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

• Published in: Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) Vol. 374; no. 6568; pp. 711 - 717
• Main Authors: Mangold, N, Gupta, S, Gasnault, O, Dromart, G, Tarnas, J D, Sholes, S F, Horgan, B, Quantin-Nataf, C, Brown, A J, Le Mouélic, S, Yingst, R A, Bell, J F, Beyssac, O, Bosak, T, Calef, 3rd, F, Ehlmann, B L, Farley, K A, Grotzinger, J P, Hickman-Lewis, K, Holm-Alwmark, S, Kah, L C, Martinez-Frias, J, McLennan, S M, Maurice, S, Nuñez, J I, Ollila, A M, Pilleri, P, Rice, Jr, J W, Rice, M, Simon, J I, Shuster, D L, Stack, K M, Sun, V Z, Treiman, A H, Weiss, B P, Wiens, R C, Williams, A J, Williams, N R, Williford, K H
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States The American Association for the Advancement of Science 05-11-2021; American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
• Subjects: Aerospace Engineering; Astrophysics; Boulders; Conglomerates; Deltas; Earth and Planetary Astrophysics; Earth Sciences; Engineering and Technology; Floods; Geology; Hydrology; Lakes; Landing; Mars; Mars craters; Mars rovers; Maskinteknik; Mechanical Engineering; Outcrops; Persistence; Planetology; Rymd- och flygteknik; Sciences of the Universe; Sedimentary rocks; Spacecraft; Steady flow; Strata; Stratigraphy; Teknik; Water discharge; Sedimentology; Jezero crater; Mars; Hydrology Geomorphology fluvial 1625
• ISSN: 0036-8075; 1095-9203
• DOI: 10.1126/science.abl4051

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.