Sponsors — Conveners — Scientific Organizing Committee —
|
|||||||||||||||||
| MEETING LOCATION AND DATE |
|||||||||||||||||
| The First International Conference on Mars Sedimentology and Stratigraphy will be held April 19–21, 2010, in El Paso, Texas. It will be followed by a two-day field trip to Carlsbad, New Mexico. |
KEY POINTS: |
||||||||||||||||
| PURPOSE AND SCOPE | |||||||||||||||||
Mars has preserved sedimentary rocks that record the evolution of its early surface environments. The oldest sedimentary rocks likely exceed 4 billion years and significantly predate the stabilization of the Archean cratons on Earth, which preserve the oldest sedimentary rocks on Earth. Thus, the martian sedimentary record may provide a unique opportunity to study the early environmental evolution of a terrestrial planet. It is during this key time interval that prebiotic chemistry and the origin of life appear to have taken place on Earth. The absence of well-preserved terrestrial sedimentary rocks are a significant barrier to investigating the earliest tectonic, climatic, and biologic processes, and are a powerful motivation for studying such rocks on Mars. This conference seeks to stimulate the exchange of ideas among the community of scientists with common interests in sedimentary processes and the stratigraphic record of sedimentary rocks on Mars. Topical sessions will include weathering processes, provenance, and diagenesis of sediments; transport and depositional processes (fluvial, eolian, lacustrine, evaporitic, volcaniclastic, and impact), both past and present; characterization and origin of vast exposures of layered bedrock; controls on stratigraphic stacking patterns and stratal geometry; and the evolution of sedimentary basins, including patterns of deformation. |
|||||||||||||||||
| CONFERENCE FORMAT | |||||||||||||||||
| Depending on the number of contributed abstracts, the meeting will consist of two-and-one-half days of oral sessions with an evening poster session held in a conference facility in El Paso, Texas. After the conference, there will be a two-day field trip to look at the sedimentary rocks that have filled the western part of the Permian Basin. These basin-filling sediments may represent partial analogs for the sediments that filled the basins on Mars early in its history. |
|||||||||||||||||
| PUBLICATIONS | |||||||||||||||||
The Society for Sedimentary Geology has agreed to produce a special publication, to be edited by J. Grotzinger and R. Milliken. Presenters are encouraged to prepare manuscripts in advance of the conference that address the subjects of the topical sessions described above in the purpose and scope. The deadline for submission of manuscripts will be June 1, 2010. Please direct further inquiries to John Grotzinger. |
|||||||||||||||||
| LOGISTICS | |||||||||||||||||
The conference will begin in El Paso, Texas, on Monday, April 19, 2010. After the meeting concludes mid-day on Wednesday, April 21, the field trip participants will leave El Paso for Carlsbad. The group will stay in Carlsbad for the nights of April 21–22. Specific field trip logistics are still pending, but will include the chance to observe thick, layered sulfate deposits with phyllosilicates, subaqueous siliciclastic deposits, and complex basin-margin stratal geometries. Time permitting, the group may visit the Guadalupe Reef Trail and Carlsbad Caverns. The number of people on the field trip will be limited to two buses (about 80 people). The field trip will conclude in El Paso by 3:00 p.m. on Friday, April 23. |
|
||||||||||||||||
| STUDENT SUPPORT | |||||||||||||||||
Students are encouraged to attend, and travel support is available. Additional details will be included in the second announcement. |
|
||||||||||||||||
| FUTURE ANNOUNCEMENTS | |||||||||||||||||
More detailed information, including guidelines for abstract submission and opportunities for participation, will be included in the second announcement, which will be posted on this website in December 2009. To aid in planning purposes, we strongly urge you to submit an Indication of Intent form by December 3, 2009. The information on this form will not only provide invaluable information for the meeting organizers as they plan logistical strategies for the conference, but will also subscribe you to an e-mail notification list to receive updates and reminders relating to the meeting. |
|
||||||||||||||||
| CONTACTS | |||||||||||||||||
For further information regarding the scientific objectives and field trip, contact
For further information regarding conference logistics and announcements, contact
|
|||||||||||||||||
SCHEDULE |
|||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||
