Mathematics – Logic
Scientific paper
Dec 2010
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2010agufm.p11b1346c&link_type=abstract
American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2010, abstract #P11B-1346
Mathematics
Logic
[5400] Planetary Sciences: Solid Surface Planets, [5470] Planetary Sciences: Solid Surface Planets / Surface Materials And Properties, [6225] Planetary Sciences: Solar System Objects / Mars, [8015] Structural Geology / Local Crustal Structure
Scientific paper
The Columbia Hills in Gusev Crater is one of the most intensively studied regions on Mars. The Mars Exploration Rover (MER) Spirit has been investigating the Columbia Hills for over 5 years. During this time, Spirit has acquired thousands of images and spectroscopic observations from several outcrops and many soil samples and float rocks. The Hills exhibit a remarkable variety of textures and compositions, as indicated by diverse rock and soil types. Many studies of local regions within the Columbia Hills have been published from MER data, as have high-resolution Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) instrument on board the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO). Additionally, the MRO Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) instrument has acquired 13 hyperspectral observations of the Columbia Hills at 18m/pixel resolution. Previous work has had a spectroscopic and mineralogical focus, with sparsely-sampled structural measurements. To date, these data sets have not been integrated into a single detailed and comprehensive geologic map. We present a preliminary geologic map of the Columbia Hills. Our goal is to integrate observations from multiple instruments and spacecraft into a single map, illuminating the geographic context of geologic observations. Our study is unique in that we incorporate detailed structural measurements, localized stratigraphic sequences, and the footprints of remote sensing and in-situ observations. We also map the distribution of textures, such as vesicular vs. nodular rocks; small impact craters; probable flow margins; boundaries marking textural and color changes relating to differences in process and mineralogy; and the rover’s traverse path. We measure the strike and dip of planar features such as foliations and bedding planes from stereo-derived topography and provide estimates of the uncertainty in these measurements. We place the measurements in a regional geologic context in order to estimate the stratigraphic relationships between outcrops, and to compare structural attitudes to the local topography measured from the HiRISE DEM. Textures and possible impact craters are examined using Pancam, Navcam, and HiRISE images. Flow margins are estimated from both MER Pancam multispectral and HiRISE observations. Mineralogy is derived from rover and orbiter observations. By integrating many spectroscopic and imaging datasets obtained at different scales and mapping the geology in detail we can test hypotheses related to the formation and evolution of the Columbia Hills. Are the Hills primarily a volcanic construction, or are they a result of structural uplift from crater-forming processes? Were the carbonates, sulfates and diagenetic minerals discovered by Spirit the result of unrelated aqueous processes, or were they part of the same hydrothermal event? How are the modification processes shaping the evolution of the Hills different from what occurs on the surrounding plains?
Cole Barret S.
Rice Melissa S.
Squyres Steve W.
Watters Wesley Andres
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