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Mineralogy, Morphology, and Emplacement History of the Maaz Formation on the Jezero Crater Floor From Orbital and Rover Observations
Liu, Yang; Horgan, Briony; Ravanis, Eleni +42 more
The first samples collected by the Perseverance rover on the Mars 2020 mission were from the Maaz formation, a lava plain that covers most of the floor of Jezero crater. Laboratory analysis of these samples back on Earth would provide important constraints on the petrologic history, aqueous processes, and timing of key events in Jezero crater. How…
Long-Lived and Continual Volcanic Eruptions, Tectonic Activity, Pit Chains Formation, and Boulder Avalanches in Northern Tharsis Region: Implications for Late Amazonian Geodynamics and Seismo-Tectonic Processes on Mars
Kumar, P. Senthil; Krishnan, Vivek
Tharsis is the largest volcanic province on Mars. It consists of a few large shield volcanoes, one of which is Alba Mons (AM), located in northern Tharsis, with the Ceraunius Fossae (CF) graben system to the south of it. Previous workers argued in favor of episodic building of Tharsis volcanoes. In contrast, we show that volcanism in the AM and CF…
Can Clay Mimic the High Reflectivity of Briny Water Below the Martian SPLD?
Caprarelli, Graziella; Pettinelli, Elena; Cosciotti, Barbara +6 more
It has recently been suggested that clay minerals, which are widespread on the Martian surface, could be the possible source of the basal bright reflections detected by MARSIS at Ultimi Scopuli, instead of briny water. This hypothesis is based on dielectric measurements on a wet Ca-Montorillonite (STx-1b) sample conducted at 230 K, which reported …
Constraining Changes in Surface Dust Thickness on Mars Using Diurnal Surface Temperature Observations From EMIRS
Christensen, Philip R.; Edwards, Christopher S.; Smith, Michael D. +1 more
Diurnal surface temperature data collected from the Emirates Mars Infrared Spectrometer have been used to characterize dust redistribution on Mars following a regional dust storm in January 2022. A comparative temporal analysis is conducted pre- and post-dust storm to estimate net changes in surface dust thickness at Syrtis Major, Isidis Planitia,…
Groundwater-Controlled Deposition of Equatorial Layered Deposits in Central Arabia Terra, Mars
Pondrelli, M.; Marinangeli, L.; Silvestro, S. +5 more
Equatorial Layered Deposits (ELDs) reveal aspects of past depositional environments useful for timing climatic and geological events on Mars. However, their formation has several contending hypotheses which reflect a diverse range of possible environments. To better constrain their formation mechanism, we analyzed the stratigraphic and mineralogic…
Ultraviolet and Visible Reflectance Spectra of Phobos and Deimos as Measured by the ExoMars-TGO/NOMAD-UVIS Spectrometer
Vandaele, A. C.; Daerden, F.; Thomas, I. R. +18 more
Spectroscopic measurements are a powerful tool to investigate the surface composition of airless bodies and provide clues of their origin. The composition and origin of Phobos and Deimos are still unknown and are currently widely debated. We present spectroscopic measurements of Phobos and Deimos at ultraviolet and visible wavelengths (250-650 nm)…
Assessing Controls on the Incomplete Draining of Martian Open-Basin Lakes
Goudge, Timothy A.; Fassett, Caleb I.; Bamber, Emily R. +1 more
Over 250 hydrologically open paleolakes, which filled with water before catastrophically breaching, have been identified on Mars. These open-basin lakes are recognized by the topographic geometry of a closed contour below the elevation of the outlet, indicating that the lake was incompletely drained by the breach flood. Here, we explore factors th…
Deciphering the Structural History of Ulysses Fossae, Mars, Using Fault Pattern Analysis
Byrne, Paul K.; Shahrzad, Stephanie; Bramham, Emma K. +3 more
Ulysses Fossae is a faulted region surrounded by lava flows that sits between the major volcanoes of the Tharsis Rise volcanic province on Mars. This area is unique, as it is the only exposure of extensional faulting which can be related to the Olympus Mons volcano and one of the only a few faulted areas relating to the Tharsis Montes. In order to…
Prolonged Record of Hydroclimatic Changes at Antoniadi Crater, Mars
Mangold, N.; Pajola, M.; Cremonese, G. +13 more
The first billion years of Martian geologic history consisted of surface environments and landscapes dramatically different from those seen today, with flowing liquid water sculpting river channels and ponding to form bodies of water. However, the hydro-climatic context, the frequency, and the duration under which these systems existed remain unce…
The Geology of Eden Patera, a Type-Example of Plains Style Caldera Complexes on Mars
Michalski, Joseph R.; Chu, Yin Yau Yoyo; Webb, A. Alexander G.
A population of underrecognized volcanic constructs associated with explosive and effusive volcanism is present within Arabia Terra and perhaps throughout the ancient highlands on Mars. These features, termed "plains-style caldera complexes," are characterized by 10s-of-km wide crustal collapse structures, lava flows, and potential pyroclastic dep…