Beijing (ANTARA) - China plans to complete the next generation of\nMars geological maps by the end of 2028, with the goal of reconstructing\nthe history of water existence on the Red Planet and introducing a\nChinese version of the Martian geological time division system.<\/p>\n
Hou Zengqian, a Chinese academic and chief scientist of the Tianwen-3\nMars sample return mission, revealed the plan during a symposium at the\nInstitute of Geology under the Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences on\nMonday (28\/9).<\/p>\n
The Zhurong rover, which China landed on Mars in 2021 as part of the\nTianwen-1 mission, has provided new clues regarding the planet\u2019s water\nhistory, specifically the existence of a very vast ancient ocean\napproximately 3.5 billion years ago and brief flooding that likely\noccurred around 1.6 billion years ago.<\/p>\n
These findings help complete the chain of evidence regarding the\nevolution of ancient Martian climate and will be incorporated into the\nnew map. Based on this, the new map will feature a Martian geological\ntime division system developed by China.<\/p>\n
Currently, Martian geological time divisions include the Noachian,\nHesperian, and Amazonian periods, which are determined based on visible\ncrater density rather than absolute dating. China aims to establish this\nnew system as an international consensus, said Hou.<\/p>\n
The project will primarily utilise data from Tianwen-1, supplemented\nby data from US and ESA (European Space Agency) Mars probes, allowing\nfor the integration of orbital and land-based data. By combining\nimagery, spectra, radar, gravity, and magnetic readings, a global\ndatabase will be compiled to connect several of the planet\u2019s physical\nfields.<\/p>\n
Artificial Intelligence (AI) will be at the core of the data\ninterpretation. The expertise of geological experts will be embedded\ninto large models through rule engines to ensure results remain\nexplainable, while multi-scale attention techniques will assist in\nprogressive feature extraction, ranging from local mineral\nidentification to the division of global tectonic units.<\/p>\n
The work, targeted for completion by the end of 2028, includes a\n1:5,000,000 scale Mars geological map, a 1:50,000 scale landing site\nmap, and a series of thematic atlases. The project will also produce the\nworld\u2019s first intelligent Mars geological map and provide a template for\nfuture mapping of the Moon, Venus, and asteroids.<\/p>\n
Yang Zhiming, Director of the Institute of Geology at the Chinese\nAcademy of Geological Sciences, emphasised that geological mapping has\nbeen one of the institution\u2019s primary tasks for 70 years.<\/p>\n
During this period, the mapping conducted by the institution has\nevolved from regional and national maps to include the Moon and now\nMars. According to him, this work has provided the scientific foundation\nfor China\u2019s planetary exploration programme to determine where to go,\nwhat to explore, and why it is necessary to do so.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/china-to-complete-next-generation-mars-geological-map-by-late-2028-1790668997", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }