1. Fluvial Regimes, Morphometry, and Age of Jezero Crater Paleolake Inlet Valleys and Their Exobiological Significance for the 2020 Rover Mission Landing Site
- Author
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Mangold, Nicolas, Dromart, Gilles, Ansan, Veronique, Salese, Francesco, Kleinhans, Maarten G., Massé, Marion, Quantin-Nataf, Cathy, Stack, Kathryn M., Mangold, Nicolas, Dromart, Gilles, Ansan, Veronique, Salese, Francesco, Kleinhans, Maarten G., Massé, Marion, Quantin-Nataf, Cathy, and Stack, Kathryn M.
- Abstract
Jezero crater has been selected as the landing site for the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover, because it contains a paleolake with two fan-deltas, inlet and outlet valleys. Using the data from the High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) and the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE), we conducted a quantitative geomorphological study of the inlet valleys of the Jezero paleolake. Results show that the strongest erosion is related to a network of deep valleys that cut into the highland bedrock well upstream of the Jezero crater and likely formed before the formation of the regional olivine-rich unit. In contrast, the lower sections of valleys display poor bedrock erosion and a lack of tributaries but are characterized by the presence of pristine landforms interpreted as fluvial bars from preserved channels, the discharge rates of which have been estimated at 103-10m3s-1. The valleys' lower sections postdate the olivine-rich unit, are linked directly to the fan-deltas, and are thus formed in an energetic, late stage of activity. Although a Late Noachian age for the fan-deltas' formation is not excluded based on crosscutting relationships and crater counts, this indicates evidence of a Hesperian age with significant implications for exobiology.
- Published
- 2020