Sedimentary mass balance modelling of the Jezero crater fluvio-deltaic system

Martian deltaic deposits are good indicators of water distribution and provide insight into the climate evolution of Mars [1]. A notable case is the fan deposit located in Jezero crater, currently being studied by the Perseverance rover. Hydrated silica-bearing deposits were identified in this area [2, 3, 4], and the overall stratigraphy and morphology point to an evolution passing through a progradation and a transgression phase, to an erosion episode [5]. All these evidences suggest that this deposit was formed by fluvio-deltaic activity in an ancient lake basin [6] during the late Noachian or early Hesperian epochs [7]. After its formation, the deposit likely suffered a complex and profound exhumation [8] which we will try to constrain through a mass balance analysis.

Here, we present the first results of a project seeking to understand the depositional and post-depositional evolution of the Jezero delta, including the study of its hydrographic basin [9]. We will focus on a mass-balance survey, analyzing and comparing the volume of sediments that were eroded from the basin and deposited into the crater. We integrate HRSC, CTX and HiRISE data to create a regional DTM and orthophoto map covering the Jezero crater and its drainage basin. These datasets enable us to estimate the volume of sediments eroded from the drainage basin, as well as the present-day volume of the fan deposit. Finally, we will apply the mass balance model introduced by [10], aiming at evaluating putative sediment offshore loss and post-depositional fan erosion. This will allow to infer the initial volume of the deltaic deposit and test different lake water levels.

 

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