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The high-resolution map of Oxia Planum, Mars; the landing site of the ExoMars Rosalind Franklin rover mission

Peter Fawdon*, Csilla Orgel, Solmaz Adeli, Matt Balme, Fred J. Calef, Joel M. Davis, Alessandro Frigeri, Peter Grindrod, Ernst Hauber, Laetitia Le Deit, Damien Loizeau, Andrea Nass, Cathy Quantin-Nataf, Elliot Sefton-Nash, Nick Thomas, Ines Torres, Jorge L. Vago, Matthieu Volat, Sander De Witte, Francesca AltieriAndrea Apuzzo, Julene Aramendia, Gorka Arana, Rickbir Singh Bahia, Steven G. Banham, Robert Barnes, Alexander M. Barrett, Wolf Stefan Benedix, Anshuman Bhardwaj, Sarah Jane Boazman, Tomaso R.R. Bontognali, John Bridges, Benjamin Bultel, Valérie Ciarletti, Maria Cristina De Sanctis, Zach Dickeson, Elena A. Favaro, Marco Ferrari, Frédéric Foucher, Walter Goetz, Albert F.C. Haldemann, Elise Harrington, Angeliki Kapatza, Detlef Koschny, Agata M. Krzesinska, Alice Le Gall, Stephen R. Lewis, Tanya Lim, Juan Manuel Madariaga, Javier Martin-Torres

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

16 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

This 1:30,000 scale geological map describes Oxia Planum, Mars, the landing site for the ExoMars Rosalind Franklin rover mission. The map represents our current understanding of bedrock units and their relationships prior to Rosalind Franklin’s exploration of this location. The map details 15 bedrock units organised into 6 groups and 7 textural and surficial units. The bedrock units were identified using visible and near-infrared remote sensing datasets. The objectives of this map are (i) to identify where the most astrobiologically relevant rocks are likely to be found, (ii) to show where hypotheses about their geological context (within Oxia Planum and in the wider geological history of Mars) can be tested, (iii) to inform both the long-term (hundreds of metres to ∼1 km) and the short-term (tens of metres) activity planning for rover exploration, and (iv) to allow the samples analysed by the rover to be interpreted within their regional geological context.

Original languageEnglish
Article number2302361
Number of pages24
JournalJournal of Maps
Volume20
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 22 Mar 2024
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Astrobiology
  • ExoMars
  • Geological Map
  • Mars
  • Oxia Planum
  • Rosalind Franklin Rover

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