ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Astron. Space Sci.
Sec. Astrobiology
East Meridiani Planum's Karst Geomorphology and Biosignature Preservation Potential: A Multi-Criteria Landing Site Analysis
Provisionally accepted
- Imperial College, London, United Kingdom
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This study evaluates five candidate Mars landing sites−Aram Chaos, East Meridiani Planum, Ottumwa Crater, East Margaritifer Terra, and Nili Fossae−to identify the optimal location for astrobiology-focused exploration. By integrating geological, mineralogical, and engineering constraints, East Meridiani Planum emerged as the top priority. Its unique karst landforms (ridges, dolines, salt pans), extensive hydrous sulfate and phyllosilicate deposits, and flat topography (elevation: −1.1 km; thermal inertia: 200–450 J m−2 K−1 s0.5 ) provide robust evidence of prolonged groundwater activity and biosignature preservation potential. The proposed landing ellipse (25 km × 20 km) at 0.74°N, 4.44°E benefits from minimal dust coverage, gentle slopes (<5°), and accessibility to stratigraphic targets. While previous studies have focused on the hematite-rich plains, this analysis systematically evaluate the astrobiological potential of the older, clay-bearing Upper Etched Unit, proposing a landing site that targets a different geological history and preservation environment than that explored by the Opportunity rover. This site balances scientific value with mission safety, making it ideal for investigating Mars' hydrological evolution and detecting prebiotic chemistry in evaporitic settings.
Keywords: Astrobiology, hydrous sulfates, Karst landforms, Mars landing site selection, Multi-criteria analysis
Received: 07 Aug 2025; Accepted: 12 Feb 2026.
Copyright: © 2026 Wang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Shaoqiu Wang
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