Architecture of fluvial and deltaic deposits exposed along the eastern
edge of Jezero crater western fan
Abstract
Early observations from the Perseverance rover suggested a deltaic
origin for the western fan of Jezero crater only from images of the
Kodiak butte. Here, we use images from the SuperCam Remote Micro-Imager
and the Mastcam-Z camera to analyze the western fan front along the
rover traverse, and further assess its depositional origin. Outcrops in
the middle to lower half of hillslopes are composed of planar, inclined
beds of sandstone that are interpreted as foresets of deltaic deposits.
Foresets are locally structured in ~20-25 m thick,
~80-100 m long, antiformal structures interpreted as
deltaic mouth bars. Above these foresets are observed interbedded
sandstones and boulder conglomerates, interpreted as fluvial topset
beds. One well-preserved lens of boulder conglomerate displays rounded
clasts within well-sorted sediment deposited in fining upward beds. We
interpret these deposits as resulting from lateral accretion within
fluvial channels. Estimations of peak discharge rates give a range
between ~100 and ~500 m3.s-1 consistent
with moderate to high floods. By contrast, boulder conglomerates exposed
in the uppermost part of hillslopes are poorly sorted and truncate
underlying beds. The presence of these boulder deposits suggests that
intense, sediment-laden flood episodes occurred after the deltaic
foreset and topset beds were deposited, although the origin, timing, and
relationship of these boulder deposits to the ancient lake that once
filled Jezero crater remains undetermined. Overall, these observations
confirm the deltaic nature of the fan front, and suggest a highly
variable fluvial input.