The source of sand on mars has been a long-standing question since dunes were first imaged by viking, and the recent discovery that dune sand is moving near-globally on mars and so likely undergoing…

This federal contract award from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) was granted to the University of Tennessee to investigate the source of dark sand in the Western Medusae Fossae Formation on Mars. The $446,742 grant aims to test the hypothesis that volcaniclastic deposits, such as pyroclastic sediments or weathered effusive materials, are a dominant source for sand globally distributed across Mars. The research will analyze potential external source regions, including the Cerberus lava plains, Elysium Mons edifice, and highlands south of the Western Medusae Fossae Formation. The expected significance of the work is to determine if the Medusae Fossae Formation, the largest light-toned layered deposit on Mars, may serve as a regional or global source for the widespread Martian dunes. This award is not associated with a set-aside program.

The source of sand on mars has been a long-standing question since dunes were first imaged by viking, and the recent discovery that dune sand is moving near-globally on mars and so likely undergoing comminution highlights this question. Spectroscopic-based research has identified some local sources for dune sand, including the valles marineris walls and the nili fossae lavas, but dunes from those sources appear limited in geographic extent. A longstanding hypothesis for a source of sand on mars is volcaniclastic deposits, either pyroclastic sediments or weathered effusive materials. The goal of the work is to further the understanding of the sources of globally-distributed sand on mars. The objective of the proposed work is to test the hypothesis that a dominant source for sand on mars is volcaniclastic deposits. Specifically, this work will test whether the numerous dark sand bedforms located within the western medusae fossae formation (wmff) are locally derived from the medusae fossae formation itself, which is interpreted as pyroclastic. Supporting objectives are to test all geographically reasonable potential external source regions, namely: (i) the cerberus lava plains to the east, (II) the elysium mons edifice to the north, and (III) the highlands south of the wmff. If results point to the wmff, the cerberus plains, or elysium mons as the source region, then the volcaniclastic hypothesis will be supported and specific sand origination mechanisms (e.g., as pyroclastic deposits, weathered effusive material) will be indicated. Alternatively, if the southern highlands are the source of the sand, then the volcaniclastic hypothesis will not be supported for this location on mars. The expected significance of the work is to determine if the pervasive MFF sedimentary deposit may be a regional or global source for sand. The MFF is currently the largest of numerous light-toned layered deposits on mars. Thus, a finding that the wmff supplies dune sand would point to numerous potential sources for the pervasive dark dunes on mars, and offer a solution to the question of the source(s) for globally distributed and moving sand.