In:
Science, American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), Vol. 377, No. 6614 ( 2022-09-30)
Abstract:
The Perseverance rover landed in Jezero crater on Mars on 18 February 2021 with three scientific objectives: to explore the geologic setting of the crater, to identify ancient habitable environments and assess the possibility of past martian life, and to collect samples for potential transport to Earth for analysis in laboratories. In the 290 martian days (sols) after landing, Perseverance explored rocks of the Jezero crater floor. RATIONALE Jezero, a 45-km-diameter crater, was selected for investigation by Perseverance because orbital observations had shown that it previously contained an open-system lake, prior to ~3.5 billion years ago. Major climate change then left Mars in its current cold and dry state. On Earth, broadly similar environments of similar age to Jezero contain evidence of microbial life. Jezero crater contains a well-preserved delta, identified as a target for astrobiological investigation by the rover. Perseverance landed ~2 km away from the delta, on rocks of the crater floor. Previously proposed origins for these rocks have ranged from lake (or river) sediments to lava flows. Olivine-rich rocks identified on the crater floor, as well as in the area surrounding Jezero, have previously been attributed to a widely distributed impact melt or volcanic deposit, variably altered to carbonate. We used Perseverance to investigate the origin of the crater floor rocks and to acquire samples of them. RESULTS The Jezero crater floor consists of two geologic units: the informally named Máaz formation covers much of the crater floor and surrounds the other unit, which is informally named the Séítah formation. Máaz rocks display a range of morphologies: structureless boulders, flagstone-like outcrops, and ridges that are several meters high. The ridges expose prominent layers, ranging in thickness from a few centimeters to a few tens of centimeters. Rocks of Séítah are often tabular and strongly layered, with layer thicknesses ranging from centimeters to meters. Máaz and Séítah rocks display no outcrop or grain-scale evidence for transport by wind or water. Perseverance observations show that the Máaz rocks consist of 0.5- to 1-mm interlocking crystals of pyroxene and plagioclase. Combined with bulk chemical composition measurements, this suggests Máaz is an igneous unit that cooled slowly. In contrast, most Séítah rocks are very rich in magnesium and are dominated by densely packed 2- to 3-mm-diameter crystals of olivine, surrounded by pyroxene. These properties indicate settling and accumulation of olivine near the base of a thick magma body, such as an intrusion, lava lake, or thick lava flow. Ground-penetrating radar indicates that Séítah rocks dip beneath the Máaz formation. We hypothesize that Máaz could be the magmatic complement to the Séítah olivine-rich rocks or, alternatively, Máaz could be a series of basaltic lavas that flowed over and around the older Séítah formation. The olivines in the Séítah formation are rimmed with magnesium-iron carbonate, likely produced by interaction with CO 2 -rich water. Máaz formation rocks contain an aqueously deposited iron oxide or iron silicate alteration product. Both units commonly contain patches of bright-white salts, including sodium perchlorate and various sulfate minerals. Although both rock units have been altered by water, preservation of the original igneous minerals and the absence of aluminous clay minerals indicate that the alteration occurred under low water/rock ratio and that there was little loss of soluble species to the surroundings. It remains unclear when these aqueous processes occurred and whether they relate to the lake that once filled Jezero. The exposure of the olivine-rich Séítah rocks at the surface, the absence of lake or river sediment in the exploration area, and several nearby erosional remnant hills of delta sediment indicate that substantial crater floor erosion occurred after formation of these igneous units. Samples of both of these geologic units were collected as drill cores. The drill cores were stored in ultraclean sample tubes, for potential transport to Earth by future missions in the early 2030s. CONCLUSION The floor of Jezero crater explored by Perseverance consists of two distinct igneous units that have both experienced reactions with liquid water. Multiple rock cores were collected from these units for potential transport to Earth and analysis in terrestrial laboratories. Sample collection by Perseverance on Mars. This image mosaic was acquired by the WATSON camera on the rover’s robot arm. Rock cores were drilled from the two holes (arrow) in an igneous rock of the Máaz formation. The 6-cm-long, 1.3-cm-diameter cores were sealed into individual sample tubes and are now stored inside the rover.
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
0036-8075
,
1095-9203
DOI:
10.1126/science.abo2196
Language:
English
Publisher:
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Publication Date:
2022
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128410-1
detail.hit.zdb_id:
2066996-3
detail.hit.zdb_id:
2060783-0
SSG:
11
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