Jezero (crater)
Jezero crater and region (USGS)
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| Planet | Mars |
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| Coordinates | 18°51′18″N 77°31′08″E / 18.855°N 77.519°ECoordinates: 18°51′18″N 77°31′08″E / 18.855°N 77.519°E |
| Diameter | 49.0 km (30.4 mi) |
| Eponym | Jezero, Bosnia and Herzegovina |
Jezero is a crater on Mars located at 18°51′18″N 77°31′08″E / 18.855°N 77.519°E in the Syrtis Major quadrangle. The diameter of the crater is about 49.0 km (30.4 mi). Thought to have once been flooded with water, the crater contains a fan-delta deposit rich in clays. The lake in the crater was present when valley networks were forming on Mars. Besides having a delta, the crater shows point bars and inverted channels. From a study of the delta and channels, it was concluded that the lake did not experience times when the water went down. It probably formed when there was continual surface runoff.
The crater was named after one of the towns with this name in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In several Slavic languages, including Bosnian, Croatian, Czech, Serbian, Slovak and Slovene, the word jezero means "lake".
Jezero crater, once considered a site for the Mars Science Laboratory, is a proposed landing site for the Mars 2020 rover mission. After several Mars 2020 Landing Site Workshops, it survived the cut and was named to be among the top 3 sites still in the running for the landing. Life may have developed in the crater since it is believed the lake was long-lived; the delta may have required period of 106–107 years to form.Clay minerals have been detected in and around the crater. The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter identified smectite clays. Clays form in the presence of water, so this area probably once held water and maybe life in ancient times. The surface in places are cracked into polygonal patterns. Such shapes often form when clay dries out. These patterns can be seen in the image below. The image shows a channel that carried water and sediments into Jezero crater.
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