Depositional facies and Sequence Stratigraphy of Kodiak butte, western Delta of Jezero crater, Mars

Gwénaël Caravaca (1) , Gilles Dromart (2) , Nicolas Mangold (3) , Sanjeev Gupta (4) , Linda C. Kah (5) , Christian Tate (6) , Rebecca M. E. Williams (7) , Stéphane Le Mouélic (3) , Olivier Gasnault (1) , James F. Bell (8) , Olivier Beyssac (9) , Jorge I. Núñez (10) , Nicolas Randazzo (11) , James Rice (12) , Larry S. Crumpler (13) , Amy J. Williams (14) , Patrick Russell (15) , Kathryn M. Stack (16) , Kenneth A. Farley (17) , Sylvestre Maurice (1) , Roger C. Wiens (18)

1 IRAP - Institut de recherche en astrophysique et planétologie
2 LGL-TPE - Laboratoire de Géologie de Lyon - Terre, Planètes, Environnement
3 LPG - Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géosciences [UMR_C 6112]
4 Department of Earth Science and Engineering [Imperial College London]
5 Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences [Knoxville]
6 CU - Cornell University [Ithaca]
7 PSI - Planetary Science Institute [Tucson]
8 SESE - ASU School of Earth and Space Exploration
9 IMPMC - Institut de minéralogie, de physique des matériaux et de cosmochimie
10 APL - Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory [Laurel, MD]
11 University of Alberta
12 SESE - School of Earth and Space Exploration [Tempe]
13 NMMNHS - New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science
14 UF|Geological - Department of Geological Sciences [Gainesville]
15 EPSS - Department of Earth, Planetary and Space Sciences [Los Angeles]
16 JPL - Jet Propulsion Laboratory
17 CALTECH - California Institute of Technology
18 EAPS - Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences [West Lafayette]

High-resolution 2D and 3D data remotely acquired by SuperCam’s Remote Micro-Imager and Mastcam-Z aboard the Perseverance rover enabled us to characterize the stratigraphic architecture and sedimentary record of the Kodiak butte, an isolated remnant of the western delta fan of Jezero crater. Using these data, we build up on previous interpretations of the butte interpreted as a prograding Gilbert-type deltaic series. We characterize three individual stratigraphic Units 0 to 2 on the eastern and northern faces of the butte. Each Unit displays the same vertical succession of prodeltaic/lacustrine bottomsets, delta slope toesets and foresets, and fluvially-influenced topsets of a deltaic plain with a braided river pattern, shown by eleven individual sedimentary facies. We infer that these individual Units record the formation of three distinct deltaic mouth bars, successively across time and space. For the first time on another planet than Earth, we are able to construct a precise sequence stratigraphic framework to highlight lake-level fluctuations at the time the Kodiak butte was emplaced, during the latest stages of deltaic activity. We identify four hydrogeological cycles indicated by alternating rises and falls of the lake-level on the order of 5-10 meters. These were most probably linked to climatic events and variations controlling lake water inputs in probable relation to an astronomical control.

Mots clés: Mars; Mars 2020; Perseverance; delta; jezero crater; sequence stratigraphy; paleoenvironment

Domaines: Planète et Univers [physics]; Sciences de la Terre; Planétologie; Stratigraphie

Gwénaël Caravaca, Gilles Dromart, Nicolas Mangold, Sanjeev Gupta, Linda C. Kah, et al.. Depositional facies and Sequence Stratigraphy of Kodiak butte, western Delta of Jezero crater, Mars. Journal of Geophysical Research. Planets, 2024, The Perseverance Rover's Exploration of the Western Fan Front, Jezero Crater, Mars, 129 (4), pp.e2023JE008205. ⟨10.1029/2023JE008205⟩. ⟨hal-04521166⟩