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Liu J, Qin X, Ren X, Wang X, Sun Y, Zeng X, Wu H, Chen Z, Chen W, Chen Y, Wang C, Sun Z, Zhang R, Ouyang Z, Guo Z, Head JW, Li C. Martian dunes indicative of wind regime shift in line with end of ice age. Nature 2023; 620:303-309. [PMID: 37407822 PMCID: PMC10412455 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06206-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2022] [Accepted: 05/12/2023] [Indexed: 07/07/2023]
Abstract
Orbital observations suggest that Mars underwent a recent 'ice age' (roughly 0.4-2.1 million years ago), during which a latitude-dependent ice-dust mantle (LDM)1,2 was emplaced. A subsequent decrease in obliquity amplitude resulted in the emergence of an 'interglacial period'1,3 during which the lowermost latitude LDM ice4-6 was etched and removed, returning it to the polar cap. These observations are consistent with polar cap stratigraphy1,7, but lower- to mid-latitude in situ surface observations in support of a glacial-interglacial transition that can be reconciled with mesoscale and global atmospheric circulation models8 is lacking. Here we present a suite of measurements obtained by the Zhurong rover during its traverse across the southern LDM region in Utopia Planitia, Mars. We find evidence for a stratigraphic sequence involving initial barchan dune formation, indicative of north-easterly winds, cementation of dune sediments, followed by their erosion by north-westerly winds, eroding the barchan dunes and producing distinctive longitudinal dunes, with the transition in wind regime consistent with the end of the ice age. The results are compatible with the Martian polar stratigraphic record and will help improve our understanding of the ancient climate history of Mars9.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianjun Liu
- Key Laboratory of Lunar and Deep Space Exploration, National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaoguang Qin
- Key Laboratory of Cenozoic Geology and Environment, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xin Ren
- Key Laboratory of Lunar and Deep Space Exploration, National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xu Wang
- Key Laboratory of Cenozoic Geology and Environment, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yong Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Earth System, Resources and Environment, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xingguo Zeng
- Key Laboratory of Lunar and Deep Space Exploration, National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Haibin Wu
- Key Laboratory of Cenozoic Geology and Environment, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Zhaopeng Chen
- Key Laboratory of Lunar and Deep Space Exploration, National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Wangli Chen
- Key Laboratory of Lunar and Deep Space Exploration, National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yuan Chen
- Key Laboratory of Lunar and Deep Space Exploration, National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Cheng Wang
- Beijing Aerospace Control Center, Beijing, China
| | - Zezhou Sun
- Beijing Institute of Spacecraft System Engineering, Beijing, China
| | - Rongqiao Zhang
- Lunar Exploration and Space Engineering Center, Beijing, China
| | - Ziyuan Ouyang
- Key Laboratory of Lunar and Deep Space Exploration, National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang, China
| | - Zhengtang Guo
- Key Laboratory of Cenozoic Geology and Environment, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
| | - James W Head
- Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA.
| | - Chunlai Li
- Key Laboratory of Lunar and Deep Space Exploration, National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
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2
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Dickson JL, Palumbo AM, Head JW, Kerber L, Fassett CI, Kreslavsky MA. Gullies on Mars could have formed by melting of water ice during periods of high obliquity. Science 2023; 380:1363-1367. [PMID: 37384686 DOI: 10.1126/science.abk2464] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2021] [Accepted: 05/19/2023] [Indexed: 07/01/2023]
Abstract
Gullies on Mars resemble water-carved channels on Earth, but they are mostly at elevations where liquid water is not expected under current climate conditions. It has been suggested that sublimation of carbon dioxide ice alone could have formed Martian gullies. We used a general circulation model to show that the highest-elevation Martian gullies coincide with the boundary of terrain that experienced pressures above the triple point of water when Mars' rotational axis tilt reached 35°. Those conditions have occurred repeatedly over the past several million years, most recently ~630,000 years ago. Surface water ice, if present at these locations, could have melted when temperatures rose >273 kelvin. We propose a dual gully formation scenario that is driven by melting of water ice followed by carbon dioxide ice sublimation.
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Affiliation(s)
- J L Dickson
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, Caltech, Pasadena, CA, USA
- Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
| | - A M Palumbo
- Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
| | - J W Head
- Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
| | - L Kerber
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Caltech, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - C I Fassett
- NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL, USA
| | - M A Kreslavsky
- Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
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3
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Abstract
To assess Mars’ potential for both harboring life and providing useable resources for future human exploration, it is of paramount importance to comprehend the water situation on the planet. Therefore, studies have been conducted to determine any evidence of past or present water existence on Mars. While the presence of abundant water on Mars very early in its history is widely accepted, on its modern form, only a fraction of this water can be found, as either ice or locked into the structure of Mars’ plentiful water-rich materials. Water on the planet is evaluated through various evidence such as rocks and minerals, Martian achondrites, low volume transient briny outflows (e.g., dune flows, reactivated gullies, slope streaks, etc.), diurnal shallow soil moisture (e.g., measurements by Curiosity and Phoenix Lander), geomorphic representation (possibly from lakes and river valleys), and groundwater, along with further evidence obtained by probe and rover discoveries. One of the most significant lines of evidence is for an ancient streambed in Gale Crater, implying ancient amounts of “vigorous” water on Mars. Long ago, hospitable conditions for microbial life existed on the surface of Mars, as it was likely periodically wet. However, its current dry surface makes it almost impossible as an appropriate environment for living organisms; therefore, scientists have recognized the planet’s subsurface environments as the best potential locations for exploring life on Mars. As a result, modern research has aimed towards discovering underground water, leading to the discovery of a large amount of underground ice in 2016 by NASA, and a subglacial lake in 2018 by Italian scientists. Nevertheless, the presence of life in Mars’ history is still an open question. In this unifying context, the current review summarizes results from a wide variety of studies and reports related to the history of water on Mars, as well as any related discussions on the possibility of living organism existence on the planet.
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de Haas T, McArdell BW, Conway SJ, McElwaine JN, Kleinhans MG, Salese F, Grindrod PM. Initiation and Flow Conditions of Contemporary Flows in Martian Gullies. JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH. PLANETS 2019; 124:2246-2271. [PMID: 31763111 PMCID: PMC6853261 DOI: 10.1029/2018je005899] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2018] [Revised: 07/23/2019] [Accepted: 07/26/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the initial and flow conditions of contemporary flows in Martian gullies, generally believed to be triggered and fluidized by CO2 sublimation, is crucial for deciphering climate conditions needed to trigger and sustain them. We employ the RAMMS (RApid Mass Movement Simulation) debris flow and avalanche model to back calculate initial and flow conditions of recent flows in three gullies in Hale crater. We infer minimum release depths of 1.0-1.5 m and initial release volumes of 100-200 m3. Entrainment leads to final flow volumes that are ∼2.5-5.5 times larger than initially released, and entrainment is found necessary to match the observed flow deposits. Simulated mean cross-channel flow velocities decrease from 3-4 m/s to ∼1 m/s from release area to flow terminus, while flow depths generally decrease from 0.5-1 to 0.1-0.2 m. The mean cross-channel erosion depth and deposition thicknesses are ∼0.1-0.3 m. Back-calculated dry-Coulomb friction ranges from 0.1 to 0.25 and viscous-turbulent friction between 100 and 200 m/s2, which are values similar to those of granular debris flows on Earth. These results suggest that recent flows in gullies are fluidized to a similar degree as are granular debris flows on Earth. Using a novel model for mass flow fluidization by CO2 sublimation we are able to show that under Martian atmospheric conditions very small volumetric fractions of CO2 of ≪1% within mass flows may indeed yield sufficiently large gas fluxes to cause fluidization and enhance flow mobility.
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Affiliation(s)
- T. de Haas
- Department of Physical GeographyUniversiteit UtrechtUtrechtThe Netherlands
- Department of GeographyDurham UniversityDurhamUK
| | - B. W. McArdell
- Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSLBirmensdorfSwitzerland
| | - S. J. Conway
- Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géodynamique, CNRS UMR 6112, Université de NantesNantesFrance
| | - J. N. McElwaine
- Department of Earth SciencesDurham UniversityDurhamUK
- Planetary Science InstituteTucsonAZUSA
| | - M. G. Kleinhans
- Department of Physical GeographyUniversiteit UtrechtUtrechtThe Netherlands
| | - F. Salese
- Department of Physical GeographyUniversiteit UtrechtUtrechtThe Netherlands
- International Research School of Planetary SciencesUniversità Gabriele D'AnnunzioPescaraItaly
| | - P. M. Grindrod
- Department of Earth SciencesNatural History MuseumLondonUK
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Rummel JD, Beaty DW, Jones MA, Bakermans C, Barlow NG, Boston PJ, Chevrier VF, Clark BC, de Vera JPP, Gough RV, Hallsworth JE, Head JW, Hipkin VJ, Kieft TL, McEwen AS, Mellon MT, Mikucki JA, Nicholson WL, Omelon CR, Peterson R, Roden EE, Sherwood Lollar B, Tanaka KL, Viola D, Wray JJ. A new analysis of Mars "Special Regions": findings of the second MEPAG Special Regions Science Analysis Group (SR-SAG2). ASTROBIOLOGY 2014; 14:887-968. [PMID: 25401393 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2014.1227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 148] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
A committee of the Mars Exploration Program Analysis Group (MEPAG) has reviewed and updated the description of Special Regions on Mars as places where terrestrial organisms might replicate (per the COSPAR Planetary Protection Policy). This review and update was conducted by an international team (SR-SAG2) drawn from both the biological science and Mars exploration communities, focused on understanding when and where Special Regions could occur. The study applied recently available data about martian environments and about terrestrial organisms, building on a previous analysis of Mars Special Regions (2006) undertaken by a similar team. Since then, a new body of highly relevant information has been generated from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (launched in 2005) and Phoenix (2007) and data from Mars Express and the twin Mars Exploration Rovers (all 2003). Results have also been gleaned from the Mars Science Laboratory (launched in 2011). In addition to Mars data, there is a considerable body of new data regarding the known environmental limits to life on Earth-including the potential for terrestrial microbial life to survive and replicate under martian environmental conditions. The SR-SAG2 analysis has included an examination of new Mars models relevant to natural environmental variation in water activity and temperature; a review and reconsideration of the current parameters used to define Special Regions; and updated maps and descriptions of the martian environments recommended for treatment as "Uncertain" or "Special" as natural features or those potentially formed by the influence of future landed spacecraft. Significant changes in our knowledge of the capabilities of terrestrial organisms and the existence of possibly habitable martian environments have led to a new appreciation of where Mars Special Regions may be identified and protected. The SR-SAG also considered the impact of Special Regions on potential future human missions to Mars, both as locations of potential resources and as places that should not be inadvertently contaminated by human activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- John D Rummel
- 1 Department of Biology, East Carolina University , Greenville, North Carolina, USA
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6
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Hauber E, Reiss D, Ulrich M, Preusker F, Trauthan F, Zanetti M, Hiesinger H, Jaumann R, Johansson L, Johnsson A, Van Gasselt S, Olvmo M. Landscape evolution in Martian mid-latitude regions: insights from analogous periglacial landforms in Svalbard. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2011. [DOI: 10.1144/sp356.7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
AbstractPeriglacial landforms on Spitsbergen (Svalbard, Norway) are morphologically similar to landforms on Mars that are probably related to the past and/or present existence of ice at or near the surface. Many of these landforms, such as gullies, debris-flow fans, polygonal terrain, fractured mounds and rock-glacier-like features, are observed in close spatial proximity in mid-latitude craters on Mars. On Svalbard, analogous landforms occur in strikingly similar proximity, which makes them useful study cases to infer the spatial and chronological evolution of Martian cold-climate surface processes. The analysis of the morphological inventory of analogous landforms on Svalbard and Mars allows the processes operating on Mars to be constrained. Different qualitative scenarios of landscape evolution on Mars help to better understand the action of periglacial processes on Mars in the recent past.
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Affiliation(s)
- E. Hauber
- Institut für Planetenforschung, DLR, Rutherfordstrasse 2, 12489 Berlin, Germany
| | - D. Reiss
- Institut für Planetologie, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität, 48149 Münster, Germany
| | - M. Ulrich
- Alfred-Wegener-Institut, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
| | - F. Preusker
- Institut für Planetenforschung, DLR, Rutherfordstrasse 2, 12489 Berlin, Germany
| | - F. Trauthan
- Institut für Planetenforschung, DLR, Rutherfordstrasse 2, 12489 Berlin, Germany
| | - M. Zanetti
- Institut für Planetologie, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität, 48149 Münster, Germany
| | - H. Hiesinger
- Institut für Planetologie, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität, 48149 Münster, Germany
| | - R. Jaumann
- Institut für Planetenforschung, DLR, Rutherfordstrasse 2, 12489 Berlin, Germany
| | - L. Johansson
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Box 460, SE-405 30 Göteborg, Sweden
| | - A. Johnsson
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Box 460, SE-405 30 Göteborg, Sweden
| | - S. Van Gasselt
- Institut für Geologische Wissenschaften, Freie Universität Berlin, Malteserstrasse 74-100, 12249 Berlin, Germany
| | - M. Olvmo
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Box 460, SE-405 30 Göteborg, Sweden
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7
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Mangold N, Mangeney A, Migeon V, Ansan V, Lucas A, Baratoux D, Bouchut F. Sinuous gullies on Mars: Frequency, distribution, and implications for flow properties. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2010. [DOI: 10.1029/2009je003540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 112] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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8
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Ivanov MA, Korteniemi J, Kostama VP, Raitala J, Törmänen T, Neukum G. Major episodes in the geologic history of western Promethei Terra, Mars. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2010. [DOI: 10.1029/2008je003256] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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9
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Lefort A, Russell PS, Thomas N, McEwen AS, Dundas CM, Kirk RL. Observations of periglacial landforms in Utopia Planitia with the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE). ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2009. [DOI: 10.1029/2008je003264] [Citation(s) in RCA: 96] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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10
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Levy J, Head J, Marchant D. Thermal contraction crack polygons on Mars: Classification, distribution, and climate implications from HiRISE observations. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2009. [DOI: 10.1029/2008je003273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 151] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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11
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Formation of gullies on Mars: link to recent climate history and insolation microenvironments implicate surface water flow origin. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2008; 105:13258-63. [PMID: 18725636 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0803760105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 127] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Features seen in portions of a typical midlatitude Martian impact crater show that gully formation follows a geologically recent period of midlatitude glaciation. Geological evidence indicates that, in the relatively recent past, sufficient snow and ice accumulated on the pole-facing crater wall to cause glacial flow and filling of the crater floor with debris-covered glaciers. As glaciation waned, debris-covered glaciers ceased flowing, accumulation zones lost ice, and newly exposed wall alcoves continued as the location for limited snow/frost deposition, entrapment, and preservation. Analysis of the insolation geometry of this pole-facing crater wall, and similar occurrences in other craters at these latitudes on Mars, shows that they are uniquely favored for accumulation of snow and ice, and a relatively more rapid exposure to warmer summer temperatures. We show that, after the last glaciation, melting of residual snow and ice in alcoves could have formed the fluvial channels and sedimentary fans of the gullies. Recent modeling shows that top-down melting can occur in these microenvironments under conditions similar to those currently observed on Mars, if small amounts of snow or frost accumulate in alcoves and channels. Accumulation and melting is even more favored in the somewhat wetter, relatively recent geological past of Mars, after the period of active glaciation.
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Hauber E, van Gasselt S, Chapman MG, Neukum G. Geomorphic evidence for former lobate debris aprons at low latitudes on Mars: Indicators of the Martian paleoclimate. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2008. [DOI: 10.1029/2007je002897] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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13
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Williams DA, Greeley R, Zuschneid W, Werner SC, Neukum G, Crown DA, Gregg TKP, Gwinner K, Raitala J. Hadriaca Patera: Insights into its volcanic history from Mars Express High Resolution Stereo Camera. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2007. [DOI: 10.1029/2007je002924] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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14
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Wilson SA, Howard AD, Moore JM, Grant JA. Geomorphic and stratigraphic analysis of Crater Terby and layered deposits north of Hellas basin, Mars. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2007. [DOI: 10.1029/2006je002830] [Citation(s) in RCA: 96] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Sharon A. Wilson
- Center for Earth and Planetary Studies, National Air and Space Museum; Smithsonian Institution; Washington D. C. USA
| | - Alan D. Howard
- Department of Environmental Sciences; University of Virginia; Charlottesville Virginia USA
| | - Jeffrey M. Moore
- Space Sciences Division; NASA Ames Research Center; Moffett Field California USA
| | - John A. Grant
- Center for Earth and Planetary Studies, National Air and Space Museum; Smithsonian Institution; Washington D. C. USA
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15
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Levy JS, Head JW, Marchant DR. Lineated valley fill and lobate debris apron stratigraphy in Nilosyrtis Mensae, Mars: Evidence for phases of glacial modification of the dichotomy boundary. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2007. [DOI: 10.1029/2006je002852] [Citation(s) in RCA: 94] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Joseph S. Levy
- Department of Geological Sciences; Brown University; Providence Rhode Island USA
| | - James W. Head
- Department of Geological Sciences; Brown University; Providence Rhode Island USA
| | - David R. Marchant
- Department of Earth Sciences; Boston University; Boston Massachusetts USA
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16
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Rampey ML, Milam KA, McSween HY, Moersch JE, Christensen PR. Identity and emplacement of domical structures in the western Arcadia Planitia, Mars. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2007. [DOI: 10.1029/2006je002750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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17
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Malin MC, Bell JF, Cantor BA, Caplinger MA, Calvin WM, Clancy RT, Edgett KS, Edwards L, Haberle RM, James PB, Lee SW, Ravine MA, Thomas PC, Wolff MJ. Context Camera Investigation on board the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2007. [DOI: 10.1029/2006je002808] [Citation(s) in RCA: 805] [Impact Index Per Article: 47.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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18
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Kronberg P, Hauber E, Grott M, Werner SC, Schäfer T, Gwinner K, Giese B, Masson P, Neukum G. Acheron Fossae, Mars: Tectonic rifting, volcanism, and implications for lithospheric thickness. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2007. [DOI: 10.1029/2006je002780] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
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19
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Shean DE, Head JW, Fastook JL, Marchant DR. Recent glaciation at high elevations on Arsia Mons, Mars: Implications for the formation and evolution of large tropical mountain glaciers. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2007. [DOI: 10.1029/2006je002761] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
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20
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Rogers AD, Bandfield JL, Christensen PR. Global spectral classification of Martian low-albedo regions with Mars Global Surveyor Thermal Emission Spectrometer (MGS-TES) data. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2007. [DOI: 10.1029/2006je002726] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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21
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Rogers AD, Christensen PR. Surface mineralogy of Martian low-albedo regions from MGS-TES data: Implications for upper crustal evolution and surface alteration. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2007. [DOI: 10.1029/2006je002727] [Citation(s) in RCA: 166] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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22
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Balme M, Mangold N, Baratoux D, Costard F, Gosselin M, Masson P, Pinet P, Neukum G. Orientation and distribution of recent gullies in the southern hemisphere of Mars: Observations from High Resolution Stereo Camera/Mars Express (HRSC/MEX) and Mars Orbiter Camera/Mars Global Surveyor (MOC/MGS) data. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2006. [DOI: 10.1029/2005je002607] [Citation(s) in RCA: 107] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
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23
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Crown DA, Bleamaster LF, Mest SC. Styles and timing of volatile-driven activity in the eastern Hellas region of Mars. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2005. [DOI: 10.1029/2005je002496] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
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24
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Feldman WC, Prettyman TH, Maurice S, Nelli S, Elphic R, Funsten HO, Gasnault O, Lawrence DJ, Murphy JR, Tokar RL, Vaniman DT. Topographic control of hydrogen deposits at low latitudes to midlatitudes of Mars. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2005. [DOI: 10.1029/2005je002452] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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25
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Ivanov MA, Korteniemi J, Kostama VP, Aittola M, Raitala J, Glamoclija M, Marinangeli L, Neukum G. Major episodes of the hydrologic history in the region of Hesperia Planum, Mars. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2005. [DOI: 10.1029/2005je002420] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
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26
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Levrard B, Forget F, Montmessin F, Laskar J. Recent ice-rich deposits formed at high latitudes on Mars by sublimation of unstable equatorial ice during low obliquity. Nature 2004; 431:1072-5. [PMID: 15510141 DOI: 10.1038/nature03055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 162] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2004] [Accepted: 09/17/2004] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Observations from the gamma-ray spectrometer instrument suite on the Mars Odyssey spacecraft have been interpreted as indicating the presence of vast reservoirs of near-surface ice in high latitudes of both martian hemispheres. Ice concentrations are estimated to range from 70 per cent at 60 degrees latitude to 100 per cent near the poles, possibly overlain by a few centimetres of ice-free material in most places. This result is supported by morphological evidence of metres-thick layered deposits that are rich in water-ice and periglacial-like features found only at high latitudes. Diffusive exchange of water between the pore space of the regolith and the atmosphere has been proposed to explain this distribution, but such a degree of concentration is difficult to accommodate with such processes. Alternatively, there are suggestions that ice-rich deposits form by transport of ice from polar reservoirs and direct redeposition in high latitudes during periods of higher obliquity, but these results have been difficult to reproduce with other models. Here we propose instead that, during periods of low obliquity (less than 25 degrees), high-latitude ice deposits form in both hemispheres by direct deposition of ice, as a result of sublimation from an equatorial ice reservoir that formed earlier, during a prolonged high-obliquity excursion. Using the ice accumulation rates estimated from global climate model simulations we show that, over the past ten million years, large variations of Mars' obliquity have allowed the formation of such metres-thick, sedimentary layered deposits in high latitude and polar regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Levrard
- Astronomie et Systèmes Dynamiques, IMC-CNRS UMR8028, 77 Avenue Denfert-Rochereau, 75014 Paris, France.
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Head JW, Mustard JF, Kreslavsky MA, Milliken RE, Marchant DR. Recent ice ages on Mars. Nature 2003; 426:797-802. [PMID: 14685228 DOI: 10.1038/nature02114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 606] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2003] [Accepted: 10/08/2003] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
A key pacemaker of ice ages on the Earth is climatic forcing due to variations in planetary orbital parameters. Recent Mars exploration has revealed dusty, water-ice-rich mantling deposits that are layered, metres thick and latitude dependent, occurring in both hemispheres from mid-latitudes to the poles. Here we show evidence that these deposits formed during a geologically recent ice age that occurred from about 2.1 to 0.4 Myr ago. The deposits were emplaced symmetrically down to latitudes of approximately 30 degrees--equivalent to Saudi Arabia and the southern United States on the Earth--in response to the changing stability of water ice and dust during variations in obliquity (the angle between Mars' pole of rotation and the ecliptic plane) reaching 30-35 degrees. Mars is at present in an 'interglacial' period, and the ice-rich deposits are undergoing reworking, degradation and retreat in response to the current instability of near-surface ice. Unlike the Earth, martian ice ages are characterized by warmer polar climates and enhanced equatorward transport of atmospheric water and dust to produce widespread smooth deposits down to mid-latitudes.
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Affiliation(s)
- James W Head
- Department of Geological Sciences, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island 02912, USA.
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