Northeast Syrtis

File:StratigraphicColumn of Northeast Syrtis.png

The regional stratigraphy of Northeast Syrtis has been studied in detail. This area is sandwiched between a huge shield volcano—Syrtis Major—and one of largest impact basins in the Solar System, and therefore could provide a key constraint of the timing of key events in the history of Mars. The stratigraphy can be divided into four major units, from young to old:{{cite web |last1=Quantin-Nataf |first1=C. |last2=Dromart |first2=G. |last3=Mandon |first3=L. |title=NOACHIAN TO AMAZONIAN VOLCANIC ACTIVITY IN NE SYRTIS REGION |url=https://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2018/pdf/2591.pdf |website=www.hou.usra.edu |accessdate=13 December 2018 |date=2018}}

1. Syrtis Major lavas unit contains high-calcium pyroxene bearing material;
2. Layered sulfate-bearing unit, include poly-hydrated sulfates and jarosite;
3. Olivine unit, olivine-enriched unit variably altered to carbonate and serpentine;
4. Basement unit: The mixture of iron/magnesium (Fe/Mg) smectite and low-calcium pyroxene-bearing unit variably altered to Aluminium-clay bearing materials.

The basement unit is one of newest units on Mars, recording early-stage evolution history of terrestrial planets. The change from carbonate to sulfate indicates a transition from alkaline-neutral to acid aqueous environments.

The Mars 2020 rover launched in July 2020 with Atlas V rocket to reach Mars in February 2021. This rover inherits from the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity, with similar entry, descent, and landing systems, and the sky crane. Besides exploring a likely habitable site and searching for signs of past life, collecting scientifically compelling samples (rock and regolith) which could address fundamental scientific questions if returned to Earth, is the main goal of the Mars 2020 mission.{{Cite journal|last=Witze|first=Alexandra|date=18 January 2017|title=The $2.4-billion plan to steal a rock from Mars|journal=Nature|language=en|volume=541|issue=7637|pages=274–278|doi=10.1038/541274a|pmid=28102284|bibcode=2017Natur.541..274W|issn=0028-0836|doi-access=free}} The landing site's selection is the key part of this mission's success.{{cite web |last1=Skok |first1=J. R. |title=NASA Prepares to Select Landing Site for Mars Life Detection Mission {{!}} SETI Institute |url=https://www.seti.org/nasa-prepares-select-landing-site-mars-life-detection-mission |website=www.seti.org |accessdate=13 December 2018 |date=18 October 2018}}

Although Northeast Syrtis survived the cut in third Mars 2020 Landing Site Workshops, it failed final completion. The landing ellipse of Northeast Syrtis is 16 x 14 km and the smaller ellipse is 13.3 × 7.8 km with the help of advanced technologyTerrain-Relative Navigation (TRN).{{Cite journal|last=Witze|first=Alexandra|date=11 December 2017|title=Three sites where NASA might retrieve its first Mars rock|journal=Nature|language=en|volume=542|issue=7641|pages=279–280|doi=10.1038/nature.2017.21470|pmid=28202980|bibcode=2017Natur.542..279W|issn=0028-0836|doi-access=free}}

File:NE Syrtis Ellipse.png

File:Mesa of Northeast Syrtis.png

File:Megaberica.png

The mesa is one of the interesting locations. It consists of five subunits: crater-retaining cap, boulder-shedding slopes exposing lightened blocks, olivine-carbonate unit, Fe/Mg-phyllosilicate, allowing easy to access diverse rocks.

On the top of the mesa is a dark toned cap unit, composed of meter-scale boulders. It was interpreted as Hesperian Syrtis Major lava flows or lithified ash. These igneous rocks are suitable samples for acquiring the age of Martian geologic events, which could calibrate the planet dating method. Unlike Earth, planet dating mainly relies on crater counting, a method based on the assumption that the number of impact craters on a planet surface increases with the length of time that the surface has been exposed to space cratering, calibrated using the ages obtained by radiometric dating of samples of Luna and Apollo missions. The samples of this mission returned to Earth will be analyzed by state of the art equipment in laboratories. Igneous samples from Northeast Syrtis could provide four key time for Martian geology history, including (1) the timing of Isidis impact event, (2) the timing of emplacement of olivine-rich unit, (3) the timing of dark-toned mafic cap rock, (4) the timing of Syrtis lava flows, which would fundamentally improve human knowledge of early Mars and the early history of solar system, such as the late-heavy bombardment.

This region exposes the largest high-olivine abundance rocks on Mars.{{Cite journal|last1=Christensen|first1=Philip R.|last2=Pearl|first2=John C.|last3=Smith|first3=Michael D.|last4=Bandfield|first4=Joshua L.|last5=Clark|first5=Roger N.|last6=Hoefen|first6=Todd M.|date=2003-10-24|title=Discovery of Olivine in the Nili Fossae Region of Mars|journal=Science|language=en|volume=302|issue=5645|pages=627–630|doi=10.1126/science.1089647|issn=1095-9203|pmid=14576430|bibcode=2003Sci...302..627H|s2cid=20122017|url=https://zenodo.org/record/1230836}} The origin of high-olivine rock is still in debate. Impact cumulates or olivine-rich lava{{Cite journal|last1=Hamilton|first1=Victoria E.|last2=Christensen|first2=Philip R.|year=2005|title=Evidence for extensive, olivine-rich bedrock on Mars|journal=Geology|language=en|volume=33|issue=6|pages=433|doi=10.1130/g21258.1|bibcode=2005Geo....33..433H|issn=0091-7613}}{{Cite journal|last1=Tornabene|first1=Livio L.|last2=Moersch|first2=Jeffrey E.|last3=McSween|first3=Harry Y.|last4=Hamilton|first4=Victoria E.|last5=Piatek|first5=Jennifer L.|last6=Christensen|first6=Phillip R.|date=2 October 2008|title=Surface and crater-exposed lithologic units of the Isidis Basin as mapped by coanalysis of THEMIS and TES derived data products|journal=Journal of Geophysical Research|language=en|volume=113|issue=E10|doi=10.1029/2007je002988|bibcode=2008JGRE..11310001T|issn=0148-0227|doi-access=free}} are two leading hypotheses. A portion of olivine rock was altered to carbonate. Many hypotheses have been proposed to explain the origin of carbonate, including a serpentine springs system.{{Cite journal|last1=Brown|first1=Adrian J.|last2=Hook|first2=Simon J.|last3=Baldridge|first3=Alice M.|last4=Crowley|first4=James K.|last5=Bridges|first5=Nathan T.|last6=Thomson|first6=Bradley J.|last7=Marion|first7=Giles M.|last8=de Souza Filho|first8=Carlos R.|last9=Bishop|first9=Janice L.|author-link9=Janice Bishop|date=August 2010|title=Hydrothermal formation of Clay-Carbonate alteration assemblages in the Nili Fossae region of Mars|journal=Earth and Planetary Science Letters|volume=297|issue=1–2|pages=174–182|doi=10.1016/j.epsl.2010.06.018|issn=0012-821X|arxiv=1402.1150|bibcode=2010E&PSL.297..174B|s2cid=54496871}}{{Cite journal|last1=Viviano|first1=Christina E.|last2=Moersch|first2=Jeffrey E.|last3=McSween|first3=Harry Y.|date=September 2013|title=Implications for early hydrothermal environments on Mars through the spectral evidence for carbonation and chloritization reactions in the Nili Fossae region|journal=Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets|language=en|volume=118|issue=9|pages=1858–1872|doi=10.1002/jgre.20141|bibcode=2013JGRE..118.1858V|issn=2169-9097|doi-access=free}} Carbonate is important sink of carbon, and is a crucial part of understanding the carbon cycle of Mars. Future sample return could shed light on the environmental conditions of carbonate. As well, the isotopic composition of carbonate through time, records the atmosphere loss, and it also reveals whether life once emerged on Mars.

The lower part of mesa unit is the basement unit of the Northeast Syrtis region, consisting of Fe/Mg smectites and low calcium pyroxene. The basement unit was partially altered to form kaolinite. The kaolinite (Al-clay) usually overlying the Fe/Mg smectites across the Martian surface.{{Cite journal|last1=Carter|first1=John|last2=Loizeau|first2=Damien|last3=Mangold|first3=Nicolas|last4=Poulet|first4=François|last5=Bibring|first5=Jean-Pierre|date=March 2015|title=Widespread surface weathering on early Mars: A case for a warmer and wetter climate|journal=Icarus|volume=248|pages=373–382|doi=10.1016/j.icarus.2014.11.011|bibcode=2015Icar..248..373C|issn=0019-1035}} Weathering in a warm climate or acid leaching are two domain interpretations of kaolinite formation.{{Cite journal|last1=Bishop|first1=Janice L.|author-link1=Janice Bishop|last2=Dobrea|first2=Eldar Z. Noe|last3=McKeown|first3=Nancy K.|last4=Parente|first4=Mario|last5=Ehlmann|first5=Bethany L.|last6=Michalski|first6=Joseph R.|last7=Milliken|first7=Ralph E.|last8=Poulet|first8=Francois|last9=Swayze|first9=Gregg A.|date=8 August 2008|title=Phyllosilicate Diversity and Past Aqueous Activity Revealed at Mawrth Vallis, Mars|journal=Science|language=en|volume=321|issue=5890|pages=830–833|doi=10.1126/science.1159699|issn=0036-8075|pmid=18687963|pmc=7007808|bibcode=2008Sci...321..830B}}

File:Layersulfate.png

Megabreccia occurs throughout the basement unit of Northeast Syrtis. The composition of these megabreccias is complex, including altered or mafic material. These megabreccias may be uplifted and exposed by the Isidis Basin forming event. The megabreccia could reveal the nature of the remnant of Mars's primary crust or the Noachian-aged low-calcium pyroxene lavas. It also could constrain the timing of Martian dynamo activity.

Further to the south of the landing ellipse, there is a {{convert|500|m|adj=on}} thick sequence of sulfate deposits capped by lava flows from the later Syrtis Major volcanic formation. The layer of sulfates include poly-hydrated sulphates and jarosite. Jarosite usually indicate oxidizing and acid (pH<4) environments. The occurrence of jarosite indicates that the environment changed from neutral/alkaline (as suggested by extensive Fe/Mg smectites and carbonate) to acid. The detection of sulfate adds more complexity to Martian geologic history.

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{{Reflist|30em}}

• [https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/ Mars 2020 Rover official site]
• [https://marsnext.jpl.nasa.gov/ Mars 2020 Rover Landing sites selection]

{{Mars 2020}}

{{Geography of Mars}}

Category:Mars 2020

Category:Syrtis Major quadrangle