A Remote Sensing Survey of Martian North Polar Deposits Between 75N and 85N

Mathematics – Logic

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Scientific paper

The north polar region of Mars is situated at the lowest elevation within the basin that encompasses much of the northern hemisphere, making it an ideal place for the potential deposition of outflow channel fluids and sediments. Today, large eolian dune fields surrounding the pole between about 75N and 85N dominate the region geologically. As liquid water may have played a role in the formation and modification of these deposits (in addition to eolian processes), the current state of the erg may give insight into surface deposition and modification processes, from the Noachian through the Amazonian. We are employing and synthesizing all available data sets, including TES, MOLA, MOC, THEMIS (VIS and IR), and OMEGA, and folding these together with previous geologic and remote sensing mapping and studies, in order to investigate the mineralogy of the dune materials and to constrain the geologic evolution of the north polar region in general.
Recent results from the OMEGA team have indicated the presence of extended deposits of calcium sulfates in the Olympia Planitia region, possibly indicating an important role for surface or near-surface water in the alteration of the dune materials. Studies of MOLA data in the region have shown that Olympia Planitia is a regional high, possibly indicating the presence of a large volume of altered sediment; however, at the local scale, the distribution of sulfates does not appear to correlate with sediment thickness, and has an asymmetric longitudinal form that seems to correlate with previously derived wind patterns. We have verified the sulfate detection, and are expanding upon it using the publicly available data by mapping the region with a variety of spectral parameters. Perhaps surprisingly, we see no evidence for strong 1 and 2 micron pyroxene bands or a 1.5 micron olivine band in the low-albedo polar deposits.

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