China plans to complete a new-generation geologic map of Mars by the end of 2028, as stated by Hou Zengqian, a chief scientist of the Tianwen-3 Mars sample-return mission and an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The project aims to reconstruct the planet’s watery past and introduce a Chinese system for dividing Martian geologic time.
China’s Ambitious Mars Geologic Mapping Project Sets 2028 Deadline
Data Integration and AI-Driven Analysis
The initiative will use data from China's Tianwen-1 mission, including findings from the Zhurong rover, alongside U.S. and European Space Agency (ESA) Mars probes. Geologists will use artificial intelligence to process orbital and ground-based data, combining imagery, spectra, radar, gravity and magnetic readings into a global database.
“Geologists’ expertise will be embedded in large models through rule engines to keep the results explainable,” said Hou. Multi-scale attention techniques will help form progressive feature extraction from local mineral identification to global tectonic units division.
Revising Martian Time Periods
The existing chronological framework categorizes Mars into the Amazonian, Hesperian and Noachian periods, which are based on the density of visible craters instead of absolute dates. China aims to make its new scheme an international consensus.
Data from the Zhurong rover—which suggests that a massive ancient ocean existed around 3.5 billion years ago and that brief floods may have occurred 1.6 billion years ago—will be integrated into the updated map. These findings help fill gaps in the evidence chain of how Mars’ ancient climate evolved, as noted by Hou during a symposium at the Institute of Geology under the Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences.
Technological and Scientific Implications
Global Collaboration and Data Sharing
The project will utilize U.S. and ESA data. By integrating diverse datasets, China aims to release the world’s first intelligent geologic map that could provide a template for future mapping of the moon, Venus and asteroids.
Yang Zhiming, director of the Institute of Geology, noted that this effort has provided the scientific basis for China’s planetary program to determine the reasons, locations, and goals of its exploration. “Our maps have evolved from regional and national charts to the moon and now Mars,” he stated.
Thematic Deliverables
Expected by the end of 2028, the outputs include a series of thematic atlases, a 1:50,000-scale map of the landing site, and a Martian geologic map at a 1:5 million scale. The project will also release the world’s first intelligent geologic map of Mars.
The Institute of Geology has conducted geologic mapping for 70 years, with its maps extending from regional and national charts to the moon and now Mars.
Challenges and Future Prospects
Technical and Logistical Hurdles
The project will build a global database that couples the planet’s multiple physical fields. The use of rule engines and attention techniques aims to keep results explainable and help form progressive feature extraction.
Impact on Future Missions
The project provides a template for future mapping of the moon, Venus and asteroids.
China uses AI to map Martian geologic history
What is the significance of China’s new Mars geologic map?
The map aims to reconstruct Mars’ watery past and introduce a Chinese system for dividing Martian geologic time, which China aims to make an international consensus. It will integrate data from multiple missions and use AI to analyze geological features.
How will AI be used in this project?
Artificial intelligence will process data from Tianwen-1, U.S., and ESA missions. Geologists’ expertise will be embedded in models through rule engines, while multi-scale attention techniques will aid in feature extraction from local to global scales.
What are the deliverables by 2028?
The project will produce a 1:5 million-scale geologic map, a 1:50,000-scale landing area map, thematic atlases, and the world’s first intelligent geologic map of Mars.