Jezero Crater

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Mars topography (MOLA dataset) HiRes (1).jpg

Jezero crater was chosen as the landing site for the Mars 2020 rover mission.[1] [2] [3] Perseverance was the name picked for the rover; it landed right on target near the delta on February 18, 2021.[4]

Jezero is an impact crater located at 18.855 N and 77.519 E (282.481 W) in the Syrtis Major quadrangle.[5] [6] It is 47.52 Km in diameter.[7] The crater was named after one of the towns with this name in Bosnia and Herzegovina.[8]

  • Jezero Crater is in northern hemisphere.

Features near Jezero Crater 

                             Features near Jezero Crater

Close view of features in and around Jezero Crater 

                    Close view of features in and around Jezero Crater

Rivers on the left side of Jezero carried water into the crater, while the overflow went out at the upper right.

Rivers on the left side of Jezero carried water into the crater, while the overflow went out at the upper right.


Jezero Crater Delta

  • A stream carried water into Jezero Crater forming a lake and a delta.

  • Landing site for Perseverance Rover

  • Another view of landing site

  • Before and after views of landing site, as seen from orbit with HiRISE

  • Views from Perseverance during landing matched up with view from orbit with HiRISE

Drawing and actual pictures of Perseverance actual landing on Mars 

                  Drawing and actual pictures of Perseverance actual landing on Mars

This is the first 360-degree panorama taken by Mastcam-Z, a zoomable pair of cameras aboard NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover


This is the first 360-degree panorama taken by Mastcam-Z, a zoomable pair of cameras aboard NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover.

Rocket Scour and Wheel Prints https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA24488 Taken on March 5, 2021, this color-calibrated image from a Navigation Camera aboard NASA's Mars 2020 Perseverance rover shows tracks from the rover's first drive (darker marks in the foreground) and an area scoured by the Mars 2020 mission's descent stage rockets (lighter-colored area in the middle ground).

Rocket Scour and Wheel Prints https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA24488 Taken on March 5, 2021, this color-calibrated image from a Navigation Camera aboard NASA's Mars 2020 Perseverance rover shows tracks from the rover's first drive (darker marks in the foreground) and an area scoured by the Mars 2020 mission's descent stage rockets (lighter-colored area in the middle ground).


Features near Jezero Crater 

                             Features in Jezero Crater near delta

Distances from landing site to various features in Jezero Crater 

                       Distances from landing site to various features in Jezero Crater

Possible paths for Perseverance in Jezero Crater Possible paths for Perseverance in Jezero Crater Mesa is shown from the ground and from orbit.

Thought to have once been flooded with water, the crater contains a fan-delta deposit rich in clays.[9] The lake in the crater was present when valley networks were forming on Mars.[10] [11] Besides having a delta, the crater shows point bars and inverted channels. From a study of the delta and channels, it was concluded that water stayed in the lake for a time; it did not experience times when the water went down. It probably formed when there was continual surface runoff.[12] Jezero Crater is found on the western edge of Isidis Planitia, which is a giant impact basin just north of the Martian equator. This location contains some of the oldest and most scientifically interesting landscapes of Mars. It is thought that Jezero may hold ancient organic molecules and other signs of microbial life because water and sediments collected in the crater billions of years ago when conditions were much more favorable for life.

A team, lead by Briony Horgan used the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM), high resolution imagery, and digital elevation models, to discover places in Jezero Crater that contain carbonates. These minerals they named “Marginal Carbonates” are found along the inside margin of the crater, near the largest valley and in a delta in the west. The authors of the paper believe they were formed in an old lake in Jezero. Evidence of life could be found in these deposits by the 2020 Rover. Even large fossils of strmatolites could be present.[13] [14]

The Mars 2020 rover mission will be able to examine at least 5 types of rock, including clays and carbonates.[15] These can preserve signs of ancient life. Additional materials probably washed in from the surroundings; therefore, we will be able to determine mineral information about the area around the crater.

Activities and discoveries by Perseverance

On September 6, 2021 NASA announced that Perseverance rover collected its first sample of a Martian rock. Perseverance’s rotary-percussive drill on its robotic arm cored into a flat, briefcase-size rock. It has been called “Rochette.” The sample was slightly thicker than a pencil. It is now enclosed in an airtight titanium sample tube, making it available for retrieval in the future. NASA and ESA (European Space Agency) are planning future missions to return the rover’s sample tubes to Earth. This first sample was placed in sample tube serial number 266.[16]

The collection from Rochette came a month after the rover tried and failed to collect a sample from another rock, called “Roubion.” The first sample attempt failed because the rock was softer; hence it crumbled.[17]

Before drilling to get the core sample from the rock, scientists used instruments on the rover to learn more about its composition. They determined that the rock was basaltic and contained salt crystals. The salts may have formed from groundwater or more likely from liquid water that had evaporated into the thin Martian atmosphere. It is hoped that the crystals may also have trapped tiny bubbles of water.[18]


  • Sample tube like the one that contains the first sample of Mars that will be sent back to Earth.

In October 2021, an article was published online by the journal Science about some initial results from photos from Perseverance. It was confirmed that there is an actual delta in Jezero Crater because the typical layers in a delta were seen. Scientists called them bottomsets, foresets and topsets. They were found in a steeply fronted Gilbert-type delta. Since meter-scale boulders were found that may have traveled tens of km, the researchers believe that much rapidly moving water was present at times.[19] [20]

In December 2021, it was announced that some of the rocks in Jezero were igneous.[21] [22] They had once been molten and then slowly cooled. At first ,it looked like many of the rocks photographed by Jezero's camera were sedimentary due to the presence of layering. But, when examined closely, the rocks revealed the mineral olivine surrounded by the mineral pyroxene. That arrangement happens in thick magma bodies and geologists call this type of texture "Cumulate."[23] Carbonate and sulfate minerals were also detected which means that the rocks had been altered by water. The rocks studied were in location nicknamed "South Séítah." "Séítah" (means "amidst the sand" in the Navajo language.[24] The instrument used for this analysis was the Planetary Instrument for X-ray Lithochemistry (PIXL). It uses X-ray fluorescence to determine the elemental composition of rocks.[25]

Two formations, called Maaz and Seitah, are both igneous. Seitah is classified as an olivine-rich cumulate which means it cooled slowly in a thick mass. Maaz is rich in the minerals pyroxene and plagioclase. It cooled quicker on the top of a mass of magma or lava. Water has altered the chemistry of the rock because carbonate, iron oxides, amorphous silicates, sulfates, halite, perchlorates, phosphates, and possible phyllosilicates were found[26] [27]

  • Map showing features and mineral distribution in Jezero Crater delta. Red shading indicates olivine and green/blue shading pyroxene. These are common minerals in igneous rocks. The blue box is where Perseverance is in Seitah.


At the same time, NASA said that organic compounds were found by the SHERLOC (Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman & Luminescence for Organics & Chemicals) instrument. These organics are not only inside of abraded rocks SHERLOC analyzed, but in the dust on non-abraded rock.

Perseverance uses ground-penetrating radar to look under the surface of Mars. RIMFAX (Radar Imager for Mars' Subsurface Experiment) produces a “radargram” of subsurface features up to about 33 feet (10 meters) deep. Scientists found that rock formations with a downward tilt continue into the subsurface.[28]

Many dust devils were detected by Perseverance. In the first 216 Martian days (Sols), the Perseverance Rover in Jezero Crater found that at least four dust devils pass Perseverance on a typical Martian day and that more than one per hour passes by during a peak hourlong period just after noon. Perseverance made these observations mostly with the its cameras and a group of sensors in the Mars Environmental Dynamics Analyzer (MEDA). MEDA includes wind sensors and light sensors.[29] [30]

In August 2022, four papers were published describing the kinds of rocks found in Jezero Crater so far.[31] [32] [33] [34] Cite error: Closing </ref> missing for <ref> tag Cite error: Closing </ref> missing for <ref> tag This formation of olivine-rich rocks went from the inside edge of Jezero Crater (called the Séítah formation) into the surroundings. It was almost the size of South Carolina. By grinding into rocks, Perseverance found that olivine crystals were large which means that they formed underground in slowly cooling masses of magma (hot, liquid rock).[35] When samples are returned to Earth, scientists will be able to date the rocks and find out when lava last covered the floor. Lakes, with possible life, would have occurred before that time. Thus, we would know when life may have been in the lake.[36] [37] [38] [39] [40] [41]

Researchers recognize a low unit that is a coarsely crystalline olivine-rich rock. Such rocks are known to be formed slowly at the base of large magma bodies. This unit has been named Séítah. Séítah is the lowest exposed stratigraphic unit on Jezero's floor. Carbonates are found in these rocks from reactions with carbon dioxide-rich water. On top of Seitah lies a rock unit called Máaz. It is a lava flow. Voids in these rocks hold perchlorates and sulfates. Those minerals probably resulted from the evaporation of mineral-rich groundwater.[42] [43]

  • Rock units in Jezero Crater

References

  1. ↑ https://www.space.com/42486-mars-2020-rover-jezero-crater-landing-site.html
  2. ↑ https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=7286&utm_source=iContact&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=nasajpl&utm_content=daily20181119-2
  3. ↑ https://www.sciencenews.org/article/nasa-mars-2020-rover-landing-site-ancient-alien-life-river-delta?utm_source=email&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=latest-newsletter-v2
  4. ↑ https://mars.nasa.gov/news/8865/touchdown-nasas-mars-perseverance-rover-safely-lands-on-red-planet/
  5. ↑ https://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/PSP_007925_1990
  6. ↑ https://www.space.com/mars-2020-alien-life-hunt-microfossils.html?utm_source=Selligent&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=10118&utm_content=20191116_SDC_Newsletter+-+adhoc+&utm_term=2946561&m_i=LKHS2VBMPdPBKbRsJssJ6HqkTujMa1rGRCQddp5zz8Ss3OSL%2Bdjwc5LY%2BNjlmSR30MzcdNIUCuC1q%2Bfn0ySWT1TcOiknL7DjLx
  7. ↑ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/14300
  8. ↑ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/14300
  9. ↑ https://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/PSP_007925_1990
  10. ↑ Fassett and Head Iii, 2005 C.I. Fassett, J.W. Head Iii Fluvial sedimentary deposits on Mars: ancient deltas in a crater lake in the Nili Fossae region Geophys. Res. Lett., 32 (14) (2005), 10.1029/2005GL023456 n/a–n/a
  11. ↑ Fassett and Head Iii, 2008 C.I. Fassett, J.W. Head Iii. Valley network-fed, open-basin lakes on Mars: distribution and implications for Noachian surface and subsurface hydrology Icarus, 198 (1) (2008), pp. 37-56, 10.1016/j.icarus.2008.06.016
  12. ↑ Goudge, T., et al. 2017. STRATIGRAPHY AND EVOLUTION OF DELTA CHANNEL DEPOSITS, JEZERO CRATER, MARS. Lunar and Planetary Science XLVIII (2017). 1195.pdf.
  13. ↑ https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0019103518306067
  14. ↑ Horgan, B., et al. 2019. The mineral diversity of Jezero crater: Evidence for possible lacustrine carbonates on Mars. Icarus. In press. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.icarus.2019.113526
  15. ↑ https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=7539&utm_source=iContact&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=nasajpl&utm_content=daily-20191112-1
  16. ↑ https://mars.nasa.gov/news/9029/nasas-perseverance-rover-collects-first-mars-rock-sample/
  17. ↑ https://spacenews.com/perseverance-collects-first-mars-samples/
  18. ↑ https://mars.nasa.gov/news/9036/nasas-perseverance-rover-collects-puzzle-pieces-of-mars-history/
  19. ↑ https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abl4051
  20. ↑ Mangold, N., al al. 2021. Perseverance rover reveals an ancient delta-lake system and flood deposits at Jezero crater, Mars. Science. DOI: 10.1126/science.abl4051
  21. ↑ https://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2022/pdf/1530.pdf
  22. ↑ Schmidt, M., et al. 2022. HIGHLY DIFFERENTIATED BASALTIC LAVAS EXAMINED BY PIXL IN JEZERO CRATER. 53rd Lunar and Planetary Science Conference. 1530.pdf
  23. ↑ https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-59677383
  24. ↑ https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-59677383
  25. ↑ https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasas-perseverance-mars-rover-makes-surprising-discoveries
  26. ↑ https://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2022/pdf/1798.pdf
  27. ↑ Sun, V., et al. 2022. EXPLORING THE JEZERO CRATER FLOOR: OVERVIEW OF RESULTS FROM THE MARS 2020 PERSEVERANCE ROVER’S FIRST SCIENCE CAMPAIGN. 53rd Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (2022. 1798.pdf
  28. ↑ https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasas-perseverance-mars-rover-makes-surprising-discoveries
  29. ↑ https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasas-perseverance-studies-the-wild-winds-of-jezero-crater?utm_source=iContact&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=nasajpl&utm_content=Day%20in%20Review%20-%206-1-22
  30. ↑ https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.abn3783
  31. ↑ Ground penetrating radar observations of subsurface structures in the floor of Jezero Crater, Mars, Science Advances (2022).
  32. ↑ Ground penetrating radar observations of subsurface structures in the floor of Jezero Crater, Mars, Science Advances (2022).
  33. ↑ Y. Liu, An olivine cumulate outcrop on the floor of Jezero crater, Mars, Science (2022)
  34. ↑ K.A. Farley, Aqueously altered igneous rocks sampled on the floor of Jezero crater, Mars, Science (2022). Compositionally and Density Stratified Igneous Terrain in Jezero Crater, Mars, Science Advances (2022). www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.abo3399
  35. ↑ Liu, Y., et al. 2022. An olivine cumulate outcrop on the floor of Jezero crater, Mars. Science. DOI: 10.1126/science.abo2756
  36. ↑ https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasas-perseverance-makes-new-discoveries-in-mars-jezero-crater?utm_source=iContact&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=nasajpl&utm_content=daily20220825-3
  37. ↑ https://www.space.com/perseverance-mars-rover-suprising-volcanic-rocks
  38. ↑ https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abo2756?adobe_mc=MCMID%3D87496291224941739164582532691511832685%7CMCORGID%3D242B6472541199F70A4C98A6%2540AdobeOrg%7CTS%3D1661431771&_ga=2.146487604.1499161943.1661349384-222197354.1619709075
  39. ↑ https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abo2196
  40. ↑ Farley, K., et al. 2022. Aqueously altered igneous rocks sampled on the floor of Jezero crater. Mars. Science.
  41. ↑ Newman, C., et al. 2022. The dynamic atmospheric and aeolian environment of Jezero crater, Mars. Science Advances. Vol. 8. Number 21
  42. ↑ https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abo2196
  43. ↑ Farley, K., et al. 2022. Aqueously altered igneous rocks sampled on the floor of Jezero crater, Mars. Science. DOI: 10.1126/science.abo2196

See Also

External links

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