Mathematics – Logic
Scientific paper
Dec 2011
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2011agufm.p33c1772l&link_type=abstract
American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2011, abstract #P33C-1772
Mathematics
Logic
[5464] Planetary Sciences: Solid Surface Planets / Remote Sensing, [5470] Planetary Sciences: Solid Surface Planets / Surface Materials And Properties, [6225] Planetary Sciences: Solar System Objects / Mars
Scientific paper
Gale crater, recently selected as the field site for the Mars Science Laboratory rover, presents a new opportunity to probe the history and habitability of the Martian surface. The crater hosts a diverse suite of geologic materials several kilometers in thickness. Among the central challenges will be the interpretation of this extensive stratigraphic record within a poorly-constrained chronological framework. One potential constraint lies in the recent discovery of sedimentary deposits on Mars which have been found to contain regularly cyclic bedding at 1--10 meter scales. Although cyclic sedimentary deposits were initially recognized in the Arabia Terra region of Mars, Gale crater is among the best examples elsewhere on the planet where we have documented their occurrence. With evidence including multiple scales of repeating stratigraphy at Becquerel crater, we have previously drawn a link between these patterns and known oscillations in the planetary obliquity. This correlation provides an avenue to establish a relative geochronology for portions of the stratigraphic record at Gale. Using stereo image and topographic data from the HiRISE instrument, we have more closely evaluated the occurrence of periodic bedding within the Gale crater mound. The clearest example found to date is located near the top of the exposed section, a potential longer-term exploration target for the rover. This section spans several hundred meters of continuous regularly spaced strata. We further examine potential instances of repetitive bedding lower in the stratigraphy, more easily targeted over the course of the mission. Along with power spectral techniques to evaluate the periodicity of exposed bedding, we statistically assess our proposed astrochronological timescales given the lack of observed interbedded craters. The identification of specific orbital signals within the rock record at Gale would help in determining depositional mechanisms while providing a temporal calibration for stratigraphic units observed by the rover.
Aharonson Oded
Lewis Kevin W.
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