Oxia Planum, landing site for Mars 2020 P.Thollot1, C. Quantin1, J. Carter2, D. Loizeau1 and B. Bultel1
Mars 2020 First Landing Site Workshop (1) Laboratoire de Géologie de Lyon, France May 14–16, 2014, Crystal City, VA (2) IAS, France
NOTE ADDED BY JPL WEBMASTER: This content has not been approved or adopted by, NASA, JPL, or the California Institute of Technology. This document is being made available for information purposes only, and any views and opinions expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of NASA, JPL, or the California Institute of Technology. Oxia Planum location
Oxia Chryse Planum Mawrth Vallis
Meridiani
Valles Marineris Oxia Planum, wide clay-bearing plain
Mawrth Vallis
Ares Vallis Oxia Planum, wide clay-bearing unit
OMEGA+CRISM MSP-Mapping criteria : 2.3 microns band , Mg/Fe Phyllosilicates Geological context: Noachian age
Crater counts on Oxia-Mawrth region - Oxia-Mawrth Region is 4 Gy (+/- 200 My) old - Intense crater obliteration from 4 Ga to 3.6 Ga - Moderate but continuous erosion since 3.6 Ga Geological context: morphology
Basement unit Ridged unit
Fan deposit
Coogoon Basement outflow channel unit
Channels Geological context: hydrated minerals
CRISM MSP Fe/Mg-Phyllo Red: Fe-bearing phyllosilicates 100m/pix unit Outline of 25x20 km Landing Ellipse
Fe/Mg-Phyllo unit
Fe/Mg-Phyllo Mawrth-Vallis- unit like stratigraphy Geological context: evidence for volcanism
Large Caldeira detected further north in Arabia Terra (Michalski and Bleacher, 2013) Geological context: Fan shaped deposit in paleo-basin at the mouth of Coogoon Valles Runoff channel ? Paleo-basin outline ? Fan deposit
Bedrock unit
Coogoon Vallis N Capping unit outlet
Bedrock unit Runoff Ejecta channel ? blanket
Coogoon Vallis S outlet Geological context: Fan shaped deposit in paleo-basin at the mouth of Coogoon Valles Runoff channel ? Paleo-basin outline ? Fan deposit
Bedrock unit
Coogoon Vallis N Capping unit outlet
Bedrock unit Runoff Ejecta channel ? blanket
Coogoon Vallis S outlet
Fan shaped deposit
1 km Zoom on divergent Finger-like terminations Flat surface and No obvious channels : subaquous delta fans ? Geological context: Fe/Mg-phyllosilicates, hydrated silica/kaolinite
CRISM MSP Red: Fe-bearing minerals 100m/pix Yellow: Fe/Mg-phyllosilicates Low S/N Blue: Si-OH/Al-OH
Fan deposit
CRISM FRT 20m/pix high S/N Possible traverse routes from ellipse center
Red: Fe-bearing phyllosilicates East route: distal fan deposits stratigraphy
Bedrock unit
Fan deposits
Capping unit: lava flows
Bedrock unit
25x20 km Landing Ellipse South route: proximal fan Possible long deposits and bedrock term target: stratigraphies bright layered deposits (‘Mawrth-like’) Land on Fe/Mg-Phyllo bearing unit
Red: Fe-bearing phyllosilicates Land on Fe/Mg-Phyllo bearing unit
Red: Fe-bearing phyllosilicates
Center of Landing Ellipse Fan deposits
Most recent exposures of phyllo- bearing outcrops
+1 km +2.5 km
Possible traverse routes Dark capping unit, retreating southward Land on Fe/Mg-Phyllo bearing unit: morphology
NB: No HiRISE on ellipse center: shown here is a sample of the same unit ~4 km to the East
Polygonally fractured surface: probable dessication cracks: Depositional and/or diagenetic
Smooth material: probable erosion of fractured unit and/or removed capping unit > favorable for roving Capping unit: prob. lava flows currently eroding away: young exposure age
Dark capping unit, retreating Recent exposure of Fe/Mg-phyllo-bearing unit Red: Fe-bearing phyllosilicates
Fan deposits +5/+8 km
+9 km Fan deposits stratigraphy exposed in craters
South route: Exposed stratigraphy of proximal fan deposits Red: Fe-bearing phyllosilicates
+10 km Basement unit: Fe/Mg-phyllo bearing
Fan deposits South route
+10 km
Fe/Mg-Phyllo basement unit Red: Fe-bearing phyllosilicates
+10 km Basement unit: Fe/Mg-phyllo bearing
South route
+12 km Fe/Mg-Phyllo basement unit Fe/Mg-phyllo signatures Red: Fe-bearing phyllosilicates
+15.5 km Late lava flow, associated aqueous alteration, stratigraphic relationship w/ Fe/Mg-phyllo unit South route
Si-OH signatures Coogoon Vallis lava flow (= capping unit ?)
+15.5 km
Fe/Mg-phyllo basement unit Red: Fe-bearing phyllosilicates
+20 km
+17 km
+24 km +21 km Possible long term target: bright layered deposits with similar stratigraphy as Mawrth Vallis
East route
South Coogoon Vallis lava route flow (= capping unit ?)
Mawrth Vallis – like +17 km Layered deposits
Fe/Mg-phyllo basement unit
Si-OH signatures
+21 km Current datasets coverage
HRSC CTX HiRISE CRISM Target requests
HiRISE CRISM
Lon. , Lat. Lon. , Lat.
-23.98,17.80 -23.75,17.71 -24.00,17.97 -23.94,17.88 -24.08,17.84 -23.95,18.01 -23.91,18.04 -23.80,17.88 -24.01,17.66 -23.81,17.69 -23.72,17.70 Oxia Planum Essentials
• Surface aqueous alteration of basement unit: Fe/Mg-Phyllosilicates
• Noachian age: ~4 Ga; units overlain by Hesperian Ridged plains
• Noachian fan-shaped sedimentary deposits in paleobasin: delta ? fossil river channels in basement unit
• Igneous units, Noachian and/or Hesperian (lava flows, caldeiras)
• Ancient capping unit: altered basement and deposits shielded from later alteration
• Recent erosion of capping unit exposing preserved older units
• Prob. Mawrth-Vallis-like stratigraphy on basement, as close as 4 km from ellipse
• Exomars candidate landing site (potential exploration synergy)