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Mars Exploration Rover Geologic traverse by the Spirit rover in the Plains of Gusev Crater, Mars

¹ New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87104, USA
² Department of Astronomy, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA
³ Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri 63130
⁴ Department of Astronomy, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA
⁵ Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91109, USA
⁶ National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Ames/Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Institute, Space Science Division, Moffett Field, California 94035, USA
⁷ Department of Geological Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287, USA
⁸ National Space and Aeronautics Administration (NASA) Ames/Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Institute, Space Science Division, Moffett Field, California 94035, USA
⁹ Department of Geological Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287, USA
¹⁰ Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91109, USA
¹¹ Department of Geological Sciences, AZ State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287, USA
¹² Center for Earth and Planetary Studies, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. 20560, USA
¹³ Department of Geological Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287, USA
¹⁴ Department of Geosciences, State University of New York at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, New York 11794, USA
¹⁵ U.S. Geological Survey, Flagstaff, Arizona 86001, USA
¹⁶ Department of Geosciences, State University of New York at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, New York 11794, USA
¹⁷ Department of Geological Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287, USA
¹⁸ National Space and Aeronautics Administration (NASA) Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio 44135, USA
¹⁹ Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Geodetic Science, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, USA
²⁰ Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91109, USA
²¹ Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, USA
²² National Space and Aeronautics Administration (NASA) Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas 77058, USA
²³ Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, USA
²⁴ Department of Geological Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287, USA
²⁵ Deutschen Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR), Institute of Space Simulation, Linder Hoehe, Cologne, Germany
²⁶ Department of Geological Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287, USA
²⁷ National Space and Aeronautics Administration (NASA) Ames/Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Institute, Space Science Division, Moffett Field, California 94035, USA
²⁸ Department of Geological Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287, USA
²⁹ Department of Geosciences, State University of New York at Stony Brook at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, New York 11794, USA
³⁰ Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri 63130, USA
³¹ Department of Geological Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287, USA

The Spirit rover completed a 2.5 km traverse across gently sloping plains on the floor of Gusev crater from its location on the outer rim of Bonneville crater to the lower slopes of the Columbia Hills, Mars. Using the Athena suite of instruments in a transect approach, a systematic series of overlapping panoramic mosaics, remote sensing observations, surface analyses, and trenching operations documented the lateral variations in landforms, geologic materials, and chemistry of the surface throughout the traverse, demonstrating the ability to apply the techniques of field geology by remote rover operations. Textures and shapes of rocks within the plains are consistent with derivation from impact excavation and mixing of the upper few meters of basaltic lavas. The contact between surrounding plains and crater ejecta is generally abrupt and marked by increases in clast abundance and decimeter-scale steps in relief. Basaltic materials of the plains overlie less indurated and more altered rock types at a time-stratigraphic contact between the plains and Columbia Hills that occurs over a distance of one to two meters. This implies that regional geologic contacts are well preserved and that Earth-like field geologic mapping will be possible on Mars despite eons of overturn by small impacts.

Key Words: Mars • planetary geology • rover • geotraverse • field geology