Shaler: in situ analysis of a fluvial sedimentary deposit on Mars

Edgar, Lauren A.; Gupta, Sanjeev; Rubin, David M.; Lewis, Kevin W.; Kocurek, Gary A.; Anderson, Ryan B.; Bell, James F.; Dromart, Gilles; Edgett, Kenneth S.; Grotzinger, John P.; Hardgrove, Craig; Kah, Linda C.; Leveille, Richard; Malin, Michael C.; Mangold, Nicolas; Milliken, Ralph E.; Minitti, Michelle; Palucis, Marisa; Rice, Melissa; Rowland, Scott K.; Schieber, Juergen; Stack, Kathryn M.; Sumner, Dawn Y.; Wiens, Roger C.; Williams, Rebecca M.  E.; Williams, Amy J.

doi:10.1111/sed.12370

Title: Shaler: in situ analysis of a fluvial sedimentary deposit on Mars

Journal Article · Thu Mar 09 00:00:00 EST 2017 · Sedimentology

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1111/sed.12370· OSTI ID:1412899

^[1]; Gupta, Sanjeev ^[2]; Rubin, David M. ^[3]; Lewis, Kevin W. ^[4]; Kocurek, Gary A. ^[5]; Anderson, Ryan B. ^[1]; Bell, James F. ^[6]; Dromart, Gilles ^[7]; Edgett, Kenneth S. ^[8]; Grotzinger, John P. ^[9]; Hardgrove, Craig ^[6]; Kah, Linda C. ^[10]; Leveille, Richard ^[11]; Malin, Michael C. ^[8]; Mangold, Nicolas ^[12]; Milliken, Ralph E. ^[13]; Minitti, Michelle ^[14]; Palucis, Marisa ^[9]; Rice, Melissa ^[15]; Rowland, Scott K. ^[16] more »

U.S. Geological Survey, Flagstaff, AZ (United States). Astrogeology Science Center
Imperial College, London (United Kingdom). Dept. of Earth Science and Engineering
Univ. of California, Santa Cruz, CA (United States). Dept. of Earth & Planetary Sciences
Johns Hopkins Univ., Baltimore, MD (United States). Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences
Univ. of Texas, Austin, TX (United States). Jackson School of Geosciences, Dept. of Geological Sciences
Arizona State Univ., Tempe, AZ (United States). School of Earth and Space Exploration
Univ. de Lyon, Lyon (France). Lab. de Geologie de Lyon
Malin Space Science Systems, San Diego, CA (United States)
California Inst. of Technology (CalTech), Pasadena, CA (United States). Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences
Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States). Dept. of Earth and Planetary Sciences
McGill Univ., Montreal, QC (Canada). Dept. of Earth & Planetary Sciences
Univ. de Nantes, Nantes (France). Laboratoire de Planetologie et Geodynamique
Brown Univ., Providence, RI (United States). Dept. of Geological Sciences
Planetary Science Inst., Tucson, AZ (United States)
Western Washington Univ., Bellingham, WA (United States). College of Science and Engineering
Univ. of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI (United States). School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology
Indiana Univ., Bloomington, IN (United States). Dept. of Geological Sciences
California Inst. of Technology (CalTech), La Canada Flintridge, CA (United States). Jet Propulsion Lab.
Univ. of California, Davis, CA (United States). Earth and Planetary Sciences
Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
Towson Univ., Towson, MD (United States). Dept. of Physics, Astronomy and Geosciences

This article characterizes the detailed sedimentology of a fluvial sandbody on Mars for the first time and interprets its depositional processes and palaeoenvironmental setting. Despite numerous orbital observations of fluvial landforms on the surface of Mars, ground-based characterization of the sedimentology of such fluvial deposits has not previously been possible. Results from the NASA Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover provide an opportunity to reconstruct at fine scale the sedimentary architecture and palaeomorphology of a fluvial environment on Mars. This work describes the grain size, texture and sedimentary facies of the Shaler outcrop, reconstructs the bedding architecture, and analyses cross-stratification to determine palaeocurrents. On the basis of bedset geometry and inclination, grain-size distribution and bedform migration direction, this study concludes that the Shaler outcrop probably records the accretion of a fluvial barform. The majority of the outcrop consists of large-scale trough cross-bedding of coarse sand and granules. Palaeocurrent analyses and bedform reconstruction indicate that the beds were deposited by bedforms that migrated towards the north-east, across the surface of a bar that migrated south-east. Stacked cosets of dune cross-bedding suggest aggradation of multiple bedforms, which provides evidence for short periods of sustained flow during Shaler deposition. However, local evidence for aeolian reworking and the presence of potential desiccation cracks within the outcrop suggest that fluvial deposition may have been intermittent. The uppermost strata at Shaler are distinct in terms of texture and chemistry and are inferred to record deposition from a different sediment dispersal system with a contrasting provenance. The outcrop as a whole is a testament to the availability of liquid water on the surface of Mars in its early history.

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Research Organization:: Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA); USDOE; UK Space Agency (UKSA); Science and Technology Funding Council (STFC)

Grant/Contract Number:: AC52-06NA25396

OSTI ID:: 1412899

Report Number(s):: LA-UR-17-27688

Journal Information:: Sedimentology, Vol. 65, Issue 1; ISSN 0037-0746

Publisher:: WileyCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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Cited by: 57 works

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