Stratigraphy Preserved on the Jezero Crater Rim Reveals Repeated Impacts on Early Mars
Abstract
The outer slopes of the western Jezero crater rim are hypothesized to expose sections of Early-to Pre-Noachian crust uplifted by the Jezero impact, providing an excellent opportunity to investigate the earliest geologic processes active on terrestrial planets. Here, we analyze a ∼75-m-thick layered bedrock succession explored by the Perseverance rover on the outer Jezero crater rim, informally named the Broom Point member of the Witch Hazel Hill formation, to reconstruct its emplacement processes. Layering is steeply inclined and offset by rim-transverse faults, consistent with uplifted pre-impact target rock of Noachian age. Lithofacies include clast-and matrix-supported melt-bearing breccias, a planar-laminated to potentially cross-stratified facies containing candidate accretionary lapilli, and an unstratified to weakly laminated facies, with angular siltsized grains. These lithofacies are interpreted as the products of concentrated, ground-hugging density flows, dilute surges and fall produced by explosive volcanism or impacts. However, millimeter-to sub-millimeterdiameter glassy spherules with vesicular, fluidal and agglutinated morphologies are also present throughout the section, including as a ∼20-cm-thick framework-supported layer. Their morphologies, compositions and distributions appear inconsistent with diagenetic or volcanic spherules, and instead resemble spherules produced by impacts, suggesting that the lithofacies of the Broom Point member were predominantly emplaced as impactites. Geological cross sections and stratigraphic columns were constructed through the unit, and allowed us to reconstruct the depositional evolution of these deposits. The section preserves repeated phases of flow and fall, and intercalated proximal and distal ejecta, suggesting that Mars' ancient stratified crust preserves evidence for repeated impacts early in its history.
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BibTeX
@article{jones2026stratigraphy,
title = {{Stratigraphy Preserved on the Jezero Crater Rim Reveals Repeated Impacts on Early Mars}},
author = {Alexander J Jones and Sanjeev Gupta and Robert Barnes and Samantha Gwizd and Kathryn M Stack and Briony Horgan and Sanna Alwmark and Athanasios Klidaras and Eleni Ravanis and Sarah Fagents and Gerhard Paar and James F Bell and Justin N Maki and Margaret Deahn and Candice Bedford and Nicolas Mangold and Michael Bramble and Justin I Simon and Lisa Mayhew and Cathy Quantin‐nataf and Larry Crumpler and Christoph Traxler and Chris Herd and Olivier Beyssac and Nicolas Randazzo and Uni Árting and Roger C Wiens and Kenneth A Farley},
journal = {Journal of Geophysical Research. Planets},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1029/2026je009779},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05768040v1},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Stratigraphy Preserved on the Jezero Crater Rim Reveals Repeated Impacts on Early Mars
AU - Alexander J Jones
AU - Sanjeev Gupta
AU - Robert Barnes
AU - Samantha Gwizd
AU - Kathryn M Stack
AU - Briony Horgan
AU - Sanna Alwmark
AU - Athanasios Klidaras
AU - Eleni Ravanis
AU - Sarah Fagents
AU - Gerhard Paar
AU - James F Bell
AU - Justin N Maki
AU - Margaret Deahn
AU - Candice Bedford
AU - Nicolas Mangold
AU - Michael Bramble
AU - Justin I Simon
AU - Lisa Mayhew
AU - Cathy Quantin‐nataf
AU - Larry Crumpler
AU - Christoph Traxler
AU - Chris Herd
AU - Olivier Beyssac
AU - Nicolas Randazzo
AU - Uni Árting
AU - Roger C Wiens
AU - Kenneth A Farley
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/28
JO - Journal of Geophysical Research. Planets
DO - 10.1029/2026je009779
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05768040v1
AB - The outer slopes of the western Jezero crater rim are hypothesized to expose sections of Early-to Pre-Noachian crust uplifted by the Jezero impact, providing an excellent opportunity to investigate the earliest geologic processes active on terrestrial planets. Here, we analyze a ∼75-m-thick layered bedrock succession explored by the Perseverance rover on the outer Jezero crater rim, informally named the Broom Point member of the Witch Hazel Hill formation, to reconstruct its emplacement processes. Layering is steeply inclined and offset by rim-transverse faults, consistent with uplifted pre-impact target rock of Noachian age. Lithofacies include clast-and matrix-supported melt-bearing breccias, a planar-laminated to potentially cross-stratified facies containing candidate accretionary lapilli, and an unstratified to weakly laminated facies, with angular siltsized grains. These lithofacies are interpreted as the products of concentrated, ground-hugging density flows, dilute surges and fall produced by explosive volcanism or impacts. However, millimeter-to sub-millimeterdiameter glassy spherules with vesicular, fluidal and agglutinated morphologies are also present throughout the section, including as a ∼20-cm-thick framework-supported layer. Their morphologies, compositions and distributions appear inconsistent with diagenetic or volcanic spherules, and instead resemble spherules produced by impacts, suggesting that the lithofacies of the Broom Point member were predominantly emplaced as impactites. Geological cross sections and stratigraphic columns were constructed through the unit, and allowed us to reconstruct the depositional evolution of these deposits. The section preserves repeated phases of flow and fall, and intercalated proximal and distal ejecta, suggesting that Mars' ancient stratified crust preserves evidence for repeated impacts early in its history.
SN - 2169-9097
SN - 2169-9100
ER -