Evidence for a water phase-transition at low latitudes on the surface of present-day Mars

Physics

Scientific paper

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5415 Erosion And Weathering, 5464 Remote Sensing, 5470 Surface Materials And Properties, 6225 Mars

Scientific paper

The Mars Orbiter Camera on the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft has returned images of numerous dark streaks that are the result of down-slope mass movement occurring under present-day martian climatic conditions. We systematically analyzed over 23,000 high-resolution images and demonstrate that in addition to forming exclusively in regions of low thermal inertia and steep slopes, streaks form only where daily peak surface temperatures derived from TES data exceed 275 K. The northernmost streaks, which form in the coldest environment, form preferentially on warmer south-facing slopes. Repeat images of sites with slope streaks show changes only if surface temperatures exceeded the melting point of water during the time interval between the two images. These correlations suggest the possibility that small amounts of water are transient and undergo phase transitions at times of high insolation, providing a trigger for the formation of the features.

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