Utilization of the THEMIS visible and infrared imaging data for crater population studies of the Meridiani Planum landing site

Abstract

The Mars Odyssey Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) acquires both visible and thermal infrared images of the Martian surface. This study shows that the daytime infrared images, as well as the visible images, may be utilized successfully for crater population studies. The THEMIS data bridge the resolution gap between higher‐resolution Mars Orbiter Camera narrow‐angle images and lower‐resolution Viking Orbiter images and THEMIS will provide unprecedented global coverage at 100‐m resolution by the end of the nominal Mars Odyssey mission. The crater‐population data in this work show evidence for the flattening of the mid‐sized (∼63 m < D < 1km) crater density curve due to erosion and/or deposition and the upturn of the smaller‐diameter (<∼90 m‐diameter) crater curve signaling the hiatus of major crater obliteration in Meridiani Planum about 1–10 Ma.