Evidence of depositional settings variation at the Jura/Knockfarril hill members transition in the Glen Torridon region (Gale Crater, Mars)
Résumé
Since Jan. 2019 (~sol 2300), the Mars Science Laboratory rover Curiosity has been ex-ploring the Glen Torridon (GT) region of Gale Crater, seeking to examine clay-bearing strata initially detected using orbiter data [1]. The presence of hydrated clay minerals has major implications for understanding the wet early Mars. The sedimentary record of the GT re-gion is comprised of mudstones interbedded with very fine- to medium-grained sandstones of the Jura and Knockfarril Hill (KHm) members of the Murray Fm., respectively [2]. However, their varying sedimentary, stratigraphic, and geochemical characteristics suggest potential changes in the depositional settings that could have favored enhanced accumulation and/or in situ for-mation of secondary clay minerals [e.g., 3]. Here, we examine the sedimentary and geochemical records of four major outcrops (Woodland Bay, Teal Ridge, Strathdon area and Glen Etive) in the northern part of GT, an area where exceptionally developed outcrops are present.
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