TY - JOUR
T1 - Diverse Lithologies and Alteration Events on the Rim of Noachian-Aged Endeavour Crater, Meridiani Planum, Mars
T2 - In Situ Compositional Evidence
AU - Mittlefehldt, David W.
AU - Gellert, Ralf
AU - vanBommel, Scott
AU - Ming, Douglas W.
AU - Yen, Albert S.
AU - Clark, Benton C.
AU - Morris, Richard V.
AU - Schröder, Christian
AU - Crumpler, Larry S.
AU - Grant, John A.
AU - Jolliff, Bradley L.
AU - Arvidson, Raymond E.
AU - Farrand, William H.
AU - Herkenhoff, Kenneth E.
AU - Bell, James F.
AU - Cohen, Barbara A.
AU - Klingelhöfer, Göstar
AU - Schrader, Christian M.
AU - Rice, James W.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
©2018. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved.
PY - 2018/5
Y1 - 2018/5
N2 - We report the results of geological studies by the Opportunity Mars rover on the Endeavour Crater rim. Four major units occur in the region (oldest to youngest): the Matijevic, Shoemaker, Grasberg, and Burns formations. The Matijevic formation, consisting of fine-grained clastic sediments, is the only pre-Endeavour-impact unit and might be part of the Noachian etched units of Meridiani Planum. The Shoemaker formation is a heterogeneous polymict impact breccia; its lowermost member incorporates material eroded from the underlying Matijevic formation. The Shoemaker formation is a close analog to the Bunte Breccia of the Ries Crater, although the average clast sizes are substantially larger in the latter. The Grasberg formation is a thin, fine-grained, homogeneous sediment unconformably overlying the Shoemaker formation and likely formed as an airfall deposit of unknown areal extent. The Burns formation sandstone overlies the Grasberg, but compositions of the two units are distinct; there is no evidence that the Grasberg formation is a fine-grained subfacies of the Burns formation. The rocks along the Endeavour Crater rim were affected by at least four episodes of alteration in the Noachian and Early Hesperian: (i) vein formation and alteration of preimpact Matijevic formation rocks, (ii) low-water/rock alteration along the disconformity between the Matijevic and Shoemaker formations, (iii) alteration of the Shoemaker formation along fracture zones, and (iv) differential mobilization of Fe and Mn, and CaSO4-vein formation in the Grasberg and Shoemaker formations. Episodes (ii) and (iii) possibly occurred together, but (i) and (iv) are distinct from either of these.
AB - We report the results of geological studies by the Opportunity Mars rover on the Endeavour Crater rim. Four major units occur in the region (oldest to youngest): the Matijevic, Shoemaker, Grasberg, and Burns formations. The Matijevic formation, consisting of fine-grained clastic sediments, is the only pre-Endeavour-impact unit and might be part of the Noachian etched units of Meridiani Planum. The Shoemaker formation is a heterogeneous polymict impact breccia; its lowermost member incorporates material eroded from the underlying Matijevic formation. The Shoemaker formation is a close analog to the Bunte Breccia of the Ries Crater, although the average clast sizes are substantially larger in the latter. The Grasberg formation is a thin, fine-grained, homogeneous sediment unconformably overlying the Shoemaker formation and likely formed as an airfall deposit of unknown areal extent. The Burns formation sandstone overlies the Grasberg, but compositions of the two units are distinct; there is no evidence that the Grasberg formation is a fine-grained subfacies of the Burns formation. The rocks along the Endeavour Crater rim were affected by at least four episodes of alteration in the Noachian and Early Hesperian: (i) vein formation and alteration of preimpact Matijevic formation rocks, (ii) low-water/rock alteration along the disconformity between the Matijevic and Shoemaker formations, (iii) alteration of the Shoemaker formation along fracture zones, and (iv) differential mobilization of Fe and Mn, and CaSO4-vein formation in the Grasberg and Shoemaker formations. Episodes (ii) and (iii) possibly occurred together, but (i) and (iv) are distinct from either of these.
KW - Endeavour Crater
KW - Mars Exploration Rover
KW - Mars alteration
KW - geochemistry
KW - impact breccia
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85045547448&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85045547448&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1002/2017JE005474
DO - 10.1002/2017JE005474
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85045547448
SN - 2169-9097
VL - 123
SP - 1255
EP - 1306
JO - Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets
JF - Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets
IS - 5
ER -