Soil‐like deposits observed by Sojourner, the Pathfinder rover

Authors:
  • HMHenry J. Moore
    Henry J. Moore
  • DBDonald B. Bickler
    Donald B. Bickler
  • HEHoward J. Eisen
    Howard J. Eisen
  • JGJeffrey A. Gensler
    Jeffrey A. Gensler
  • AHAlbert F. C. Haldemann
    Albert F. C. Haldemann
  • JMJacob R. Matijevic
    Jacob R. Matijevic
  • LRLisa K. Reid
    Lisa K. Reid
  • FPFerenc Pavlics
    Ferenc Pavlics
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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.

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