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Geology of the InSight landing site on Mars
M Golombek1, N H Warner2, J A Grant3
1Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, 91109, USA. mgolombek@jpl.nasa.gov.
Nature Communications
|February 26, 2020
Summary
The InSight lander studied Martian geology, revealing a surface shaped by impacts and wind. Its landing revealed layered subsurface materials including dust, sand, and duricrust, consistent with prior remote sensing data.
Area of Science:
- Planetary Science
- Geology
- Geophysics
Background:
- The Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport (InSight) mission aims to study Mars' interior.
- Understanding the landing site geology is crucial for in situ geophysical investigations.
Purpose of the Study:
- Characterize the surficial geology and subsurface structure of the InSight lander's landing site on Mars.
- Correlate surface observations with pre-landing remote sensing data.
Main Methods:
- Surface imaging and geological analysis of the InSight landing site in Elysium Planitia.
- Analysis of near-surface stratigraphy revealed by the lander's retrorockets.
Main Results:
- The landing site is a degraded impact crater with a surface of dust, sand, granules, and pebbles, showing sparse eolian bedforms.
- Subsurface revealed a stratigraphy of dust, unconsolidated sand, duricrust, and poorly sorted sand with rocks.
- Surface modification processes include impact, eolian, and mass wasting.
Conclusions:
- Surface geology and subsurface structure are consistent with expectations from remote sensing.
- The site is an impact-fragmented regolith overlying basaltic lava flows, suitable for geophysical studies.
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