Dissected Mantle Terrain on Mars: Formation Mechanisms and the Implications for Mid- latitude Near-surface Ground Ice

Details Dissected Mantle Terrain on Mars: Formation Mechanisms and the Implications for Mid- latitude Near-surface Ground Ice Dissected Mantle Terrain on Mars: Formation Mechanisms and the Implications for Mid- latitude Near-surface Ground Ice

Dec 2008

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2008agufm.p44c..06s&link_type=abstract

American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2008, abstract #P44C-06

Physics

0710 Periglacial Processes, 5416 Glaciation, 5422 Ices, 6225 Mars

Scientific paper

Determining the present and past distribution of surface and subsurface ice on Mars is critical for understanding the volatile inventory and climatic history of the planet. An analysis of a latitude-dependent layer of surface material known as the dissected mantle terrain can provide valuable insight into the distribution of ice in the recent past. The dissected mantle terrain is a surface unit that occurs globally in the mid-latitude of Mars. This unit is characterized by a smooth mantle of uniform thickness and albedo that is draped over the existing topography. This smooth mantle is disaggregated and dissected in places resulting in a hummocky pitted appearance. We propose that the mid-latitude dissected terrain results from collapse of a dusty mantle into the void left from desiccation of an underlying ice-rich (pure or dirty ice) layer. During period(s) of high obliquity, it is possible for ice to become stable at lower latitudes. Due to lack of direct solar insolation, surface ice deposits will preferentially accumulate on pole-ward facing slopes first. A mantle of dust and dirt is then deposited on top of these ice-rich deposits. As the climate changes, desiccation of the now buried ice leads to collapse of the overlying dusty layer resulting in a hummocky pitted appearance. This theory is supported by the pole-ward preference for the dissection pits as well an increase in dissection with increasing latitude. A study of the global distribution of the mid-latitude dissected terrain can provide invaluable clues towards unlocking the distribution of ice in the recent past. An analysis of HiRISE images and MOLA data indicate that the distribution of dissection pits varies from one region to the next. Knowing the distribution of ice in conjunction with ice stability modeling can provide a global view of the climate and orbital history of Mars at the time these features formed.

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