Mapping Stratigraphic Discontinuities in West Candor Layered Deposits and the Potential for Sequence Stratigraphic

Introduction: Other than the few Martian meteorites that have been found on Earth and the data being collected by the Mars Exploration Rovers, all data from Mars is remotely sensed which lends it to be developed and analyzed within a Geographic Information System (GIS) platform. This study is being accomplished by bringing together multiple datasets from the Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC), Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA), and Thermal Imagery Emission Spectrometer (THEMIS) instruments within a GIS. The combination of high and medium resolution images projected onto a three dimensional digital elevation model of the region can be used to measure thicknesses of stratigraphic units, overall structure, and apparent strike and dip of those units. The West Candor portion of Valles Marineris has excellent coverage with narrow angle MOC images, and we are using the outlined methodology to study the stratigraphy of Older Interior Deposits [1], in order to develop a representative stratigraphic framework for this region. The results from this study will improve our understanding of late Hesperian to early Amazonian geologic history and may assist in the selection of future landing sites for robotic missions.