Submission Type
Poster
Start Date
April 2021
Abstract
Before NASA sent the Pathfinder lander and Sojourner rover to the mouth of Ares Vallis in 1997, they anticipated the discovery of Hesperian-age (3.6 Ga-3.0 Ga) sediments deposited from catastrophic outflows. When pictures came back, the rocks they discovered were large, boulder-size, angular, and were largely inconsistent with transport by large floods. The origin of the deposits at the Pathfinder landing site remains controversial. This study aims to constrain the surface geology of the Pathfinder landing site using new high-resolution imagery and crater statistics. Context Camera (CTX) images along with High-Resolution Imaging Experiment (HiRISE) images were used to map surface geology. Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) elevation raster and Night Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) imagery were used. Multiple smooth terrains, at varying elevations, were identified in the region. Preserved geomorphic terraces, grooves, and streamlined islands from floods were also noted. Crater counts on all surfaces indicate early to late Hesperian model ages for craters with diameters (D) > 500 m, consistent with the timing of flooding in Ares Vallis. However, a resurfacing event occurred across all units, regardless of elevation, in the mid-Amazonian at ~950 Ma. This resurfacing likely had a large influence on the geology of the Pathfinder landing site and may have been caused by ~100 m of burial or erosion post-flooding.
Recommended Citation
Agent, Andrew, "205— Revisiting the Geologic History of the Pathfinder Landing Site at Ares Vallis, Mars" (2021). GREAT Day Posters. 64.
https://knightscholar.geneseo.edu/great-day-symposium/great-day-2021/posters-2021/64
Included in
205— Revisiting the Geologic History of the Pathfinder Landing Site at Ares Vallis, Mars
Before NASA sent the Pathfinder lander and Sojourner rover to the mouth of Ares Vallis in 1997, they anticipated the discovery of Hesperian-age (3.6 Ga-3.0 Ga) sediments deposited from catastrophic outflows. When pictures came back, the rocks they discovered were large, boulder-size, angular, and were largely inconsistent with transport by large floods. The origin of the deposits at the Pathfinder landing site remains controversial. This study aims to constrain the surface geology of the Pathfinder landing site using new high-resolution imagery and crater statistics. Context Camera (CTX) images along with High-Resolution Imaging Experiment (HiRISE) images were used to map surface geology. Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) elevation raster and Night Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) imagery were used. Multiple smooth terrains, at varying elevations, were identified in the region. Preserved geomorphic terraces, grooves, and streamlined islands from floods were also noted. Crater counts on all surfaces indicate early to late Hesperian model ages for craters with diameters (D) > 500 m, consistent with the timing of flooding in Ares Vallis. However, a resurfacing event occurred across all units, regardless of elevation, in the mid-Amazonian at ~950 Ma. This resurfacing likely had a large influence on the geology of the Pathfinder landing site and may have been caused by ~100 m of burial or erosion post-flooding.
Comments
Sponsored by Nicholas Warner