RIMFAX dip attribute analysis: Unconformity detection and true dip in the Martian subsurface

Le résumé fourni par la source

By conducting a dip attribute analysis, the inclination of a set of reflections in a radargram can be quantified. The results are highly sensitive to the implementation, however, as many parameters need to be configured according to the dataset and aim of the analysis. Furthermore, the highly varying nature of geological stratification makes it nontrivial to assign a single quantitative estimate to describe a large set of reflections. In this study, we investigate how the dip attribute analysis is used in ground-penetrating radar studies of Martian subsurface layering. By analyzing radargrams from the RIMFAX instrument on the Perseverance rover, we detect a possible unconformity separating distinct layer orientations. A novel approach then quantifies true dip of subsurface strata through a stereographic fit of apparent dip estimates along tens of meter rover path. RIMFAX radargrams together with true dip estimates show the potential for giving a new and unprecedented view of the extent and nature of stratification in Jezero Crater.

Ce résumé expose les affirmations des auteurs. BNTIC ne l’interprète pas comme une validation indépendante des résultats.