Planetary Science Institute | 2018 Oct 08
A new investigative technique has shown the latitudinal distribution of ice-rich landforms on Mars. This large-scale study enables future, more detailed investigations to study several young deposits of ice and sediment in the north polar basin.
“The young ice deposits are extremely important for several reasons. First, they represent a different epoch in Mars' climate history when ice was stable at the mid-latitudes. We can probe them for more information and gather details about Mars climate,” said Isaac B. Smith, Research Scientist at the Planetary Science Institute and co-author of three new papers on the topic. “Second, if humans are to explore Mars, they will want to go to mid-latitude locations where the Sun is up all year. Identifying where the ice is supports that. Finally, astrobiologists are very interested in locations where ice and rock interact because it may offer clues about habitability.”
The northern plains of Mars comprise several basins filled by sediments. The region has been proposed to have hosted an ancient ocean and currently contains ice in the ground even at latitudes where the ice is not stable. It is not known, however, what is the origin of the ice, whether it is related to the ancient ocean or recent glaciations. The ages of different surfaces and landforms are also not well known. Improving the geological context of the northern plains will help constrain outstanding questions about evolution of the climate and geology on Mars. ...
Gridmapping the Northern Plains of Mars: A New Overview of
Recent Water‐ and Ice‐Related Landforms in Acidalia Planitia ~ Csilla Orgel et al
- Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets (online 13 Sep 2018) DOI: 10.1029/2018JE005664
and Water-Equivalent Hydrogen Results from Arcadia Planitia ~ Jason Ramsdale et al
- Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets (online 14 Sep 2018) DOI: 10.1029/2018JE005663
Ice-Related Landforms to Understand Multiple Ice-Rich Deposits in Utopia Planitia ~ Antoine Sejourne et al
- Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets (online 13 Sep 2018) DOI: 10.1029/2018JE005665