My doctoral research will primarily be focusing on mechanisms for Martian alluvial fan formation, how they interact with water-influenced boundary conditions, what they look like stratigraphically, as well as what implications that may have for the habitability of the planet. I plan to use a combination of satellite data, physical experiments, and analog field work to investigate these topics.
This research project focused on understanding the sedimentary processes recorded in the Carolyn Shoemaker formation at Gale crater, Mars. Using orbital mapping of fluvial ridges in the northwest quadrant of the crater, I compared their stratigraphic position to outcrops along the Curiosity rover traverse. I then assessed the effects of post-depositional tilt and channel migration. My findings suggest that these ridges are part of the Carolyn Shoemaker formation and were shaped by local river processes, without requiring a large-scale environmental change.
Wood, S.J., & Cardenas, B.T. Lateral extent of the fluvial Carolyn Shoemaker formation, Gale crater, Mars..
Cardenas, B.T., Baran, Z.J., Downey, N.M., Lawrence, M., Wood, S.J., Yurchak, A. Can structural tilt be measured from exhumed channel belts on Mars? Numerical experiments using analog alluvial strata
Wood, S.J. & Cardenas, B.T. (2024). Lateral Extent of the Fluvial Carolyn Shoemaker Formation, Gale Crater, Mars. Abstract #1618920, American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting , December 9-13, 2024, Washington D.C., USA
Cardenas, B.T., Baran, Z., Downey, N.M., Lawrence, M., Wood, S.J., and Yurchak, A. (2024). Martian fluvial ridge topography: experiments on differential erosion and structural tilt. Abstract #1685373, American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting , December 9-13, 2024, Washington D.C., USA
Cardenas, B.T., Baran, Z., Wood, S.J., and Yurchak, A. (2024). Indicators of Structural Tilt Preserved in Fluvial Ridge Topography: Numerical Experiments Exploring the Biases of Using Erosional Topography to Reconstruct Underlying Stratigraphy. Abstract #3007, Tenth International Conference on Mars , July 22-25, 2024, Pasadena, CA, USA
Cardenas, B.T., Baran, Z., Wood, S.J., and Yurchak, A. (2024). Could channel belts on Mars be used to reconstruct structural tilt? Numerical experiments using 3D seismic volumes from the US Gulf Coast. Abstract #70, SEPM International Sedimentary Geosciences Congress , May 5-8, 2024, Flagstaff, AZ, USA