Distinct Carbonate Lithologies in Jezero Crater, Mars

Abstract

Jezero crater is the landing site for the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover. The Noachian-aged crater has undergone several periods of fluvial and lacustrine activity and phyllosilicate- and carbonate-bearing rocks were formed and emplaced as a result. It also contains a portion of the regional Nili Fossae olivine-carbonate unit. In this work, we performed spectral mixture analysis of visible/near-infrared hyperspectral imagery over Jezero. We modeled carbonate abundances up to ∼35% and identified three distinct units containing different carbonate phases. Our work also shows that the olivine in Jezero is predominantly restricted to aeolian deposits overlying the carbonate rocks. The diversity of carbonate phases in Jezero points to multiple periods of carbonate formation under varying conditions.