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Sanna Alwmark

Sanna Alwmark

Postdoctoral fellow

Sanna Alwmark

Perseverance rover reveals an ancient delta-lake system and flood deposits at Jezero crater, Mars

Author

  • N. Mangold
  • S. Gupta
  • O. Gasnault
  • G. Dromart
  • J. D. Tarnas
  • S. F. Sholes
  • B. Horgan
  • C. Quantin-Nataf
  • A. J. Brown
  • S. Le Mouélic
  • R. A. Yingst
  • J. F. Bell
  • O. Beyssac
  • T. Bosak
  • F. Calef
  • B. L. Ehlmann
  • K. A. Farley
  • J. P. Grotzinger
  • K. Hickman-Lewis
  • S. Holm-Alwmark
  • L. C. Kah
  • J. Martinez-Frias
  • S. M. McLennan
  • S. Maurice
  • J. I. Nuñez
  • A. M. Ollila
  • P. Pilleri
  • J. W. Rice
  • M. Rice
  • J. I. Simon
  • D. L. Shuster
  • K. M. Stack
  • V. Z. Sun
  • A. H. Treiman
  • B. P. Weiss
  • R. C. Wiens
  • A. J. Williams
  • N. R. Williams
  • K. H. Williford

Summary, in English

Observations from orbital spacecraft have shown that Jezero crater on Mars contains a prominent fan-shaped body of sedimentary rock deposited at its western margin. The Perseverance rover landed in Jezero crater in February 2021. We analyze images taken by the rover in the 3 months after landing. The fan has outcrop faces, which were invisible from orbit, that record the hydrological evolution of Jezero crater. We interpret the presence of inclined strata in these outcrops as evidence of deltas that advanced into a lake. In contrast, the uppermost fan strata are composed of boulder conglomerates, which imply deposition by episodic high-energy floods. This sedimentary succession indicates a transition from sustained hydrologic activity in a persistent lake environment to highly energetic short-duration fluvial flows.

Department/s

  • Lithosphere and Biosphere Science

Publishing year

2021-11-05

Language

English

Publication/Series

Science

Volume

374

Issue

6568

Document type

Journal article

Publisher

American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)

Topic

  • Aerospace Engineering

Status

Published

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 0036-8075