Perseverance rover reveals an ancient delta-lake system and flood deposits at Jezero crater, Mars

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  • N. Mangold
  • S. Gupta
  • O. Gasnault
  • G. Dromart
  • J. D. Tarnas
  • S. F. Sholes
  • B. Horgan
  • C. Quantin-Nataf
  • A. J. Brown
  • S. Le Mouelic
  • R. A. Yingst
  • J. F. Bell
  • O. Beyssac
  • T. Bosak
  • F. Calef
  • B. L. Ehlmann
  • K. A. Farley
  • J. P. Grotzinger
  • K. Hickman-Lewis
  • S. Holm-Alwmark
  • And 19 others
  • L. C. Kah
  • J. Martinez-Frias
  • S. M. McLennan
  • S. Maurice
  • J. Nunez
  • A. M. Ollila
  • P. Pilleri
  • J. W. Rice Jr
  • M. Rice
  • J. Simon
  • D. L. Shuster
  • K. M. Stack
  • V. Z. Sun
  • A. H. Treiman
  • B. P. Weiss
  • R. C. Wiens
  • A. J. Williams
  • N. R. Williams
  • K. H. Williford

Observations from orbital spacecraft have shown that Jezero crater on Mars contains a prominent fan-shaped body of sedimentary rock deposited at its western margin. The Perseverance rover landed in Jezero crater in February 2021. We analyze images taken by the rover in the 3 months after landing. The fan has outcrop faces, which were invisible from orbit, that record the hydrological evolution of Jezero crater. We interpret the presence of inclined strata in these outcrops as evidence of deltas that advanced into a lake. In contrast, the uppermost fan strata are composed of boulder conglomerates, which imply deposition by episodic high-energy floods. This sedimentary succession indicates a transition from sustained hydrologic activity in a persistent lake environment to highly energetic short-duration fluvial flows.

Original languageEnglish
JournalScience
Volume374
Issue number6568
Pages (from-to)711-717
Number of pages8
ISSN0036-8075
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 5 Nov 2021

    Research areas

  • ORIGIN, SCIENCE, ARCHITECTURE, CORINTH, RIFT

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