A surface gravity traverse on Mars indicates low bedrock density at Gale crater

Kevin W Lewis; Stephen Peters; Kurt Gonter; Shaunna Morrison; Nicholas Schmerr; Ashwin R Vasavada; Travis Gabriel

doi:10.1126/science.aat0738

A surface gravity traverse on Mars indicates low bedrock density at Gale crater

Science. 2019 Feb 1;363(6426):535-537. doi: 10.1126/science.aat0738.

Authors

Kevin W Lewis¹, Stephen Peters², Kurt Gonter², Shaunna Morrison³, Nicholas Schmerr⁴, Ashwin R Vasavada², Travis Gabriel⁵

Affiliations

¹ Earth and Planetary Sciences Department, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA. [email protected].
² Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA.
³ Geophysical Laboratory, Carnegie Institution, Washington, DC 20015, USA.
⁴ Department of Geology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA.
⁵ School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA.

PMID: 30705193
DOI: 10.1126/science.aat0738

Abstract

Gravimetry, the precise measurement of gravitational fields, can be used to probe the internal structure of Earth and other planets. The Curiosity rover on Mars carries accelerometers normally used for navigation and attitude determination. We have recalibrated them to isolate the signature of the changing gravitational acceleration as the rover climbs through Gale crater. The subsurface rock density is inferred from the measured decrease in gravitational field strength with elevation. The density of the sedimentary rocks in Gale crater is 1680 ± 180 kilograms per cubic meter. This value is lower than expected, indicating a high porosity and constraining maximum burial depths of the rocks over their history.

Publication types

Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't