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Date Entered: 22 September 1988
Date Last Revised: 5 April 1991
The landing site lies in Argyre Planitia, one of the largest and best preserved ancient impact basins. Argyre is surrounded by rugged massifs which form vague, concentric and radial patterns around the basin. Four large channels lie radial to the basin. Three of these channels flowed into Argyre from the south and east through the rim mountains. The fourth, Uzboi Vallis, appears to have flowed out from the basin's north rim and may have drained a lake within the basin. The original basin floor is buried with friable, partially deflated layered material that may be lake sediment. No inner rings are visible, however isolated massifs within the basin may be remnants of an inner ring.
Scientific Rationale
Sample layered basin-fill material of possible lacustrine origin (search for fossil organic material), unusual sinuous ridges, and possible deep crustal material in basin rim massifs.
Objectives
a) Layered plains material (success high: landing site on plains; distance to deflated exposures less than 10 km);
b) sinuous ridge material (success high: landing site near prominent ridge; traverse to one massif (Oceanidum Mons) crosses ridge);
c) massifs (2): possible deep crustal material (success moderate: depends on steepness of approach to "fresh" rock at base of each massif).
d) layered plains material (optional addition to C1 traverse) (success moderate: depends on steepness of topography of deflated layered plains at scales below resolution of existing Viking images). Allows sampling of thicker exposed sequence of layered material. Existing images reveal at least 4 pairs of light and dark layers at site D. May improve chances of acquiring pre-biotic material that has only recently been exposed to photo/chemical weathering processes at the surface.
Potential Problems
Site is at a moderately high southern latitude, placing delta vee and communication link constraints on all component vehicles. Southern approach for lander and ascent vehicles may require consideration of avoidance of high south basin rim mountains. Northern approach trajectories would be over the basin interior plains, and should present no such problem, however.
Trafficability
1-2 on a scale of 1-5. Landing site and all traverses lie on basin floor. Slopes are not likely to ever be very steep, unless it is necessary to climb part way up the massifs to obtain a "fresh" rock sample. In that event, the western massif (site C1) is less steep.
Estimated Traverse Distance
Traverse: A = 8 km
B = 9 km
C1 = 30 km
C2 = 40 km
Total without site D option = 87 km
Total with site D option = 112 km
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