Layered sedimentary rocks are crucial to understanding the geology of a planet or space rock. Recently, NASA has released a new photo of layered sediments that had space geologists become intensely interested in because it helps them understand the geological history of Mars.
The orbiting High-Resolution Imaging Experiment (HiRISE) high above the Danielson Crater, located north of the Mars equator, captured the newly released image. This region is rich in layered sediments that line the crater where scientists could study them well.
Layered sediments in Mars' Danielson Crater
Martian Layers on Danielson Crater
Mars has a lot of layered sedimentary rocks, but the Danielson crater contains some of the most spectacular and well-preserved ones, Science Alert reported. They appear evenly spaced with different levels of erosions composed of stronger and weaker layers of steps within them. This evenness of layers means that they are made from regular, repeated processes deposited in layers.
In a blog in 2019, NASA explains that cyclical variations in the sediment properties have caused some layers to be resistant to erosion. It probably was formed millions or billions of years ago when loose sediments settled into the crater and after eons, these layers protrude outward like stairs.
Moreover, the winds may have scattered sands across these steps to give rise to the zebra-like patterns visible in the image that the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft took in 2019. The image completes a stereo pair that allows scientists to measure the thickness of the layered sediments and how they vary through time to gain insights into the processes involved in their formation.
The large regions of the fractured layered sediments that scientists believed occurred long after the deposits have turned into rocks are visible.
Martian Sedimentary Layers Act As Its Historical Record
A combination of orbiters, rovers, and landers from different space agencies and extensive studies of the Martian atmosphere and surface has given scientists a lot of information about the history and evolution of the Red Planet. In particular, they found that Mars once had flowing water on its surface.
A 2016 study, titled "Fluvial Stratigraphy of Valley Fills at Aeolis Dorsa, Mars: Evidence for Base-Level Fluctuations Controlled by a Downstream Water Body," published in GSA Bulletin, detailed how water deposited sediment on the Aeolis Dorsa region of the planet.
According to Universe Today, the area being studied has lots of layered sediments that act as Mars' historical record, cataloging the influence of water-based erosion has on the Martian surface over time. These sediments are even visible from the orbiter because they have undergone topographic inversion that filled deposits in low river channels and created incised valleys.
The process has created an opportunity for geophysicists and planetary scientists to observe the geological record of Mars in three dimensions across significant distances. Ultimately, the study shows that a large body of water on Mars around 3.5 billion years ago increased and decreased in volume slowly enough for sedimentation to adjust styles.
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