--> Abstract: Sedimentology on Mars as Seen by HiRISE; #90063 (2007)

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Sedimentology on Mars as Seen by HiRISE

 

Bridges, Nathan1, HiRISE Team2 (1) Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA (2) University of Arizona,

 

The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) will provide the highest resolution orbital images ever of the Martian surface. With a ground sampling distance of 30 cm per pixel, it will resolve meter-scale features. Having a wide field of view (6 by up to 20+ km), high signal-to-noise, and high geometric precision, HiRISE images should answer key questions central to Martian geology. As of this writing, HiRISE has acquired 8 images of Mars, taken right after orbital insertion at an altitude ~2500 km. Even at this resolution (~2.5 m/pixel), megaripples, gullies, channels, and possible glacial features are seen. By the time this abstract is presented, hundreds of HiRISE images at full resolution should be available. These should provide fundamental insight into many Martian sedimentological problems, including: - The origin of bedrock units as revealed in the characteristics of exposed layering at the decimeter scale. Stereo data will quantify layer thickness and absolute height, thereby helping determine if layers follow specific elevations and therefore likely formed in a lacustrine environment. Large-scale depositional structures such as cross-bedding and faults and associated fluid flow may also be resolvable. - The origin of fluvial landforms, including the enigmatic young Martian gullies. - Determining if any dune or megaripple migration occurs at meter scales over the 3+ year duration of MRO. - Assessment of the distribution, form, and morphometry of yardangs. - The rates and characteristics of landscape modification from aeolian and fluvial processes.

 

AAPG Search and Discover Article #90063©2007 AAPG Annual Convention, Long Beach, California