Composition of Martian Fans, Basin Deposits, and Watersheds Using VNIR Spectroscopy

Fan-shaped deposits, including alluvial fans and deltas, preserve evidence of aqueous processes across Mars into the early Amazonian. However, the origin, volume, and timing of the surface water that formed these deposits are still poorly constrained. Understanding how the compositions of alluvial fans and deltas relate to their depositional basins and catchments can constrain the duration and chemistry of aqueous activity during and after their deposition. This approach has been employed for previous studies of select fan systems yet has not been done on a global scale. The proposed work will analyze how the composition of fan systems relate to their catchments and depositional basin across Mars to explore variations with relative age, location, elevation, and inferred depositional environment. From this global perspective, we aim to improve our understanding of Mars' climate history and contribute to a framework for the alteration of fan sediments.

This study will compare the mineralogy of alluvial fans and putative deltas to their catchments and basins to determine if aqueous activity persisted after their deposition and to better understand how the composition and provenance of different types of fans changed over time on Mars. This work will help constrain the duration of aqueous activity on Mars and improve our understanding of how the composition of alluvial fans evolves over geologic time.