Igneous and sedimentary origins of Jezero crater units from X-ray crystal mapping on Mars
Abstract Jezero crater is located in Mars’ largest olivine-rich region, which is variously interpreted as lava flows, intrusive plutons, clastic sediments, or pyroclastics. In Jezero crater, several olivine-rich units have been investigated by the Perseverance rover, including an olivine cumulate in the crater floor (Séítah formation) and the enigmatic “Margin Unit”; an olivine- and carbonate-rich unit commonly interpreted as either a lake shore deposit or a local expression of the regional olivine-carbonate unit. We developed a method incorporating X-ray diffraction energy and spatial information to accurately determine the forsterite content (molar percentage of MgO/(MgO+FeOT)) of monocrystalline olivine encountered by Perseverance . Forsterite content in clastic sediments of the western Jezero fan indicate multiple olivine sources. In contrast, forsterite content analysed in the Margin Unit is similar to the Séítah formation, suggesting that at least some of the Margin Unit may represent an altered igneous cumulate with similar origins to the Séítah formation.
Authors
- David Flannery (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8982-496X)
- Abigail C. Allwood (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0002-9779-7855)
- Brendan J. Orenstein (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6586-4227)
- Eleanor Louise Moreland (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0210-7576)
- K. L. Siebach (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6628-6297)
- Balz S. Kamber (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8720-0608)
- Luke D. Nothdurft (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9646-9070)
- Athanasios Klidaras (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0001-7231-8443)
- B. Horgan
- Scott VanBommel
- Edward A. Cloutis
- Michael W. M. Jones
- Michael M. Tice
- Allan H. Treiman
- Yang Liu
Institutions
- Universities Space Research Association (US)
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory (US)
- Queensland University of Technology (AU)
- Washington University in St. Louis (US)
- Purdue University West Lafayette (US)
- Lunar and Planetary Institute (US)
- Rice University (US)
- The University of Winnipeg (CA)
- Texas A&M University (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Communications Earth & Environment
- Published
- 2026-02-18
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-026-03227-2
- Primary Topic
- Planetary Science and Exploration
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- California Institute of Technology
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory