**1. Introduction**

In its remote past, Mars exhibited volcanic activity, endured numerous impacts from planetesimals on its surface, but it also possessed an Earth-like atmosphere and surface water. During Mars' formation, some collisions between the planetesimals and the protoplanet ejected material into space. Of the tens of thousands of meteorites found on Earth, about two hundred came from Mars and provide some scientific evidence as to the formation of Mars [1].

Recent discoveries of thousands of exoplanets indicate that planetary systems are the norm rather than the exception in the observable universe. The types of planets that form in a system are dependent on the age of the host star, which is why the older the star, the more likely it is for the planets to contain heavier elements.

It must be emphasized that Mars was formed through an accretion process from volatile-poor planetesimals in the inner solar nebula. The relatively small size of Mars indicates possible Jovian interference during the accretion process. The accretion process and the decay of radioisotopes released gravitational potential energy that melted the Martian protoplanet. Both events led to differentiation into a core– mantle–crust planet structure [2, 3].

plains, Mars features other landscapes that include the polar terrains, the Tharsis

*Sedimentation and Proposed Algorithms to Detect the Possible Existence of Vegetation…*

evidence cataclysmic events of the release of underground ice melt.

position, etc., that led to the formation of specific minerals.

**2. Study area**

on the surface.

**79**

nates), on January 25, 2004.

formed in association with liquid water on Earth.

settling, similar to what occurs in a salt-marsh on Earth [11].

According to [4, 5], Mars also features numerous buried impact basins dating from its early history. Other geologic features visible on the surface include dendritic runoff channels. These features display river-like patterns that evidence precipitation or snowmelt runoff flow. In the equatorial regions, outflow channels

For the present work, and although studying Martian rocks and mineral geochemistry provides essential clues as to the conditions when they formed, it must be taken into account that it is well understood from the study of Earth analogs that chemical systems tend toward equilibrium reactions that yield the lowest energy and, therefore, the most chemically stable compounds within specific environments. As a consequence of this, it is interesting to mention that chemical weathering and erosion of basaltic and other igneous rocks produce distinct sediments and minerals that provide a detailed history in terms of temperature, pressure, pH, atmospheric com-

Although numerous studies of various nature have been carried out on Mars to date, none of them have studied in depth the phenomena of water erosion that occur on the surface of Mars. In the same way, no scientific work has used stateof-the-art remote sensing techniques, based on machine learning, to be able to obtain algorithms capable of predicting both surface moisture content and indications of the presence of some type of photosynthetic organism. It is therefore that this chapter is innovative, in addition to pretending to be a reference in the bibliography about similar studies on rocky planets and moons in our solar system.

As is known, Opportunity (Mars Exploration Rover-B) landed in the Eagle crater, located in the Meridiani Planum (0,2° N; 357,5° E in planetocentric coordi-

The reason why Opportunity was sent to Meridiani Planum was because the Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES), of the Mars Global Surveyor mission, found, from its orbit, crystalline gray hematite on the surface of Mars in an amount around 20%. Hematite is an iron oxide that, usually its gray crystalline variety, is

According to [8], at Opportunity's landing site, gray hematite within a kind of spherules was found in outcrops of soft and stratified sandstone rocks. It should be emphasized that for these structures to form, the acidic aqueous alteration of basalt rocks rich in goethite (a mineral that contains iron) was necessary. Subsequently, the alteration of the goethite gave rise to hematite, which formed spherules in the rocks and, as these were worn away by the action of acidic water, they accumulated

In relation to what was previously specified, and based on [9, 10], it is interesting to say that the soil of Meridiani Planum is composed of fine grains of basalt sand, in addition to a surface of spherules, with a high content of hematite, and other granules. According to [9], the erosion by action of the wind is visible, as well as small impacts of craters and layers of sedimentary rocks, finely laminated, rich in sulfides [10] and sulphated salts. Regarding cross lamination, it is known that on small scales it provides evidence that liquid water flowed through the study area. These rocks were probably a mixture of siliciclastic and chemical sediments formed in an episode of shallow water flooding followed by evaporation, exposure, and

and Elysium volcanic terrains, and chaotic terrains.

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.97628*

It is known from Earth analog studies that most of the tungsten, iron, and other metals sink to the core of a planet in its molten state early in its formation. From radioisotope ratio studies of the Martian meteorites, evidence supports the hypothesis that Mars formed in 2 to 4 million years. However, recent research suggests that tungsten and platinum on the planetesimals themselves could have altered the Martian crust ratios of tungsten, iron, and other metals. The provenance of the two hundred meteorites found on Earth does not provide conclusive evidence of the Martian surface's composition. The latest literature suggests that it is most likely that the small sample of meteorites comes from a few impacts. Those few impacts render the sample size too small to draw accurate conclusions of Martian formation. An alternate hypothesis states that large projectiles with formed cores and mantles bombarded the red planet [4]. According to new modeling, the planetesimals' composition varied enough in ferrophilic element content to provide the tungsten variance, resulting in a heterogeneous Martian mantle. This alternate hypothesis offers an estimate of a Martian formation period of up to 20 Mya [5].

On the other hand, and in relation to the Mars atmosphere, the Mariner mission revealed a fine Martian atmosphere that varies greatly. Because it is thin, the atmosphere of this planet expands rapidly in the warmer months and contracts rapidly in the colder months [6]. In general, it can be said that the atmosphere of the red planet is similar in composition to that of Venus but much thinner. Carbon dioxide comprises about 95% of the atmosphere, with the rest being nitrogen (3%) and argon (1%). The carbon dioxide freezes over the poles, and frozen water lays underneath the frozen carbon dioxide layer.

Regarding the geology of Mars, it is interesting to comment that this planet has two vastly different hemispheres (**Figure 1**), that is, the older heavily cratered highlands of the Southern Hemisphere and the Northern Hemisphere's younger lowland plains. Mars presents extreme topography when compared to Earth and even the Moon. A marked 30-kilometer elevation difference exists between the summit of Olympus Mons and the floor of the Hellas Basin. The hemispheres' difference can be explained by possible volcanic eruptions or seas that smoothed out the Northern Hemisphere. In addition to the highland terrains and the lowland

**Figure 1.** *MOLA global image of Mars surface [7].*

### *Sedimentation and Proposed Algorithms to Detect the Possible Existence of Vegetation… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.97628*

plains, Mars features other landscapes that include the polar terrains, the Tharsis and Elysium volcanic terrains, and chaotic terrains.

According to [4, 5], Mars also features numerous buried impact basins dating from its early history. Other geologic features visible on the surface include dendritic runoff channels. These features display river-like patterns that evidence precipitation or snowmelt runoff flow. In the equatorial regions, outflow channels evidence cataclysmic events of the release of underground ice melt.

For the present work, and although studying Martian rocks and mineral geochemistry provides essential clues as to the conditions when they formed, it must be taken into account that it is well understood from the study of Earth analogs that chemical systems tend toward equilibrium reactions that yield the lowest energy and, therefore, the most chemically stable compounds within specific environments. As a consequence of this, it is interesting to mention that chemical weathering and erosion of basaltic and other igneous rocks produce distinct sediments and minerals that provide a detailed history in terms of temperature, pressure, pH, atmospheric composition, etc., that led to the formation of specific minerals.

Although numerous studies of various nature have been carried out on Mars to date, none of them have studied in depth the phenomena of water erosion that occur on the surface of Mars. In the same way, no scientific work has used stateof-the-art remote sensing techniques, based on machine learning, to be able to obtain algorithms capable of predicting both surface moisture content and indications of the presence of some type of photosynthetic organism. It is therefore that this chapter is innovative, in addition to pretending to be a reference in the bibliography about similar studies on rocky planets and moons in our solar system.
