Using data from ESA’s ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter and NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, planetary scientists have created the 1:30000 scale geological map of Oxia Planum, the landing site for ESA’s ExoMars Rosalind Franklin rover mission.
Fawdon et al. created the most detailed geologic map of Oxia Planum, the landing site for ESA’s Rosalind Franklin rover on Mars. Image credit: Fawdon et al., doi: 10.1080/17445647.2024.2302361.
Oxia Planum is situated on the northern margin of Arabia Terra and preserves a record of the diverse geological processes that have shaped the region.
It is a transitional region between the heavily cratered Arabia Terra and the younger low-lying plains of Chryse Planitia.
“Oxia Planum is located near the Martian equator and contains sedimentary deposits that are nearly 4 billion years old,” said Open University researcher Peter Fawdon and his colleagues.
“On a geological scale, this will be the oldest landing site visited by a rover on Mars.”
“The region is rich in clay minerals formed in the presence of water. These rocks are ideal for preserving evidence of the earliest life forms. This makes it an excellent location to look for clues as to whether life once existed on the Red Planet.”
To create the map of Oxia Planum, the authors used data from the Colour and Stereo Surface Imaging System (CaSSIS) onboard the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter and several instruments on NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), including the HiRISE camera.
The map details 15 bedrock units organized into 6 groups and 7 textural and surficial units.
“The map includes the main types of bedrock, and structures with distinct shapes like ridges and craters,” the researchers said.
“It even features the material that rests on top, for example blown by the wind, or thrown long distances when meteorites impacted the surface.”
The result is the highest resolution map of Oxia Planum yet, created at a scale of 1:25000, by which every centimeter equals 250 m on the Martian surface.
An average drive of 25 to 50 m a day for the Rosalind Franklin rover would be one to two millimeters on the map.
“This map is exciting because it is a guide that shows us where to find the answers,” Dr. Fawdon said.
“It serves as a visual hypothesis of what we currently know about the different rocks in the landing site.”
“The instruments on the Rosalind Franklin rover will allow us to test our knowledge on the spot when the time comes.”
The results were published in the Journal of Maps.
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Peter Fawdon et al. 2024. The high-resolution map of Oxia Planum, Mars; the landing site of the ExoMars Rosalind Franklin rover mission. Journal of Maps 20 (1); doi: 10.1080/17445647.2024.2302361
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