Mineralogy, Morphology, and Emplacement History of the Maaz Formation on the Jezero Crater Floor From Orbital and Rover Observations
(2023) In Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets 128(8).- Abstract
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. However, interpreting these samples requires a detailed understanding of the emplacement and modification history of the Maaz formation. Here we synthesize rover and orbital remote sensing data to link outcrop-scale interpretations to the broader history of the crater, including Mastcam-Z mosaics and multispectral images, SuperCam chemistry and reflectance point spectra, Radar Imager for Mars'... (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. However, interpreting these samples requires a detailed understanding of the emplacement and modification history of the Maaz formation. Here we synthesize rover and orbital remote sensing data to link outcrop-scale interpretations to the broader history of the crater, including Mastcam-Z mosaics and multispectral images, SuperCam chemistry and reflectance point spectra, Radar Imager for Mars' subsurface eXperiment ground penetrating radar, and orbital hyperspectral reflectance and high-resolution images. We show that the Maaz formation is composed of a series of distinct members corresponding to basaltic to basaltic-andesite lava flows. The members exhibit variable spectral signatures dominated by high-Ca pyroxene, Fe-bearing feldspar, and hematite, which can be tied directly to igneous grains and altered matrix in abrasion patches. Spectral variations correlate with morphological variations, from recessive layers that produce a regolith lag in lower Maaz, to weathered polygonally fractured paleosurfaces and crater-retaining massive blocky hummocks in upper Maaz. The Maaz members were likely separated by one or more extended periods of time, and were subjected to variable erosion, burial, exhumation, weathering, and tectonic modification. The two unique samples from the Maaz formation are representative of this diversity, and together will provide an important geochronological framework for the history of Jezero crater.
(Less)
- author
- organization
- publishing date
- 2023-08
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Mars, Perseverance, remote sensing, sample return, spectroscopy, volcanism
- in
- Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets
- volume
- 128
- issue
- 8
- article number
- e2022JE007612
- publisher
- Wiley-Blackwell
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:85168459077
- ISSN
- 2169-9097
- DOI
- 10.1029/2022JE007612
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 4a0cea78-21cc-4b1a-8005-67772fe71ec2
- date added to LUP
- 2023-12-19 16:43:21
- date last changed
- 2023-12-19 16:44:47
@article{4a0cea78-21cc-4b1a-8005-67772fe71ec2,
abstract = {{<p>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. However, interpreting these samples requires a detailed understanding of the emplacement and modification history of the Maaz formation. Here we synthesize rover and orbital remote sensing data to link outcrop-scale interpretations to the broader history of the crater, including Mastcam-Z mosaics and multispectral images, SuperCam chemistry and reflectance point spectra, Radar Imager for Mars' subsurface eXperiment ground penetrating radar, and orbital hyperspectral reflectance and high-resolution images. We show that the Maaz formation is composed of a series of distinct members corresponding to basaltic to basaltic-andesite lava flows. The members exhibit variable spectral signatures dominated by high-Ca pyroxene, Fe-bearing feldspar, and hematite, which can be tied directly to igneous grains and altered matrix in abrasion patches. Spectral variations correlate with morphological variations, from recessive layers that produce a regolith lag in lower Maaz, to weathered polygonally fractured paleosurfaces and crater-retaining massive blocky hummocks in upper Maaz. The Maaz members were likely separated by one or more extended periods of time, and were subjected to variable erosion, burial, exhumation, weathering, and tectonic modification. The two unique samples from the Maaz formation are representative of this diversity, and together will provide an important geochronological framework for the history of Jezero crater.</p>}},
author = {{Horgan, Briony and Udry, Arya and Rice, Melissa and Alwmark, Sanna and Amundsen, Hans E.F. and Bell, James F. and Crumpler, Larry and Garczynski, Brad and Johnson, Jeff and Kinch, Kjartan and Mandon, Lucia and Merusi, Marco and Million, Chase and Núñez, Jorge I. and Russell, Patrick and Simon, Justin I. and St. Clair, Michael and Stack, Kathryn M. and Vaughan, Alicia and Wogsland, Brittan and Annex, Andrew and Bechtold, Andreas and Berger, Tor and Beyssac, Olivier and Brown, Adrian and Cloutis, Ed and Cohen, Barbara A. and Fagents, Sarah and Kah, Linda and Farley, Ken and Flannery, David and Gupta, Sanjeev and Hamran, Svein Erik and Liu, Yang and Paar, Gerhard and Quantin-Nataf, Cathy and Randazzo, Nicolas and Ravanis, Eleni and Sholes, Steven and Shuster, David and Sun, Vivian and Tate, Christian and Tosca, Nick and Wadhwa, Meenakshi and Wiens, Roger C.}},
issn = {{2169-9097}},
keywords = {{Mars; Perseverance; remote sensing; sample return; spectroscopy; volcanism}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{8}},
publisher = {{Wiley-Blackwell}},
series = {{Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets}},
title = {{Mineralogy, Morphology, and Emplacement History of the Maaz Formation on the Jezero Crater Floor From Orbital and Rover Observations}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2022JE007612}},
doi = {{10.1029/2022JE007612}},
volume = {{128}},
year = {{2023}},
}