Title: Extraterrestrial Sed/Strat: Reconstructing the Evolution of a Delta Deposit on Mars

 By: Tim Goudge

Summary:

Decades of planetary exploration have revealed widespread evidence for ancient aqueous activity on the surface of Mars, including hydrous alteration minerals, deeply incised valleys, paleolake basins, and fluvio-lacustrine sedimentary deposits. In this talk I will provide an overview of the various lines of evidence for water on early Mars, and discuss outstanding questions on the details of the ancient martian surface environment. I will also present recent work aimed at reconstructing the evolution of a delta deposit within Jezero crater, the landing site for the next NASA rover - the Mars 2020 mission. The Jezero delta is also a representative example of ancient fluvial stratigraphy on Mars, and so these results can help to improve our understanding of the early martian climate and hydrologic cycle.

Tim Goudge

Bio:

Tim Goudge is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Geological Sciences within the Jackson School of Geosciences at the University of Texas at Austin. Dr. Goudge’s scientific interests focus on the role of surface processes in controlling the evolution of planetary landscapes. His research uses remote sensing data to study the signatures of these processes recorded in the topography, mineralogy, and sedimentary rock record of Mars, Earth, and other planetary bodies. Dr. Goudge received a BSc in geological engineering from Queen’s University, and a ScM and PhD from Brown University.