Within the region 0 to 10 N lat. and 0 to 10 W long. Several siting philosophies are valid for the Mars Surveyor 2001 lander. Possible strategies include attempts to sample recent volcanism, lacustrine or marine sediments, especially enigmatic materials, or ancient crustal material. Recent volcanic materials would convey some idea of the extent of the evolution of magmas with time. Lacustrine or marine environments are sought as those most likely to allow life to proliferate.
Noachian material represents the oldest and most widespread material on the planet.
A candidate landing site in western Arabia Terra is offered to sample materials of the ancient Noachian crust. A Noachian site would provide information on the chemical and mineralogical character of ancient crustal materials of Mars. Current landing constraints require that the 2001 mission target a strip extending from 30 N. to 15 S. latitude and that the landing site lies below 2.5 km elevation. This strip provides access to Amazonis Planitia, Chryse Planitia, a part of Xanthe Terra, Margaritifer Sinus, western Arabia Terra-Terra Meridiani, Syrtis Major, Isidis Planitia, southern Elysium Planitia, highlands southeast of Isidis Planitia, and south of Elysium Planitia. Post-Noachian eolian, fluvial, and perhaps lacustrine materials are also present.