Location Oxia Palus quadrangle | ||
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Oxia Planum is a plain located on Mars (near 18.275°N 335.368°E / 18.275; 335.368) that has been chosen as a preferred landing location for the ExoMars rover, with an elevation more than 3000 meters below the Martian mean.
Overview
Oxia Planum contains one of the largest exposures of clay-bearing rocks and are around 3.9 billion years old. The site is iron-magnesium rich clays, indicating that water once played a role here. The site sits in an area of valley systems with the exposed rocks exhibiting different compositions, indicating a variety of deposition and wetting environments.
Clay accumulation underneath the remnants of a fan or delta near the outlet of Coogoon Vallis may offer preservation for biosignatures against the planet's harsh radiation and oxidation environment.