A Low Albedo, Thin, Resistant Unit in Oxia Planum, Mars: Evidence for an Airfall Deposit and Late‐Stage Groundwater Activity at the ExoMars Rover Landing Site
E. Harris, J. M. Davis, P. M. Grindrod, P. Fawdon, A. L. Roberts · 2024
Read A Low Albedo, Thin, Resistant Unit in Oxia Planum, Mars: Evidence for an Airfall Deposit and Late‐Stage Groundwater Activity at the ExoMars Rover Landing Site by E. Harris, J. M. Davis, P. M. Grindrod, P. Fawdon, A. L. Roberts (2024) in the Tower of Babel, a free online library of public-domain works preserved in clean, searchable text. No sign-up. The full text is served as a plain-text file at a predictable URL, where text is present: https://antarctic-labs.com/tower-of-babel/pmc-11583114.txt.
Description
Harris and co-authors map a dark rock layer on Mars in a paper from two thousand twenty-four. The layer covers older clay-bearing rocks at the landing site chosen for a European rover mission. That cover may have shielded the clays from sunlight and radiation over ages, preserving signs of past life.
Using orbital data across a wide area, the team finds the layer drapes old surfaces at many heights with a steady thickness. This pattern best fits material that fell from the air, likely volcanic ash. The layer survives mainly in low spots, perhaps hardened by rising groundwater. The authors note that edges of these deposits may expose once-covered clays for the rover to study.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | E. Harris, J. M. Davis, P. M. Grindrod, P. Fawdon, A. L. Roberts |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2024 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 52 KB |
| VERSION | 1.0 |
| LICENSE | CC BY 4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |