Ancient eroded layered craters

Long/lat : (ranked by distance from ellipse center)1-341.06E, 24.05N2-341.07E, 24.01N3-340.96E, 23.98N4-340.98E, 23.86N5-340.94E, 23.86N6-340.84E, 24.04N7-341.20E, 23.88N8-341.22E, 23.89N9-341.14E, 24.12N10-341.16E, 24.16N11-341.18E, 24.17N12-240.77E, 24.06N13-340.75E, 24.06N14 -340.98E, 23.76N15- 341.01E, 23.75N16- 340.79E, 23.98N

The objective will not be to drive to all of them, but to target the closest to the actual landing site, and possibly some other(s) on the way to other targets.

21

3

45

6

78

910

11

1213

Rational: Eroded craters give a particular access to subsurface layers in a layered unit, as the rover Opportunity showed.Morphology & mineralogy: Even if here we have direct access everywhere to the layered rocks, gentle craters walls will provide good access to many layers in short distances. We tried to select craters whose walls give access to layers of different compositions as seen with NIR spectral CRISM data, and on the HiRISE and HRSC color images.MSL tasks: At large scale, study the layering of the two sub-units, the transition from one to the other. At small scale, study the layering, the grain structure, the mineralogy and chemistry of the rocks and the variations from one to the other sub-unit and within in each sub-unit. Moreover the effects of the crater impacts on the rocks will be studied.

HRSC mosaic with HRSC nadir & color images

1514

16

1-341.06E, 24.05N2-341.07E, 24.01NClose to the center of the ellipse#1 is smaller but excavates deeper layers.

2

1

1 km

Access to many layers

HiRISE mosaic with HRSC & HiRISE color images

1-341.06E, 24.05N2-341.07E, 24.01N

CRISM mineral map

Orange => Fe/Mg smectitesGreen => Fe2+ materialBlue => Al-phyllosilicates

Fe/Mg smectites

Fe2+ materialAl

-phy

llosil

icate

s

HiRISE mosaic with CRISM indices map (L.Saper)

3-340.96E, 23.98N

300 m

3

HiRISE mosaic with HRSC & HiRISE color images

4-340.98E, 23.86N5-340.94E, 23.86N

5

4

500 m

HiRISE mosaic with HRSC & HiRISE color images

1 km

6

12

13

6-340.84E, 24.04N12-240.77E, 24.06N13-340.75E, 24.06N

HiRISE mosaic with HRSC & HiRISE color images

7

8

7-341.20E, 23.88N8-341.22E, 23.89N

500 m

HiRISE mosaic with HRSC & HiRISE color images

9-341.14E, 24.12N10-341.16E, 24.16N11-341.18E, 24.17N

9

10

11

HiRISE mosaic with HRSC & HiRISE color images 500 m

12 -340.77E, 24.05N13- 340.75E, 24.06N

500 mHiRISE & CTX mosaic with HRSC color images

12

13

14

15

14 -340.98E, 23.76N15- 341.01E, 23.75NThe two craters are located at a particular location at the top of a hill (~250 m local high)

500 mHiRISE mosaic with HiRISE color images

16

16- 340.79E, 23.98N

HiRISE mosaic

500 m