Hematite and Etched Terrain Distribution in Terra Meridiani, Mars

Details Hematite and Etched Terrain Distribution in Terra Meridiani, Mars Hematite and Etched Terrain Distribution in Terra Meridiani, Mars

Dec 2002

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2002agufm.p72a0492k&link_type=abstract

American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2002, abstract #P72A-0492

Physics

5464 Remote Sensing, 5470 Surface Materials And Properties, 6225 Mars

Scientific paper

Analyses of TES-based bolometric albedo, thermal inertia, and spectral emissivity-derived hematite index for the Hematite region in Terra Meridiani (centered at 1.5 deg S and 3.0 deg W) indicate the terrain to be homogenous at resolutions of 3 km per pixel. In contrast, MOC NA frames with a maximum resolution of ~1.5 meters per pixel show that though the Hematite region is composed primarily of smooth, dark, pervasive dune-forms, there are also exposures of a ubiquitous bright material. This high albedo etched unit is interpreted to be a resistant substrate that extends beyond the borders of the overlying hematite-bearing plains. In order to quantify the relative superficial abundance of bright substrate and dark plains, we conduct high-resolution mapping of the hematite-bearing unit using MOC NA frames processed to ISIS level 2 (map projected with units proportional to radiance on sensor). As an illustrative example, MOC NA E03-01763 exhibits the etched unit in three typical settings: young crater rims, older craters which have lost much of their topographic signature but retain bright rims, and intercrater plains underlying dark, motley dunes. By area, 9.1% of the frame consists of bright material distributed uniformly across the scene. In general, MOC frames from the Hematite unit exhibit bright materials with an areal coverage ranging from 3% to 12%. This analysis demonstrates that the Mars Exploration Rover will be able to perform in-situ analyses of both the dark, hematite-bearing plains and the bright substrate over the course of the primary 90 sol mission.

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