International audienceThe paleo-lake floor at the edge of the Jezero delta has been selected as the NASA 2020 rover landing site. In this paper we demonstrate the sequences of lake filling and delta formation, and constrain the minimum lifespan of the Jezero paleo-lake from sedimentological and hydrological analyses. Utilizing imagery provided by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (NASA Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter) and High Resolution Stereo Camera (ESA Mars Express), two main phases of delta evolution can be recognized. 1) Basin infilling before the breaching of the Jezero rim; and 2) the delta formation itself. Our results suggest delta formation occurred over a 90-550 year period of hydrological activity. Breaching of the Jezero rim occurred in at least three distinct episodes, which spanned a far longer time-period than overall delta formation. This evolutionary history implies the Jezero-lake floor would have been a haven for fine-grained sediment accumulation, and hosted an active environment of significant astrobiological importance
