Jezero (crater)
Jezero (ICAO: JZRO) is a crater on Mars in the Syrtis Major quadrangle, about 45.0 km (28.0 mi) in diameter. Thought to have once been flooded with water, the crater contains a fan-delta deposit rich in clays. The lake in the crater was present when valley networks were forming on Mars. Besides having a delta, the crater shows point bars and inverted channels. From a study of the delta and channels, it was concluded that the lake inside the crater probably formed during a period in which there was continual surface runoff.
First full-color image transmitted by Perseverance from Jezero | |
| Planet | Mars |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 18.38°N 77.58°E |
| Quadrangle | Syrtis Major |
| Diameter | 45 km (28 mi) |
| Eponym | Jezero, Bosnia and Herzegovina |
In 2007, following the discovery of its ancient lake, the crater was named after Jezero, Bosnia and Herzegovina, one of several eponymous towns in the country. In some Slavic languages, the word jezero means 'lake'.
In November 2018, it was announced that Jezero had been chosen as the landing site for the rover Perseverance as part of NASA's Mars 2020 mission. In November 2020, evidence of boulder falls was found on the slopes of the delta deposits that the rover is planned to explore, on the wall of Jezero itself as well as on the wall of Dacono, a small crater 2 km (1.2 mi) in diameter on the floor of Jezero. Perseverance successfully landed in the crater on 18 February 2021. On 5 March 2021, NASA named the landing site of the rover Octavia E. Butler Landing.