The Formation of Martian Gullies by Near-Surface Ice Melting During Recent Periods of High Obliquity: Evidence from Gullies Distribution and Orientations

Details The Formation of Martian Gullies by Near-Surface Ice Melting During Recent Periods of High Obliquity: Evidence from Gullies Distribution and Orientations The Formation of Martian Gullies by Near-Surface Ice Melting During Recent Periods of High Obliquity: Evidence from Gullies Distribution and Orientations

Dec 2003

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2003agufm.p32c..03m&link_type=abstract

American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2003, abstract #P32C-03

Physics

5415 Erosion And Weathering, 6207 Comparative Planetology, 6225 Mars

Scientific paper

We have performed a detailed statistical analysis of the gullies distribution and orientations as observed in the most recent MOC pictures (M01 to E18). It confirms the distribution of gullies poleward of about 30o of latitude with poleward-facing slopes preferred. This agrees with our calculations showing that the only places on Mars where the daily mean temperature has been above the melting point of water during the past obliquity cycles are the mid and high latitudes above 30o, especially on poleward-facing slopes. The fact that poleward-facing slopes receive more sunlight and get warmer at high obliquity in the summer is due to the pole being tilted toward the sun, i.e. in the southern hemisphere around summer solstice, the sun appears most of the time in the southern sky. The distribution also shows a decrease of the number of gullies with the increase of latitude which is likely due to the decrease of the number of steep slopes (>25o) at high latitudes. Indeed, as observed on the Earth, gullies are initiated by wet landslides called debris flows, which form mainly at steep slopes. Thus, the hypothesis of formation of Martian gullies by recent near-surface ice melting during periods of higher obliquity shows a strong consistency between climate modeling, distribution of Martian gullies and terrestrial analogs.

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