The subsurface structure of the Martian Utopian Basin revealed by the radar data of the Zhurong rover

The Zhurong rover, which played a crucial role in China’s Mars exploration mission, accomplished a successful landing on the southern surface of the Martian Utopia Basin on May 15, 2021. The ground-penetrating radar(GPR) carried by the Zhurong rover has a dual channel design, allowing it to effectively detect the morphology and geological structure of the subsurface in the landing area. The low-frequency data reveals a multi-layered underground structure that stretches 80 meters beneath the surface along the path of the Mars rover. The high-frequency data reveals the reshaping of Martian surface sediments caused by meteorite impacts and weathering in the soil layer up to a depth of 5 meters underground. Beneath the weathering layer, a shallow stratigraphic sequence is formed by the overlapping of sedimentary rock units. The findings from the research using GPR data serve as a crucial foundation for comprehending the geological history of the Martian Utopia Basin.