We found a match
Your institution may have access to this item. Find your institution then sign in to continue.
- Title
Degradation of Endeavour Crater Based on Orbital and Rover‐Based Observations in Combination With Landscape Evolution Modeling.
- Authors
Hughes, M. N.; Arvidson, R. E.; Grant, J. A.; Wilson, S. A.; Howard, A. D.; Golombek, M. P.
- Abstract
Exploration of Endeavour crater's Shoemaker formation rim rocks by the Opportunity rover, combined with extensive observations from the Mars Express and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiters, provides unique and quantitative insights into the processes that have degraded this 22‐km diameter Noachian age impact crater. These insights are informed by comparisons between Endeavour and the relatively young, and morphologically fresh appearing, 19‐km diameter Bopolu crater located 65 km to the southwest. Analyses of rover and orbiter data, combined with landscape evolution modeling using Bopolu topography as a starting point, demonstrate that significant weathering and fluvial degradation of Endeavour occurred during the Noachian Period, with ~0.3 km of vertical rim removal, ~0.9‐km backwasting of the rim, and deposition of ~0.5 km of fluvial‐deltaic‐lacustrine sediments on the crater floor, sourced from rim erosion. Pediments formed on external rim segments, with characteristic thin regolith covers over graded bedrock. Late Noachian to Early Hesperian age Grasberg formation draping sediments, and Burns formation sulfate‐rich sandstones, subsequently embayed all but high standing Shoemaker formation rocks. Burns formation strata accumulated in the crater interior up to a depth of ~0.8 km. Subsequent wind erosion of the interior deposits is indicated by an interior mound and moat, together with yardangs carved into Shoemaker formation rocks, and graded topographic profiles from Grasberg and Burns formation rocks up and through the interior rim Shoemaker formation outcrops. Up to ~0.4 km of Burns formation rocks were exhumed from within the crater by wind erosion to produce the mound and moat. Plain Language Summary: The Opportunity Rover explored the rim of the Noachian age Endeavour crater from 2010 to 2018. Only small segments of its rim are exposed above a regional sulfate‐bearing sandstone unit called the Burns formation. By studying the morphology of these rim segments with orbital data sets and observations from Opportunity, the history of the degradation of the crater was identified. The nearby Bopolu crater is similar in size to Endeavour but is younger and fresher. Simulating the erosion of Bopolu to create a crater rim that looks similar to Endeavour's current rim shows that Endeavour experienced a late Noachian period of fluvial erosion in an arid environment. Erosion lowered the crater rim by ~0.3 km, routing ~0.5‐km thick section of sediment into the crater interior, where a very shallow lake was likely present. Endeavour was then partially buried by Grasberg and Burns formation rocks. Since then, regional winds coming from the east have excavated some of the interior sandstone unit in Endeavour and carved into the interior rim, including Perseverance Valley. Key Points: Landscape evolution modeling indicates that Endeavour experienced an early period of fluvial erosion in a semiarid environmentSince the deposition of the Grasberg and Burns formation rocks, wind erosion has excavated interior deposits and eroded the crater rimUp to ~400 m of Burns formation rocks have been excavated from the interior of Endeavour crater
- Subjects
LANDSCAPES; MARS Express (Spacecraft); MARS Reconnaissance Orbiter (Spacecraft); GEOMORPHOLOGY; IMPACT craters; FLUVIAL geomorphology
- Publication
Journal of Geophysical Research. Planets, 2019, Vol 124, Issue 6, p1472
- ISSN
2169-9097
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1029/2019JE005949