Soil-like deposits observed by Sojourner, the Pathfinder rover

Journal of Geophysical Research E: Planets
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Abstract

Most of the soil-like materials at the Pathfinder landing site behave like moderately dense soils on Earth with friction angles near 34°-39° and are called cloddy deposits. Cloddy deposits appear to be poorly sorted with dust-sized to granule-sized mineral or rock grains; they may contain pebbles, small rock fragments, and clods. Thin deposits of porous, compressible drifts with friction angles near 26°-28° are also present. Drifts are fine grained. Cohesions of both types of deposits are small. There may be indurated soil-like deposits and/or coated or crusted rocks. Cloddy deposits may be fluvial sediments of the Ares-Tiu floods, but other origins, such as ejecta from nearby impact craters, should be considered. Drifts are probably dusts that settled from the Martian atmosphere. Remote-sensing signatures of the deposits inferred from rover observations are consistent with those observed from orbit and Earth.
Publication type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Title Soil-like deposits observed by Sojourner, the Pathfinder rover
Series title Journal of Geophysical Research E: Planets
DOI 10.1029/1998JE900005
Volume 104
Issue E4
Year Published 1999
Language English
Publisher American Geophysical Union
Larger Work Type Article
Larger Work Subtype Journal Article
Larger Work Title Journal of Geophysical Research E: Planets
First page 8729
Last page 8746
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