Photogeologic Map of the Perseverance Rover Field Site in Jezero Crater Constructed by the Mars 2020 Science Team

Abstract

The Mars 2020 Perseverance rover landing site is located within Jezero crater, a ∼ 50 km diameter impact crater interpreted to be a Noachian-aged lake basin inside the western edge of the Isidis impact structure. Jezero hosts remnants of a fluvial delta, inlet and outlet valleys, and infill deposits containing diverse carbonate, mafic, and hydrated minerals. Prior to the launch of the Mars 2020 mission, members of the Science Team collaborated to produce a photogeologic map of the Perseverance landing site in Jezero crater. Mapping was performed at a 1:5000 digital map scale using a 25 cm/pixel High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) orthoimage mosaic base map and a 1 m/pixel HiRISE stereo digital terrain model. Mapped bedrock and surficial units were distinguished by differences in relative brightness, tone, topography, surface texture, and apparent roughness. Mapped bedrock units are generally consistent with those identified in previously published mapping efforts, but this study's map includes the distribution of surficial deposits and sub-units of the Jezero delta at a higher level of detail than previous studies. This study considers four possible unit correlations to explain the relative age relationships of major units within the map area. Unit correlations include previously published interpretations as well as those that consider more complex interfingering relationships and alternative relative age relationships. The photogeologic map presented here is the foundation for scientific hypothesis development and strategic planning for Perseverance's exploration of Jezero crater.

Mars 2020 Mission Overview

“…After landing site selection, over 60 members of the Mars 2020 science team collaboratively mapped the exploration area in unprecedented detail, largely confirming earlier identified units and recognizing several important distinctions within them (Stack et al 2020). This mapping effort has been unable to confirm or reject a volcanic origin for materials on the crater floor (Stack et al 2020), but any in-place igneous rocks encountered in or around the crater would be extremely valuable to MSR, particularly to constrain the age of lacustrine activity and possibly to test crater chronology models.…”

“…Later, more detailed mapping recognized multiple units in the western delta featuring hydrous minerals (Schon et al 2012;Goudge et al 2017Goudge et al , 2018, and multiple units on the crater floor including one interpreted as volcanic in origin (Schon et al 2012;Goudge et al 2015) and another olivine/carbonatebearing (Goudge et al 2015). After landing site selection, over 60 members of the Mars 2020 science team collaboratively mapped the exploration area in unprecedented detail, largely confirming earlier identified units and recognizing several important distinctions within them (Stack et al 2020). This mapping effort has been unable to confirm or reject a volcanic origin for materials on the crater floor (Stack et al 2020), but any in-place igneous rocks encountered in or around the crater would be extremely valuable to MSR, particularly to constrain the age of lacustrine activity and possibly to test crater chronology models.…”

“…The valley network representing the fluvial system that fed Jezero lake yielded crater ages between 3.83 and 3.74 Ga (Fassett and Head 2008), suggesting that Jezero may be among the older martian lakes. More recent age assessments of a crater floor unit of uncertain stratigraphic relation to the delta (see Stack et al 2020) have yielded results ranging widely from 3.45 Ga (Goudge et al 2015) to 2.6 Ga (Shahrzad et al 2019) or even 1.4 Ga (Schon et al 2012) providing little additional constraint on the timing of lacustrine deposition. Regardless of its age, however, an open basin lake filled by a fluvial system draining early Noachian crust -whose heavily fractured and aqueously altered nature suggests regionally widespread subsurface habitats -is of profound astrobiologic relevance.…”

The Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover Mast Camera Zoom (Mastcam-Z) Multispectral, Stereoscopic Imaging Investigation

“…Mastcam-Z is expected to participate in all five types of “sol templates” currently envisioned by the Mars 2020 Project’s operations team (Stack et al 2020 ): (1) traverse and approach, (2) site reconnaissance (remote sensing science), (3) arm manipulation and contact science, (4) coring/caching and contact science, and (5) recharge/telecom. Mastcam-Z science team members and their collaborators will support the overall Mars 2020 investigation through participation in sol-to-sol tactical operations planning and downlink assessment, and/or strategic planning for drive paths and regions of interest in which to focus future potential in situ sampling and coring/caching.…”

“…Mastcam-Z will observe textural, mineralogical, structural, and morphologic details in rocks and fines at the rover’s field site in Jezero crater (Stack et al 2020 ). Imaging from Mastcam-Z and many of the 23 other cameras on the rover and its systems (Maki et al 2020 ) will permit the science team to constrain rock type (e.g., sedimentary vs. igneous) and texture, and to assemble a geologic history of the site from stratigraphic clues in outcrops and regolith.…”