Structure and Origin of the Columbia Hills, Gusev Crater, Mars

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The Mars Exploration Rover Spirit has yielded profound insights into features at millimeter to decimeter scales. However, the origin of the Columbia Hills has remained enigmatic given the traverse across one peak [1]. We present a geologic history of the Hills consistent with their morphology, bedding attitudes, and stratigraphy.
The Columbia Hills form a triangle 4.2 by 2.3 km, are bounded by linear to slightly concave margins, lie near the center of Gusev Crater, and have peaks rising to 90 m. Bedding dips away from a NNE-SSW axis cutting the Tennessee Valley. Husband Hill dips (15-32°) are steeper than local topography ( 8-10°) and those on West Spur are conformable with greater scatter in strike and shallower dips (7-15°). Husband Hill is cored by volcaniclastic rocks and impact breccias altered to various extents (Wishstone, Watchtower and Descartes classes), ringed by ultramafic volcaniclastic rocks and sulfate-cemented sands (Algonquin and Peace classes), ringed by localized impact breccias and volcaniclastic deposits (West Spur and Home Plate) [2].
The Columbia Hills likely formed by (1) Uplift of the Gusev Crater central peak, raising the Hills to 3 km above the crater floor, assuming the Hills are deeply-rooted and subsequently buried. Uplift by overlapping crater rims is inconsistent with bedding attitudes, but may have modified the margins of the Hills. (2) Draping by impact and volcaniclastic rocks and sands with localized alteration and cementation. Fragile rocks (Peace) and in situ soils (Paso Robles) would not have survived Gusev Crater formation. (3) Mass wasting of the Tennessee Valley removed tens of meters from the peak of the Hills, exposing older units in the core, (4) Plains (Adirondack) basalts surrounded and embayed the Hills, and (5) Small impacts redistributed rocks.
[1] Rice J.W. (2004) Fall AGU, #P23B-03. [2] Squyres S.W. et al. (2006) JGR 111, E02S11.

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