“Ultra-shallow Seismic Prospecting in Mars and Lunar Regolith” 

Geophysical surveying for near-surface (< 2 m), planetary resources such as H2O ice, or critical minerals may benefit from ultra-high-resolution, near-surface seismic methods. Small seismic sensors can be payload agnostic and adaptable for mounting to the interior of rover wheels and landing pads--locations with the best mechanical coupling to the underlying regolith. Active seismic sources are traditionally used to interrogate the subsurface, but vibrations generated during drilling can also be opportunistically harvested to collect subsurface geotechnical information in the vicinity of the advancing drill bit. Shallow subsurface seismic investigations on planetary bodies can enhance other geophysical technologies (e.g., GPR) in identifying buried paleo-habitable zones such as horizontal stratigraphic layering interpreted as lake deposits, brines, ground ice or phyllosilicates including serpentinites across varied landscapes.