Soil-like deposits observed by Sojourner, the Pathfinder rover
Most of the soil-like materials at the Pathfinder landing site behave like moderately dense soils on Earth with friction angles near 34°-39° and are called cloddy deposits. Cloddy deposits appear to be poorly sorted with dust-sized to granule-sized mineral or rock grains; they may contain pebbles, small rock fragments, and clods. Thin deposits of porous, compressible drifts with friction angles near 26°-28° are also present. Drifts are fine grained. Cohesions of both types of deposits are small. There may be indurated soil-like deposits and/or coated or crusted rocks. Cloddy deposits may be fluvial sediments of the Ares-Tiu floods, but other origins, such as ejecta from nearby impact craters, should be considered. Drifts are probably dusts that settled from the Martian atmosphere. Remote-sensing signatures of the deposits inferred from rover observations are consistent with those observed from orbit and Earth.
Citation Information
Publication Year | 1999 |
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Title | Soil-like deposits observed by Sojourner, the Pathfinder rover |
DOI | 10.1029/1998JE900005 |
Authors | Henry J. Moore, Donald B. Bickler, Joy A. Crisp, Howard J. Eisen, Jeffrey A. Gensler, Albert F.C. Haldemann, Jacob R. Matijevic, Lisa K. Reid, Ferenc Pavlics |
Publication Type | Article |
Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
Series Title | Journal of Geophysical Research E: Planets |
Index ID | 70021698 |
Record Source | USGS Publications Warehouse |