Monica Pondrelli

University of Chieti-Pescara | UNICH · International Research School of Planetary Sciences

Planetary geologic maps are crucial tools for understanding the geological features and processes of solid bodies in the Solar System. Over the past six decades, best practices in planetary geologic mapping have emphasized clear and objective observation, geological interpretation, multi‐sensor fusion, and iterative revision of maps based on new da...

The type-Silurian Cellon section in the Carnic Alps in Austria underpins much of the current Silurian conodont zonations, forming the basis for the Silurian timescale. However, the Silurian record of the Cellon section lacks radiometric and astrochronological age constraints, making it difficult to gain insights into the processes pacing Silurian (...

Two Upper Devonian stratigraphic sections Pramosio A (PRA) and Freikofel T (FRKT) in the Carnic Alps of Italy and adjacent southern Austria representing continuous, entirely calcareous oxic sedimentation spanning the Frasnian-Famennian (Fr-Fm) boundary, were analysed for conodont biostratigraphy, facies and geochemistry. Lithologies are mainly pack...

Farabegoli et al., 2023 Supplementary Online Material BSPI 62(2) - 2023 https://www.paleoitalia.it/bollettino-spi/bspi-vol-622/

Plain Language Summary Despite years of orbital observations of the surface of Mars, mid‐to low‐latitude layered deposits (LD) in Arabia Terra are not yet fully understood. These deposits record an important geological sequence of the early Martian history, but their exact formation, specifically the putative role of the water in their formation an...

The formation of layered mounds on Mars remains a major topic of debate, with the relationship between their deposition and chemical alteration a major aspect still to be constrained. The association these deposits have with hydrated minerals indicates aqueous processes were active in their past, however the extent and duration of this aqueous peri...

An extensive distribution of water‐altered equatorial layered deposits (ELDs) characterizes the densely cratered terrain of Arabia Terra (AT), Mars. The majority of these deposits reside within craters and are easily identified by laterally continuous layering. The processes that led to their formation have been widely investigated, but remain unre...

The Middle Devonian Epoch, ~ 393–383 million years ago, is known for a peak in diversity and highest latitudinal distribution of coral and stromatoporoid reefs. About 388 million years ago, during the late Eifelian and earliest Givetian, climax conditions were interrupted by the polyphased Kačák Episode, a short-lived period of marine dys-/anoxia a...

In Mt Zermula area rocks of Ordovician to Carboniferous age belonging to the Pre-Variscan sequence of the Carnic Alps crop out. The whole area was overturned during the Variscan orogeny and the higher parts of Mt Zermula represent Devonian shallow water rocks thrusted on top of an Upper Ordovician to Lower Carboniferous succession showing mostly ba...

Detailed geological map of the Carnic Alps (E-Sheet: from M. Cordin - M. Tersadia - Lovea to M. Sagran - Ugovizza) 1:25.000 scale: 300 km2

Detailed geological map of the Carnic Alps (W-Sheet: from Sappada - Sauris to M. Dimon - Ligosullo - Rivalpo) 1:25.000 scale: 660 km2

The central sector of the Carnic Alps spans the border between Austria and Italy and consists of a succession ranging from the Upper Ordovician to the lowermost part of the upper Carboniferous that has been recently revised in order to formalize the stratigraphic units. Although this area was mapped both on the Austrian and Italian side, the presen...

The objective of this document is the definition of a set of cartographic and technical standards and directions to be used, adapted or -in minor form -established for GMAP. Standards proposed and mentioned in the present documents include geologic and cartographic aspects. Some of the proposed directions and standards are initial ones that are pla...

A detailed biostratigraphic investigation has been carried out by means of conodonts in the uppermost Ordovician-lowermost Devonian sector of the Valentintörl cliff, located in the Austrian part of the Carnic Alps. Biostratigraphic data document in continuity all conodont biozones from the lowermost Ludlow to the upper Přídolí, with such a limited...

In the Carnic Alps there are four sections exposing rocks across the Devonian–Carboniferous boundary: the Grüne Schneid and the Kronhofgraben sections in Austria, the Plan di Zermula A and the Sentiero per Cresta Verde sections in Italy. All of them are mainly composed of limestone and span from the late Famennian through the Tournaisian. In the Kr...

In the Carnic Alps there are four sections exposing rocks across the Devonian–Carboniferous boundary: the Grüne Schneid and the Kronhofgraben sections in Austria, the Plan di Zermula A and the Sentiero per Cresta Verde sections in Italy. All of them are mainly composed of limestone and span from the late Famennian through the Tournaisian. In the Kr...

Understanding the origin of the Hesperian‐aged sulfate‐bearing Equatorial Layered Deposits (ELDs) is crucial to infer Mars' climatic conditions during their formation and to assess their habitability potential. We investigated well‐exposed ELDs in Kotido crater (Arabia Terra) and produced a detailed geological map of the crater infill, distinguishi...

The Rio Malinfier West section in the central Carnic Alps provides important data on the evolution of the Lochkovian (Lower Devonian) sedimentary basins of the Variscan belt. An exposure of about 100 m documents five lithostratigraphic units (Alticola, Rauchkofel, Nölbling, La Valute and Findenig formations) spanning in age from the latest Silurian...

In the Carnic Alps, located across the border between Italy and Austria, several sections span the Silurian/Devonian boundary in different sedimentary settings, from very shallow water to moderately deep shelf. All studied sections yielded conodonts and based on the first and last occurrences of the conodont taxa in the upper part of the Upper Oul....

The scale of groundwater upwelling on Mars, as well as its relation to sedimentary systems, remains an ongoing debate. Several deep craters (basins) in the northern equatorial regions show compelling signs that large amounts of water once existed on Mars at a planet‐wide scale. The presence of water‐formed features, including fluvial Gilbert and sa...

Although based on the same basic principles as on Earth, planetary geological-geomorphological mapping has some peculiarities which needs to be addressed in order to standardize the technical and scientific approach. Planetary mapping is data-dependent (i.e., images resolution, availability of spectral data, etc.), which implies differences between...

Supporting Information S1

The Dallol volcano and its associated hydrothermal field are located in a remote area of the northern Danakil Depression in Ethiopia, a region only recently appraised after decades of inaccessibility due to severe political instability and the absence of infrastructure. The region is notable for hosting environments at the very edge of natural phys...

Southern highlands of Mars have experienced regional to global scale deformations in the history of its evolution. Deformational structures originated from impact-induced stresses and later viscous relaxation of the impact basin to cooling related global contraction. Here in this study, we investigated an Early Hesperian (Eo-Archean / Paleo-Archean...

Aeolis Dorsa is a topographic depression, ∼800 km east of Gale Crater, located along the Mars’ dichotomy boundary. This area hosts a set of fluvial sedimentary rocks displaying an exceptional record of depositional environments and fluvial channels patterns that suggest the presence of a large amount of surface and/or subsurface water. We interpret...

Reasoning in geology is based on the continuous activity of comparing, connecting, observations. This allows the formulation of genetic hypotheses, which consequences will be evaluated through their consistency, coherence and consilience with related phenomena. The synthesis is achieved by using geological maps to communicate the temporal and spati...

The documentation of a palaeodoline and the recovery of a loose block with shrinkage cracks in the Rio Sglirs area (central Carnic Alps) suggest subaerial exposure during the late Tournaisian. Both structures have been dated to the anchoralis conodont zone. This episode occurredwell before the globally documented sequence boundary at the Tournaisia...

The polyphased Kačák Episode near the Eifelian-Givetian boundary (Middle Devonian), well documented globally, resembles other global biotic extinction events driven by climate change. High-resolution conodont biodiversity patterns from shallow marine, slope and pelagic bathymetric settings within the same basin from the Carnic Alps show that while...

The genesis of the Equatorial light-toned sulfate bearing layered deposits (ELDs) in Arabia Terra has long been debated with many processes/environments proposed (including aeolian, airfall, lacustrine, volcanic, playa, spring deposits and combinations among these, stratigraphic relations with the clay bearing possible fluvial deposits) and differe...

The conodont stratigraphy of the lower Lochkovian part of the famous Cellon section is presented. The association includes twenty-two taxa belonging to nine genera, and allows discriminating the two biozones of the lower Lochkovian (Icr. hesperius and Icr. postwoschmidti zones). Three taxa (Zieglerodina formosa, Z. mashkovae and Z. prosoplatys) are...

At La Valute, representing the western flank of the Mt. Zermula massif, one of the most interesting and unexplored sequences on the Italian side of the Carnic Alps is exposed. It is represented by rocks of Ordovician to Carboniferous age, characterized by the widespread mainly pelitic deposits of Silurian age. The Ordovician units are represented b...

An ultra-miniaturised (mass 1.5 kg; volume ~22 × 6 × 12 cm3) instrument which combines X-ray diffraction and fluorescence has been developed for the mineralogical and chemical characterization of Martian soils/rocks and was included in the ExoMars-Pasteur payload. The simultaneous in situ acquisition of elemental and mineralogical information would...

We investigated the equatorial layered deposits (ELDs) of Arabia Terra, Mars, in Firsoff crater and on the adjacent plateau. We produced a detailed geological map that included a survey of the relative stratigraphic relations and crater count dating. We reconstructed the geometry of the layered deposits and inferred some compositional constraints....

This review summarizes the use of High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) data as an instrumental tool and its application in the analysis of geological processes and landforms on Mars during the last ten years of operation. High-resolution digital elevations models on a local to regional scale are the unique strength of the HRSC instrument. The analy...

Over the last decade, orbital and landed missions have revealed a diverse and extensive sedimentary rock record on Mars. In the absence of plate tectonics, and because of a decline of the geological activity over time, the Martian sedimentary record is well-preserved and much older than terrestrial records. Both clastic and chemical sedimentary roc...

The Carnic Alps represent the best exposed Paleozoic succession within the Alpine domain being fossiliferous, mostly non-metamorphic and largely complete. This study focuses on the area around Mt. Pizzul, because the bedrocks record well the basin dynamics and most of the units are conodont bearing. Our aims were to contribute to the procedure of f...

One major reason for exploring Mars is the similarity of surface features to those present on Earth. Among the most important are morphological and mineralogical indicators that liquid water has existed on Mars at various locations over the entire history of the planet, albeit in decreasing abundance with time. Due to the strong evidence for aqueou...

This area of Lunae Planum (centred around 4°S and 298°E) has been studied by various authors, who have described the presence of exhumed channels (sinuous lineations), Light Layered Deposits (LLD), and detected hydrated sulphates associated with LLDs. We performed sedimentological, geomorphological, and stratigraphic analyses of the LLDs and produc...

Sedimentary deposits within Eberswalde Crater are generally interpreted as having formed in a fluviolacustrine depositional environment. The Eberswalde fan delta consists of five lobes (four deltaic), the relative stratigraphy of which can be unravelled through simple cross-cutting relationships, allowing inferences to be made of the approximate wa...

Due to the strong evidence for aqueous processes at or near the surface, Mars is the most Earth-like body in the Solar System. After 10 years of ESA’s Mars Express orbiting the planet its High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) covered about 90 % of the surface in stereo and color with resolutions up to 10 m/pixel [1]. Digital elevation models of up t...

ELDs once covered a vast area of the martian equatorial lowland. ELDs experienced interaction with fluids and could be thus compared with terrestrial analogs.