Regional structural orientation of the Mt. Sharp group revealed by in‐situ dip measurements and stratigraphic correlations on the Vera Rubin ridge

Ground‐based bedding orientation measurements are critical to determine the geologic history and processes of sedimentation in Gale crater, Mars. We constrain the dip of lacustrine strata of the Blunts Point, Pettegrove Point, and Jura members of the Murray formation using a combination of regional stratigraphic correlations and bed attitude measurements from stereo Mastcam images taken by the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover. In situ bed attitude measurements using a PCA‐based regression method reveal a wide range of dips and dip azimuths owing to a combination of high stereo errors, post‐depositional deformation of strata (e.g. fracturing, rotation, impact cratering), and different primary depositional dips. These constrain regional dips to be within several degrees of horizontal on average. Stratigraphic correlations between targets observed in the Glen Torridon trough and at the Pettegrove Point – Jura member contact of Vera Rubin ridge (VRR) constrain dips to be between three degrees southeast and two degrees northwest, consistent with nearly flat strata deposited horizontally on an equipotential surface. The Jura member is determined to be stratigraphically equivalent to the northern portion of the Glen Torridon trough. Rover‐based dip magnitudes are generally significantly shallower than the orientation of VRR member contacts measured from HiRISE‐based traces, suggesting the sedimentary strata and VRR member contacts may be discordant.