Rock Properties of Shallow Martian Subsurface with the RIMFAX Ground Penetrating Radar

<p>The RIMFAX ground penetrating radar instrument on board the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover has been continuously sounding the subsurface along<br />the Rover traverse. In the data of the first 379 mission days on the Jezero Crater Floor we are able to identify hyperbolic patterns, likely caused by buried scatterers such as boulders or cavities in the upper 5 m of the subsurface. We present the first detailed estimates of radar wave propagation velocity by matching theoretical traveltime hyperbolas to the patterns generated by scatterers. The average dielectric permittivities are derived from these velocities and, consequently, the bulk rock densities for material above the scattering source. Simultaneously, we investigate the surface reflectivity to retrieve permittivity and density of the uppermost centimeter. Finally, we assess the radar attenuation by a constant-Q approach.<br />The results are consistent with a solid rock, mafic interpretation of the Jezero Crater subsurface. The talk is based on the respective two most recent publications as well as work in progress.</p>