Sedimentology of Mars: Evidence from Planetary Geology.pptx

Application and deviation of Principle of Sedimentology of Earth on Mars. Delves into the sedimentary characteristics of our friendly Red Planet through the data acquired by Extraterrestrial Rovers like (Curiosity, Opportunity, Perseverance, etc.) and Orbiters (MRO, MOO, etc.).

1. Sedimentology of Mars Evidence from Planetary Geology Swastik Chakraborty 5 th Semester, Department of Geology Government General Degree College at Pedong Date: 02.09.2025

2. Contents Introduction What is Planetary Sedimentology? Why is Mars Special? Some Key Terminologies Evidence of Sedimentary Processes on Mars Fluvial Deposits Lacustrine and Deltaic Sediments Aeolian Deposits Sedimentary Structures Observed Cross-Beddings and Ripples Mudstone and Fine Laminations Evaporites Reconstructions of Paleoenvironment and Implications for Habitability Comparison with Earth Sedimentology Conclusion References for Further Reading

3. Introduction What is Planetary Sedimentology? It’s the study of how sedimentary processes (like weathering, erosion, transportation, deposition, lithification etc.) on extraterrestrial bodies (ex. Other Planets or Moons). It involves analyzing remote sensing data and observations by rovers on features like deltas, mounds, dunes etc. Planetary sedimentology is essentially the application of Earth’s sedimentological principles to extraterrestrial surfaces with a catch since factors like gravity, atmosphere, and climate are very different. Why Mars is Special: Mars is the closest Earth-like planet with rich geological data due to robotic explorers like NASA’s Curiosity Rover (Gale Crater), Perseverance Rover (Jezero Crater) and also Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) provides us with high resolution images of sedimentary landforms from orbit. Mars shows extensive evidence of past water (valley networks, lakebeds, mineralogy) making it a prime analogue for early Earth.

4. The Big Four of Mars Exploration Curiosity Rover, 2012 Perseverance Rover, 2021 Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, 2005

5. Evidence of Sedimentary Processes Fluvial Deposits on Mars Ancient River Valleys: Orbital Imagery (MRO) reveals sinuous, branching river channels across the surface of Mars. Many craters show inlet Valleys and Deltaic Fans , indicating past sustained surface flows. Meandering Patterns: Some valley networks resemble meandering rivers on Earth, demonstrating sustained flow in Mars’s history. Conglomerate : Curiosity’s Mastcam imaged conglomerate outcrops with rounded pebbles ( “ Hottah ” in Gale Crater ), which can only be abraded and transported by flowing water not wind. FSRs: Fluvial Sinuous Ridges are winding, elevated features left behind from Mars' watery past. They form when water flows across the surface carrying sediment with it. The sediment deposits become harder than the rock in the surrounding terrain due to compaction and mineral precipitation. When Mars' water disappeared, aeolian erosion ate away at the softer, surrounding rock, leaving the elevated FSRs behind.

6. Evidence of Sedimentary Processes Fluvial Deposits on Mars Catastrophic Hydrology : Data from earlier missions like Pathfinder mission (Sojourner Rover, 1997) found boulders and conglomerates deposited by ancient floods, that hints at episodic, and catastrophic hydrology. Meandering Channels on Mars surface indicating sustained water flow in Mars’ History, taken by HiRISE camera on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter

7. NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Curiosity rover found evidence for ancient, water-transported sediment on Mars at a few sites, including the rock outcrop pictured here, named " Hottah ". Rounded pebbles within this sedimentary conglomerate indicate sustained abrasion of rock fragments within water flows that crossed Gale Crater.

8. This image of Jezero Crater is one of the MRO's most well-known images. It shows clear evidence of flowing water. The colours map the location of different minerals, including water-altered clays and carbonate salts. Image Credit: NASA/ JPL-Caltech/ MSSS/ JHU-APL This MRO CTX image gives an oblique view of part of a system of FSRs in Noachis Terra. It shows river tributaries that were probably active at the same time

9. Evidence of Sedimentary Processes Deltaic and Lacustrine Sediments Layered Lake Deposits: Observations by NASA’s Curiosity Rover indicate Mars’ Mount Sharp (Aeolis Mons) was built by sediments deposited in a large lake bed over tens of millions of years . Curiosity saw hundreds of alternating lake, river, and wind layers in Mount Sharp (Aeolis Mons), indicating repeated filling and evaporation of a crater lake. Delta formations: MRO images of Jezero Crater show a classic fan-shaped delta where a river once entered a lake . Similar deltas exist in many old craters. Clay minerals: Perseverance has identified clay-bearing (phyllosilicate) rocks on Jezero Crater’s rim and floors . These minerals are an exciting find as they primarily form by extensive interactions between basaltic rocks and liquid water, so their abundance implies a long-lived watery environment dating back to about 4 billion years.

10. Image of Krokodillen plateau on the outer slopes of Jezero crater rim, where SuperCam instrument of perseverance detected signatures of clay-minerals HiRISE Image of Jezero Crater showing a classic fan-shaped delta where a river once entered a lake

11. Evidence of Sedimentary Processes Aeolian Deposits Dunes and Ripples: Mars’s thin atmosphere still mobilizes sand. Vast dune fields are imaged by orbit (e.g. Nili Patera, Terra Sabaea (Dune Fields) ) and were studied by rovers. Curiosity’s Bagnold Dunes campaign (2015–2017) gave the first ground-level look at active Martian dunes. Cross-bedded sandstones: Many outcrops show large-scale cross-bedding. For example, Curiosity imaged tilted sandstone layers on Mount Sharp (Aeolis Mons) that are “typical of windblown sand dunes that have petrified” Earth analogues: Mars’s dunes are often compared to deserts on Earth. Death Valley’s crescentic barchan dunes (e.g. Mesquite Flat) closely resemble Martian dunes. . Studies of these analogues help interpret Martian aeolian features.

12. NASA in Death Valley Large-scale crossbedding in the sandstone of this ridge on a lower slope of Mars' Mount Sharp (Aeolis Mons) is typical of windblown sand dunes that have petrified.

13. Sedimentary Structures Observed Cross-bedding and Ripples: Rover images reveal angled layers (cross-beds) and ripple marks. For instance, at Curiosity’s “Whale Rock” , Mastcam saw layers angled atop each other – a textbook cross-bed produced by ripples or dunes moving in water. These small-scale cross-beds record current directions during deposition. Mudstone & fine laminations: Some outcrops are finely laminated mudstones, indicative of calm, standing water . In Hidden Valley (Gale Crater), Curiosity photographed “evenly layered” flat-lying strata . These fine laminations match lake-floor sediments: “plumes of river sediment settled out of the water column onto the lake floor” Evaporites (salt deposits): Curiosity also found sulphate-rich veins and salt layers, interpreted as chemical precipitates from drying lakes . The rover documented mineral salts (gypsum, etc) and mud-crack patterns in upper layers of Mount Sharp (Aeolis Mons), evidence that ponds went through overflow and drying cycles . These evaporitic features mark desiccating environments.

14. This evenly layered rock photographed by the Mast Camera ( Mastcam ) on NASA's Curiosity Mars Rover shows a pattern typical of a lake-floor sedimentary deposit not far from where flowing water entered a lake. This view from the Mast Camera ( Mastcam ) on NASA's Mars rover Curiosity shows an example of cross-bedding that results from water passing over a loose bed of sediment.

15. The network of cracks in this Martian rock slab called “Old Soaker” may have formed from the drying of a mud layer more than 3 billion years ago. The view spans about 3 feet (90 centimeters ) left-to-right and combines three images taken by the MAHLI camera on the arm of NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover

16. Implications for Past Climate and Habitability Evidence of Water and Potential Life: The sedimentary record shows Mars was once much wetter, so it might have been habitable. Sedimentary rocks on Mars are especially valuable because, as NASA notes, they are “good at preserving ancient life” (trapping organics). For example, the manganese-rich sandstones in Gale suggest oxygenated lake waters similar to Earth’s lakes, hinting at a potentially life-friendly environment and Curiosity rover continues to search for signs that Mars’s Gale Crater conditions could support microbial life. Secondary mineral growth ( e.g , hematite concretions, gypsum veins) documented by both Opportunity and Curiosity Rover – these show multiple episodes of groundwater circulation. For example, Jarosite in Gale Crater mudstones was radiometrically dated to 2.1 Ga, proving long-lived groundwater well after lakes dried.

17. “On Mars, we don't have evidence for life, and the mechanism to produce oxygen in Mars's ancient atmosphere is unclear, so how the manganese oxide was formed and concentrated here is really puzzling. These findings point to larger processes occurring in the Martian atmosphere or surface water and shows that more work needs to be done to understand oxidation on Mars” – Patrick Gadsa , of Los Alamos National Laboratory's Space Science and Applications group.

18. Implications for Past Climate and Habitability Reconstructing Mars’s Paleoenvironment: By studying sedimentary facies and structures, scientists infer the ancient Martian climate. Repeated lake deposits imply a periodically stable climate with liquid water. Transitions from clay-rich layers to sulphate layers mark the shift from a wetter to drier Mars. Sedimentology thus acts as a tool to read Mars’s climate history.

19. Geochemical and stratigraphic profile of the Murray Formation (Gale Crater, Mars) showing vertical distribution of calcium and magnesium sulfate enrichments, vein occurrences, and associated facies. Notable features include the Old Soaker mudcrack horizons, indicating episodic wet–dry cycles in ancient lacustrine environments.

20. Implications for Past Climate and Habitability Astrobiology and exploration: These findings guide astrobiology. Curiosity and Perseverance target sediments that might hold biosignatures; in fact, the upcoming Mars Sample Return will collect such rocks for analysis on Earth, hoping to answer “Did life ever exist on Mars?”. Additionally, sediment studies inform future human exploration by identifying past water reservoirs and stable terrains.

21. Comparison with Earth Sedimentology Sedimentary Cycles on Mars vs. Earth : On Earth, the sedimentary cycle is primarily driven by plate tectonics, where mountain-building events provide a source for sediments that are transported by fluvial processes to sinks, such as ocean basins . Plate tectonics allows for the recycling of these sediments and for the evolution of igneous rocks such that the average crust has a granodiorite composition. Mars never had robust tectonism , so, on early Mars, sediments were primarily produced by impacts and volcanism . Impacts also provided basins in which sediments were deposited by fluvial and aeolian activity. Furthermore, Mars is primarily a basaltic planet, which results in distinct differences in the common aqueous alteration products found on Mars vs. Earth. Minimal large-scale sediment recycling on Mars has allowed for the preservation of ancient depositional environments so that we can investigate much of Mars’ history .  

22. Asteroid Impact Craters all over Mars Surface

23. Comparison with Earth Sedimentology Similar processes, different conditions: Mars exhibits familiar sedimentary processes – fluvial (rivers), aeolian (wind), lacustrine (lakes) – but under very different conditions. Gravity is only 38% of Earth’s and the atmosphere is 0.6% as dense. This means wind can move sand differently, and water flows behave uniquely. For example, coarse grains could be transported farther on Mars, and dunes can grow larger under low pressure.

24. Conclusion Mars displays clear evidence of sedimentary geology analogous to Earth: ancient river channels, lakebed layers, and extensive dunes are all present. Planetary sedimentology reveals that early Mars had active hydrological and climatic cycles. The rock record on Mars, with its fluvial, lacustrine, and aeolian deposits, provides a timeline of environments as Mars shifted from wetter to drier conditions. Ongoing and future missions will continue to analyse these deposits. Since sedimentary rocks are prime targets for detecting past life, Mars’s sedimentology remains central to astrobiology. In sum, studying Martian sediments bridges our understanding of Earth and Mars, yielding insights into both planets’ histories and the potential for life.

25. References NASA – “Remnants of Ancient Streambed on Mars (White-Balanced View),” May 30, 2013 science.nasa.gov . NASA – “Curiosity Rover Finds Clues to How Water Helped Shape Martian Landscape,” JPL News, Dec 8, 2014 nasa.gov nasa.gov . Universe Today – “Ancient Rivers in Noachis Terra Reveal Mars’ Long-Lived Wet Past,” Apr 5, 2018 universetoday.com universetoday.com . NASA (Mars 2020 Blog) – “Clay Minerals From Mars’ Most Ancient Past?”, Jun 23, 2025 science.nasa.gov science.nasa.gov . NASA – “Vista from Curiosity Shows Crossbedded Martian Sandstone,” Sept 11, 2015 nasa.gov . NASA NTRS – “Curiosity’s Investigation of the Bagnold Dunes, Gale Crater,” Nov 2018 ntrs.nasa.gov . NASA – “Cross-Bedding at ‘Whale Rock’,” Dec 8, 2014 science.nasa.gov . NASA – “Sedimentary Signs of a Martian Lakebed,” Dec 8, 2014 nasa.gov nasa.gov . NASA – “Curiosity Rover Finds an Ancient Oasis on Mars,” Oct 7, 2019 nasa.gov . NASA – “Mars Rock Samples: The Stories They Could Tell,” Sept 19, 2023 science.nasa.gov . Los Alamos National Lab (Phys.org) – “New findings point to an Earth-like environment on ancient Mars,” May 1, 2024 phys.org . U.S. National Park Service – “NASA in Death Valley: A Unique Research Analog,” (Death Valley NP website) nps.gov nps.gov . Rapin, W. et al. – “An interval of high salinity in ancient Gale crater lake on Mars,” nature.com Grotzinger, J. P. et al. – “Stratigraphy and Sedimentary History of Meridiani Planum, Mars ,” sciencedirect.com