Physical Sciences Division
Published January 15, 2025 | Version v1
Journal article Open

Wave ripples formed in ancient, ice-free lakes in Gale crater, Mars

Creators

  • 1. California Institute of Technology
  • 2. University of Tennessee
  • 3. Imperial College London
  • 4. University of California, Berkeley
  • 5. Planetary Science Institute
  • 6. Los Alamos National Laboratory
  • 7. U.S. Geological Survey Astrogeology Science Center
  • 8. University of California, Santa Cruz
  • 9. University of Chicago
  • 10. Université de Toulouse
  • 11. Indiana University

Description

Symmetrical wave ripples identified with NASA's Curiosity rover in ancient lake deposits at Gale crater provide a key paleoclimate constraint for early Mars: At the time of ripple formation, climate conditions must have supported ice-free liquid water on the surface of Mars. These features are the most definitive examples of wave ripples on another planet. The ripples occur in two stratigraphic intervals within the orbitally defined Layered Sulfate Unit: a thin but laterally extensive unit at the base of the Amapari member of the Mirador formation, and a sandstone lens within the Contigo member of the Mirador formation. In both locations, the ripples have an average wavelength of ~4.5 centimeters. Internal laminae and ripple morphology show an architecture common in wave-influenced environments where wind-generated surface gravity waves mobilize bottom sediment in oscillatory flows. Their presence suggests formation in a shallow-water (<2 meters) setting that was open to the atmosphere, which requires atmospheric conditions that allow stable surface water.

Data availability

All Curiosity data presented in this paper are archived in NASA's Planetary Data System (https://pds-geosciences.wustl.edu/missions/msl/). Codes for the modeling presented in the paper are available in the Supplementary Materials from (56). All data needed to evaluate the conclusions in the paper are present in the paper and/or the Supplementary Materials.

Files

sciadv.adr0010.pdf

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Additional details

Identifiers

DOI
10.1126/sciadv.adr0010
Other
oai:uchicago.tind.io:14403

UChicago Information

Division(s)
Physical Sciences Division
Department(s)
Geophysical Sciences