Summary of planetary processes

• 4 inner planets = silicate minerals melt >700°C

• Core, mantle crust evolved by gravity differentiation
• 4 processes: volcanism, meteorite impacts, tectonism, erosion and
sedimentation
• 3 types of rock: metamorphic, igneous and sedimentary
• Venus, Earth and Mars volcanism
• Io Jupiter’ moon tidal forces = sulphur/silicate volcanism
• Europa Jupiter’s moon tidal forces = ice volcanism and tectonism
• Triton Neptune’s moon = ice volcanism
• Meteorite impact features: crater, ring structure, cone -cone feature,
crater rim debris
• Number of preserved meteorite impact features related to age of
surface
• Lunar Maria: impact followed by volcanism
• Tectonic processes: Earth, Mars and Venus
• Triton Saturn’s moon: a methane world

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N A S A / JP L -C a lte c h

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Current & Future Mars Missions NASA & JPL

Operational
2001 - 2014
2016 2018 2020 2022 Perseverence Rover 2021

Mars Odyssey

Mars ESA
ESA Mars Express Reconnaissance MAVEN Trace Gas Orbiter
Orbiter (NASA: Electra)
(NASA: MARSIS)

Opportunity – Curiosity – ESA

Mars Exploration
Rover
Mars Science
Laboratory
ExoM ars Rover
(NASA: MOMA) Science
InSight Rover

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Follow the Water

Explore Habitability
Seek Signs of Life
Prepare for Future Human Explorers
118 N A S A / JP L -C a lte c h

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1
 Mars Engulfed Perseverence Rover Image 2021

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Martian surface - impact ejecta and

wind blown dust

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A Face On Mars
Close-up of the Face on Mars
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2
 Trackway of rover
Opportunity rover

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Sediments in Endurance Crater Sedimentary Layers

Mars Global Surveyor image of Candor Chasma

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Desert dunes on Mars Desert dunes on Mars

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 Desert dunes, Opportunity rover

Crossbedding- indicates windblown dunes

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Ripples

Mars Opportunity
rover image of ripples

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• Alluvial Fans
Mars Global Surveyor image of alluvial fan

Mars Erosion

Channels from crater Dendritic channels

USGS image of alluvial fan in Mojave Desert
wall

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 Vugs
Consist of chemically precipitated
minerals

Natural colour
Sediments with blueberries

Mars Opportunity rover image of vugs

Vugs in rock sample from Earth

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Signs of Water in Meridiani Terra Distribution of Modern Water

Global Near-Surface
ODY Reservoirs of Water
• Global hydrogen
abundance and equivalent
H2 O
• Ground ice to +/-60° in
high abundance

Hematite • Nearly pure water ice

Distinct layering
“Blueberries”
•
• No deflection of crust
• Ice-cored lobate debris
Opportunity Mud cracks in Escher aprons in mid-latitudes
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Rock
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Ancient Mars Was Wet (Episodically?)

Channels formed by rainfall runoff Delta, deposition into standing water

Eberswalde Delta

q Ancient features indicate water present at

the surface
• Evidence of persistent standing water, lakes
• Evidence of rainfall, valley networks
• Lake overflow features Laminated lake sediments
Mojave crater -142

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5
 Magnesium iron carbonates

Gypsum

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Jezero Crater's Ancient Lakeshore

Perseverence Rover 2021

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Current & Future Mars Missions NASA & JPL

Operational 2016 2018 2020 2022
2001 - 2014

Mars Odyssey

Mars ESA
ESA Mars Express Reconnaissance MAVEN Trace Gas Orbiter
Orbiter (NASA: Electra)
(NASA: MARSIS)

Opportunity – Curiosity – ESA

Mars Exploration Mars Science ExoM ars Rover Science Rover
Rover Laboratory (NASA: MOMA)
InSight

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Follow the Water

Explore Habitability
Seek Signs of Life
Prepare for Future Human Explorers
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6
 Mars summary
Evidence for volcanism, tectonism, presence of ice

How the Earth

cap
Aeolian process: sand dunes, dust devils and storms
Sedimentary evidence of water: rivers, lakes,
canyons, deltas, gravels, mud cracks, oceans? Works:
Plate Tectonics
Chemical evidence for water: hematite blueberries,
gypsum and other evaporite minerals, abundant
hydrogen detected in frozen subsurface
Signs of Life? Perseverence seeking physical and
chemical evidence for fossilized microbes

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Origins of the Continents

v Quote from Alfred Wegener: “It
v Quote from the president of is probable the complete solution
the American Philosophical
of the problem of the forces will be
Society: “Utter, a long time coming.”
damned rot.”

Earth Topography
Wegner 1929, Translated by Biram 1962

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Tectonic Plates

Sam Carey, Tasmania

Expanding Earth Hypothesis

Our first evidence of tectonic motion is based on similar fossils and
rock types on opposing sides of the ocean

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7
 Late Paleozoic glaciation (arrows show ice flow) in Gondwana.

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Hot spots Hot spots

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 Locations of earthquakes
Pacific “Ring of fire”
from 1980 to 1990

95% of energy released by earthquakes originates at

edges of tectonic plates.
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Age of the seafloor – oldest is less than 200 my.

Continental Motion

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Transform (strike slip) plate boundaries and the San Andreas Fault
Major plates of the world.

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 Divergent Plates

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Age of the seafloor – Divergent Plate Boundaries

Magnetic dip
(inclination) relative
to latitude.

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Sea-Floor
Magnetic stratigraphy Spreading
during the past 5 my
from radiometrically
dated lava flows

1. How we know plate

tectonics happens

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10
 Symmetrical
magnetic
Formation of
anomalies from
magnetic stripes at
the Mid-Atlantic
a spreading center
ridge south of
resulting from
Iceland
magnetic reversals
and basaltic crust.

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Break-up of Pangea and continental drift.

Tectonic Plates

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The break up
Mantle convection drives plate
of Pangea
Pangea movement

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 Plate Boundaries

Tectonic Plates

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Plate Tectonics summary

Tectonic Plates Plate boundary types:
Constructive/divergent plate boundary ßà
Destructive/convergent/subduction zone àß
Strike slip /transform boundary
Evidence for plate tectonics: volcanism (ring of fire),
earthquakes, faults/rift features, hot spots,
topography (mountains/trenches/ocean ridges),
magnetic “strips”, palaeobiogeography of biota,
shape of continents, palaeogeography, GPS
measurements

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