The high-resolution map of Oxia Planum, Mars; the landing site of the ExoMars Rosalind Franklin rover mission

Citation

Fawdon P, Orgel C, Adeli S, Balme M, Calef FJ, Davis JM, Frigeri A, Grindrod P, Hauber E, Le Deit L, Loizeau D, Nass A, Quantin-Nataf C, Sefton-Nash E & Schröder C (2024) The high-resolution map of Oxia Planum, Mars; the landing site of the ExoMars Rosalind Franklin rover mission. Journal of Maps, 20 (1), Art. No.: 2302361. https://doi.org/10.1080/17445647.2024.2302361

Abstract
This 1:30,000 scale geological map describes Oxia Planum, Mars, the landing site for the ExoMars Rosalind Franklin rover mission. The map represents our current understanding of bedrock units and their relationships prior to Rosalind Franklin’s exploration of this location. The map details 15 bedrock units organised into 6 groups and 7 textural and surficial units. The bedrock units were identified using visible and near-infrared remote sensing datasets. The objectives of this map are (i) to identify where the most astrobiologically relevant rocks are likely to be found, (ii) to show where hypotheses about their geological context (within Oxia Planum and in the wider geological history of Mars) can be tested, (iii) to inform both the long-term (hundreds of metres to ∼1 km) and the short-term (tens of metres) activity planning for rover exploration, and (iv) to allow the samples analysed by the rover to be interpreted within their regional geological context.

Keywords
ExoMars; Oxia Planum; Mars; Geological Map; Astrobiology; Rosalind Franklin Rover

Notes
Additional authors: Nick Thomas, Ines Torres, Jorge L Vago, Matthieu Volat, Sander De Witte, Francesca Altieri, Andrea Apuzzo, Julene Aramendia, Gorka Arana, Rickbir Singh Bahia, Steven G. Banham, Robert Barnes, Alexander M. Barrett, Wolf-Steven Benedix, Anshuman Bhardwaj, Sarah Jane Boazman, Tomaso R. R. Bontgnali, John Bridges, Benjamin Bultel, Valerie Ciarletti, Maria Cristina De Sanctis, Zach Dickeson, Elena A. Favaro, Marco Ferrari, Frederic Foucher, Walter Goetz, Albert F. C. Haldemann, Elise Harrington, Angeliki Kapatza, Detlef Koschny, Agata M. Krzesinska, Alice Le Gall, Stephen R. Lewis, Tanya Lim, Juan Manuel Madariaga, Benjamin James Man, Lucia Mandon, Nicolas Mangold, Javier Martin-Torres, Joseph D. McNeil, Antonio Molina, Andoni G. Moral, Sara Motaghian, Sergei Nikifirov, Nicolas Oudart, Andrea Pacifici, Adam Parkes Bowen, Dirk Plettemeier, Pantelis Poulakis, Alfiah Rizky Diana Putri, Ottaviano Ruesch, Lydia Sam, Christian Schroder, Christoph Statz, Rebecca Thomas, Daniela Tirsch, Zsuzsanna Toth, Stuart Turner, Martin Voelker, Stephanie C. Werner, Frances Westall, Barry J. Whiteside, Adam Williams, Rebecca M. E. Williams, Jack Wright, Maria-Paz Zorzano

Journal
Journal of Maps: Volume 20, Issue 1

People

Dr Christian Schroeder

Senior Lecturer, Biological and Environmental Sciences