Abstract
AbstractGround‐based bedding orientation measurements are critical to determine the geologic history and processes of sedimentation in Gale crater, Mars. We constrain the dip of lacustrine strata of the Blunts Point, Pettegrove Point, and Jura members of the Murray formation using a combination of regional stratigraphic correlations and bed attitude measurements from stereo Mastcam images taken by the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover. In situ bed attitude measurements using a principal component analysis‐based regression method reveal a wide range of dips and dip azimuths owing to a combination of high stereo errors, postdepositional deformation of strata (e.g., fracturing, rotation, and impact cratering), and different primary depositional dips. These constrain regional dips to be within several degrees of horizontal on average. Stratigraphic correlations between targets observed in the Glen Torridon trough and at the Pettegrove Point‐Jura member contact of Vera Rubin ridge (VRR) constrain dips to be between 3°SE and 2°NW, consistent with nearly flat strata deposited horizontally on an equipotential surface. The Jura member is determined to be stratigraphically equivalent to the northern portion of the Glen Torridon trough. Rover‐based dip magnitudes are generally significantly shallower than the orientation of VRR member contacts measured from High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment‐based traces, suggesting the sedimentary strata and VRR member contacts may be discordant.
Highlights
The orientation of sedimentary strata records information about their processes of deposition and subsequent deformation and is one of the most fundamental measurements of structural geology
We constrain the dip of lacustrine strata of the Blunts Point, Pettegrove Point, and Jura members of the Murray formation using a combination of regional stratigraphic correlations and bed attitude measurements from stereo Mastcam images taken by the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover
We have presented the first in situ constraints on the orientation of Mount Sharp group strata using a combination of measurements made from stereo Mastcam images and regional stratigraphic correlations
Summary
The orientation of sedimentary strata records information about their processes of deposition and subsequent deformation and is one of the most fundamental measurements of structural geology. In Gale crater, Mars, stereo images collected by the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Curiosity rover permit quantification of bedding attitudes of outcrops exposed along the rover's traverse. These measurements are useful for establishing sediment transport directions recorded by cross bedding, revealing patterns of deformation, and STEIN ET AL.
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