Quantitative Analyses of Terrestrial Crater Deposits: Constraining Formation and Sediment Transport Processes on Mars

Introduction: Data currently being returned from Mars orbit is at spatial and spectral scales never before acquired. High spatial resolution THEMIS and MOC data have provided both morphologic and compositional information for small-scale processes (volcanic, fluvial, eolian, and impact cratering) on the Martian surface [1-2]. Future instruments such as HiRISE and CRISM planned for the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) will further improve spectral and spatial resolution. Those data coupled with the lander-based perspective of the Mars Exploration Rovers (MER) require a quantitative investigation of both formation processes and subsequent erosional modification for common small-scale features on Mars. A number of questions arise that relate not only to the geology of the surface features themselves, but to the larger implications for Mars climate/surface evolution. For example, can the formation process of craters below 1km in diameter be ascertained? Do such small-scale features represent more recent activity on the surface? Does the erosion and/or composition of the ejecta materials provide any clues as to current erosional processes?