DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17806435
title: Sedimentary architecture of the Stimson Formation at the Naukluft plateau, Gale crater, Mars

description: This dataset accompanies the paper "Sedimentary architecture of the Stimson Formation at the Naukluft plateau, Gale crater, Mars" published in JGR-Planets in 2026.

https://doi.org/10.1029/2025JE009104

Data included in this dataset is subject to CC licence: CC BY-SA.

Please feel free to use images and slides in lectures, or education materials.

The abstract, plane language summary, data availability statement, and acknowledgements are as published in JGR-P.

Abstract

Sedimentary texture, facies, and architecture can be used to reconstruct the palaeoenvironment under which the sediments accumulated. On Mars, palaeoenvironmental reconstructions are used to understand ancient Martian atmospheric circulation, surface sedimentary processes, and the presence of water, to provide insight into ancient habitability and climate evolution. Exploration of the Stimson formation at the Naukluft plateau, Gale crater, by the MSL rover Curiosity yielded evidence of aeolian dunes recorded within the strata, and that the Stimson formation unconformably overlies the older, lacustrine Murray formation. Analysis of the strata unveiled a hierarchy of bounding surfaces forming compound cross-bedding, indicating two scales of bedform: primary dunes (draa) and superimposed dunes. Cross-set dip-azimuths indicate a broad sediment transport direction toward the north, aligning with the north or north-east transport direction of previous work. Paired with textural analysis, the outcrops of Naukluft plateau are interpreted to have formed within the central section of a large, dry aeolian dune field. The formation of concretions, veins and alteration halos, formed by diagenesis or fracturing associated with sub-surface fluids, coincide with the lithification of the Stimson formation. This hints toward an extended presence of water within Gale crater, but at a much lower abundance than earlier during the crater fill sequence. The unconformity demarks a large climatic transition from the lacustrine Murray formation to dry aeolian Stimson formation, reflecting long-term drying of the ancient environment. Such observations enhance the understanding of the ancient Martian environment, allowing reconstructions of atmospheric conditions, climate and habitability on a regional scale.

Plain Language Summary

Wind transported sediments accumulate to form rocks which preserve a record of ancient surface conditions. By observing these rocks, a view of said conditions can be assembled, providing information about the ancient climate, variations in atmospheric circulation, and the presence and persistence of water. Additionally, after sediments are deposited and then buried, water within the subsurface can further modify the accumulated sediment. This study focuses on the Stimson formation at the Naukluft plateau (Gale crater), to understand the sedimentary processes which deposited these rocks that form the plateau. Analysis shows that the Stimson formation here is composed of compound cross-sets, which are the preserved expression of compound wind-driven sand dunes. Textural analysis confirms that the sediment transport mechanism was by aeolian processes, in common with rest of the Stimson formation. After deposition, the basal part of the Stimson formation was saturated with water (immediately above the basal unconformity), permitting the growth of concretions. The presence of concretions in the base of the Stimson formation indicates that there was still groundwater present in Gale crater after the exhumation of Mount Sharp, during the drying out of the Martian surface during the Hesperian period, 3.7-3.0 Ga.

Data Availability Statement

Data presented in this study are archived with the NASA Planetary Data System (PDS). Mastcam MAHLI and MARDI (MMM) images, along with engineering camara (Navcam & Hazcam) data are archived in the imaging portal (https://pds-imaging.jpl.nasa.gov/volumes/msl.html) and are readily accessible through the MSL Curiosity Analyst's Notebook (https://an.rsl.wustl.edu/msl). Mastcam data used in this study are publicly available via this database: Malin (2013). Location data used in this study are available via PDS - Places (2013).

Additional data related to this study are archived in the Zenodo data archive: Dean et al. (2025 [Dataset]), https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17806435. This data repository contains grainsize measurements; dip & strike measurements; and a PowerPoint slide pack of images.

Pro3D software details can be found at this website, https://pro3d.space/. A GitHub open-source release is available on https://github.com/pro3d-space/PRo3D

 

Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge the efforts made by the NASA Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Project's engineering, science, and management teams in making this research possible. The authors are also grateful to the many MSL team members who participated in tactical and strategic operations during the traverse up to and across the Naukluft plateau. Special thanks go to Malin Space Science Systems for providing operations support to acquire these images, and for the processing of Mastcam mosaic products used herein. Steven G. Banham, Sanjeev Gupta, and Joel M. Davis acknowledge funding from the UK Space Agency (UKSA) (Grant numbers: ST/N000579/1; ST/S001492/1; ST/S001506/1; ST/T001755/1).

VRVis are acknowledged for ongoing support and development of the PRo3D software. Joanneum Research are acknowledged for processing of key data products which made this research possible. VRVis and Joanneum Research activities were funded by FFG ASAP Contract 911911. Parts of this study were carried out at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under a contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

We acknowledge the constructive reviews provided by Charlotte Priddy and an anonymous reviewer. Their considered and constructive reviews greatly improved this manuscript. We also thank the JGR-P Editorial team for their swift handling of the manuscript.