processes on Mars. In: J. P. Grotzinger and R. E. Milliken (eds.) Mars Sedimentology, SEPM Spec. Publ. 102, 119-138.
McLennan, S. M., Sephton, M. A. et al. (2012) Planning for Mars Returned Sample Science: Final report of the MSR End-to-End International Science Analysis Group (E2E-iSAG): A report requested by the Mars Exploration Program Analysis Group (MEPAG). Astrobiology, 12, 175-230.
Hahn*, B. C., McLennan, S. M. and Klein, E. C. (2011) Martian surface heat production and crustal heat flow from Mars Odyssey gamma-ray spectrometry. Geophys. Res. Lett. 38, L14203, doi:10.1029/2011GL047345.
Karunatillake*, S., McLennan, S. and Herkenhoff, K. (2010) Regional and grain size influences on the geochemistry of soil at Gusev Crater, Mars. J. Geophys. Res., 115, E00F04, doi:10.1029/2010JE003637.
King, P. L. and McLennan, S. M. (2010) Sulfur on Mars. Elements, 6, 107-112.
Taylor, S. R. and McLennan, S. M. (2009) Planetary Crusts: Their Composition, Origin, and Evolution. Cambridge University Press (Cambridge) 378pp.
Tosca, N. J., Knoll, A. H. and McLennan, S. M. (2008) Water activity and the challenge for life on early Mars. Science, 320, 1204-1207.
McLennan, S. M. and Grotzinger, J. P. (2008) The sedimentary rock cycle of Mars. In: J. F. Bell III (ed.) The Martian Surface: Composition, Mineralogy, and Physical Properties. Cambridge Univ. Press (Cambridge), pp. 541-577.
Hurowitz*, J. A. and McLennan, S. M. (2007) A ~3.5 Ga record of water-limited, acidic conditions on Mars. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett., 260, 432-443.
Tosca*, N. J. and McLennan, S. M. (2006) Chemical divides and evaporite assemblages on Mars. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 241, 21-31.
McLennan, S. M., Bell III, J. F. et al. (2005) Provenance and diagenesis of the evaporite-bearing Burns formation, Meridiani Planum, Mars. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 240, 95-121.
Tosca*, N. J., McLennan, S. M. et al. (2005) Geochemical modeling of evaporation processes on Mars: Insight from the sedimentary record at Meridiani Planum. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 240, 122-148.
Hurowitz*, J. A., McLennan, S. M., Tosca, N. J., Arvidson, R. E., Michalski, J. R., Ming, D. W., Schöder, C. and Squyres, S. W. (2005) In-situ and experimental evidence for acidic weathering on Mars. J. Geophys. Res. 111, E02S19, doi:10.1029/2005JE002515.
Tosca*, N. J., McLennan, S. M., Lindsley, D. H. and Schoonen, M. A. A. (2004) Acid-sulfate weathering of synthetic Martian basalt: The acid fog model revisited. J. Geophys. Res., 109, E05003, doi:10.1029/2003JE002218.
Squyres, S. W., Grotzinger, J. P. et al. (incl. McLennan, S. M.) (2004) In-situ evidence for an ancient aqueous environment on Mars. Science, 306, 1709-1714.
McLennan, S. M. (2003) Sedimentary silica on Mars. Geology, 31, 315-318.
McLennan, S. M. (2001) Relationships between the trace element composition of sedimentary rocks and upper continental crust. Geochem. Geophys. Geosys. 2, 2000GC000109.
McLennan, S. M. (2001) Crustal heat production and the thermal evolution of Mars. Geophys. Res. Lett., 28, 4019-4022.
McLennan, S. M., Bock*, B., Compston, W., Hemming, S. R. and McDaniel*, D. K. (2001) Detrital zircon geochronology of Taconian and Acadian foreland sedimentary rocks in New England. J. Sed. Res., 71, 305-317.
McLennan, S. M. (2000) Chemical composition of Martian soil and rock: Complex mixing and sedimentary transport. Geophys. Res. Lett., 27, 1335-1338.
Taylor, S. R. and McLennan, S. M. (1995) The geochemical evolution of the continental crust. Rev. Geophys. , 33, 241-265.
McLennan, S. M., Hemming*, S., McDaniel*, D. K. and Hanson, G. N. (1993) Geochemical approaches to sedimentation, provenance and tectonics. In: M. J. Johnsson and A. Basu (Eds.) Processes Controlling the Composition of Clastic Sediments. Geol. Soc. Amer. Spec. Paper 284, 21-40.
McLennan, S. M. (1993) Weathering and global denudation. J. Geol. 101, 295-303.
McLennan, S.M., Taylor, S.R., McCulloch, M.T. and Maynard, J.B. (1990) Geochemical and Nd-Sr isotopic composition of deep sea turbidites: Crustal evolution and plate tectonic associations. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 54, 2015-2050.
McLennan, S.M. (1989) Rare earth elements in sedimentary rocks: Influence of provenance and sedimentary processes. Rev. Mineral. 21, 169-200.
Taylor, S. R. and McLennan, S. M. (1985). The Continental Crust: Its Composition and Evolution. Blackwell (Oxford), 312pp.
Externally Funded Research
"Sedimentary Petrology at Aeolis Mons: Provenance, Processes and Paleoclimates": NASA/JPL Mars Science Laboratory Participating Scientist Program (2012-2022)
“InSight Geophysical Constraints on the Composition of the Martian Crust-Mantle System and Implications for Planetary Differentiation”: NASA/JPL InSight Participating Scientist Program (2018-2023)
“Mars 2020 SuperCAM Co-Investigator”: NASA/JPL (2016-2022).
“Mars 2020 PIXL Co-Investigator”: NASA/JPL (2020-2022)
Recent Students and Post-Doctoral Fellows
Dr. Rebecca Smith (Ph.D., Arizona State Univ.), Post-doctoral Fellow 2018-present
Laura Martínez Parro (Universidad Complutense de Madrid) “Heat Flow Constraints on the Geochemistry of the Martian Crust”, Visiting Ph.D. Student (Aug.-Nov., 2017).
Dr. Kirsten Siebach (Ph.D., Caltech), Post-doctoral Fellow 2016-2017 (Assistant Professor, Rice University).
Christie Cino, “Geochemical Constraints and Modeling on the Presence of Clay Minerals in the Burns Formation, Meridiani Planum, Mars”, B.S. Honors (2015).
Dr. Erwin Dehouck (Ph.D., Nantes), Post-doctoral Fellow 2013-2015 (Maître de conferences (Assistant Professor), Université de Lyon).
Yu-yan (Sara) Zhao, "Trace Element (Ni, Zn, Cr) and Halogen Geochemistry During Surficial Processes on Mars", Ph.D., 2014 (Associate Researcher, Chinese Academy of Science).