Grain Size Measurements of the Eolian Stimson Formation, Gale Crater, Mars and Implications for Sand Provenance and Paleoatmospheric Conditions

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dc.citation.articleNumbere2024JE008369en_US
dc.citation.issueNumber11en_US
dc.citation.journalTitleJournal of Geophysical Research: Planetsen_US
dc.citation.volumeNumber129en_US
dc.contributor.authorPreston, Sarah L.en_US
dc.contributor.authorSiebach, Kirsten L.en_US
dc.contributor.authorLapôtre, Mathieu G. A.en_US
dc.contributor.authorBanham, Steven G.en_US
dc.date.accessioned2025-01-09T20:16:57Zen_US
dc.date.available2025-01-09T20:16:57Zen_US
dc.date.issued2024en_US
dc.description.abstractThe Stimson formation is a late-infilling eolian sandstone in Gale crater, Mars that formed from sand accumulation in a dune field analogous to the modern active Bagnold dune field, enabling a unique opportunity to compare the past to the present dune fields on Mars. Previous work suggested that the Stimson has a coarser grain-size distribution than the active Bagnold dunes based on three images of the Stimson. We analyze grain size in the Naukluft and Emerson plateaus of the Stimson by observing 115 images throughout the formation to classify textures and quantitatively measuring grains in eight representative individual images. Results indicate that the Stimson has a primary grain size mode at <200 μm. In addition, more than 50% of the observed Stimson rock targets display a coarser grain population with a long-tailed distribution including grains ∼600–1200 μm. The primary grain size mode is similar to that observed in the Bagnold dunes, but the coarse grain size mode was neither observed in the Bagnold dunes nor in ripples adjacent to the dune field. Models for saltation mechanics indicate that the favored grain size for eolian transport on Mars, ∼100–200 μm, is independent of atmospheric density, though atmospheric density affects the wind speeds at which grains can be transported by winds. We conclude that the source of the Stimson dunes was more proximal and coarser than the source of the Bagnold dunes and that the paleoatmosphere was likely not significantly denser than the modern Martian atmosphere.en_US
dc.identifier.citationPreston, S. L., Siebach, K. L., Lapôtre, M. G. A., & Banham, S. G. (2024). Grain Size Measurements of the Eolian Stimson Formation, Gale Crater, Mars and Implications for Sand Provenance and Paleoatmospheric Conditions. Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, 129(11), e2024JE008369. https://doi.org/10.1029/2024JE008369en_US
dc.identifier.digitalGrainSizeMeasurementsen_US
dc.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.1029/2024JE008369en_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/1911/118105en_US
dc.language.isoengen_US
dc.publisherWileyen_US
dc.rightsExcept where otherwise noted, this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC) license. Permission to reuse, publish, or reproduce the work beyond the terms of the license or beyond the bounds of fair use or other exemptions to copyright law must be obtained from the copyright holder.en_US
dc.rights.urihttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/en_US
dc.subject.keywordAeolian processesen_US
dc.subject.keywordsediment transporten_US
dc.subject.keywordMars paleoatmosphereen_US
dc.subject.keywordMSLen_US
dc.subject.keywordgrain sizeen_US
dc.subject.keywordprovenanceen_US
dc.titleGrain Size Measurements of the Eolian Stimson Formation, Gale Crater, Mars and Implications for Sand Provenance and Paleoatmospheric Conditionsen_US
dc.typeJournal articleen_US
dc.type.dcmiTexten_US
dc.type.publicationpublisher versionen_US
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