A composite mineralogical map of Ganges Chasma and surroundings, Valles Marineris, Mars

Ganges Chasma is a mineralogically diverse canyon in the far-eastern portion of the Valles Marineris system. It exposes bedrock outcrops of olivine, large dune fields enriched in olivine, a central Interior Layered Deposit with monohydrated sulfates, and Fe/Mg-phyllosilicates on the plateaus surrounding the canyon and in the canyon walls. The co-existence of hydrated minerals with unaltered olivine makes this an excellent location to study the timing of aqueous processes in this region. Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) and the High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE), synthesizing them with previous data sets to produce a composite mineralogical map of Ganges Chasma. We then produce a timeline of mineralogic deposition for the Ganges area, relating it to regional geologic events.