High-resolution topography and albedo of the South Polar layered deposits on Mars

Details High-resolution topography and albedo of the South Polar layered deposits on Mars High-resolution topography and albedo of the South Polar layered deposits on Mars

Aug 1990

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1990jgr....9514511h&link_type=abstract

(American Geophysical Union and Geological Society of America, International Conference on Mars, 4th, Tucson, AZ, Jan. 10-13, 19

Mathematics

Logic

32

Albedo, Mars Surface, Polar Regions, Topography, Climate Change, Ice, Polar Caps, Solar Heating, Water

Scientific paper

Using a new photoclinometric technique with high-resolution Mariner 9 images, maximum slopes of 10 - 20 deg are found to occur on an exposure of layered deposits within the south polar residual cap of Mars. Stereophotogrammetry is used to constrain the photoclinometric solutions, which resolve layer thicknesses of 100-300 m. Albedo variations are correlated with slope, indicating that frost is present on level areas. There is evidence for temporal changes in frost distribution in the seven days between the to images used in this study. The magnitude of the slopes derived here and consideration of the stability of water ice at the surface of the layered deposits strongly suggest the presence of a competent weathering rind. The weathered surface may be composed of dark filamentary sublimation residue particles that protect the underlying ice from solar heating. This hypothesis is consistent with previous studies of the regional color and albedo of the layered deposits, which indicate that the deposits are slightly darker and less red than the bright dust that mantles much of the south polar region. Furthermore, the proposed weathering mechanism provides a plausible source of dark, saltating material for the Martian polar dune fields.

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