Orbital and Ground-penetrating Radar Studies of Mars-analog Terrain in Egypt

Mathematics – Logic

Scientific paper

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5419 Hydrology And Fluvial Processes, 5464 Remote Sensing, 5470 Surface Materials And Properties

Scientific paper

Several study groups have endorsed the concept of flying an imaging synthetic aperture radar (SAR) in orbit that would penetrate areas of thin surface cover revealing underlying terrain and providing additional information on surface roughness, physical properties and composition. Egypt provides many excellent terrestrial field sites to study both the processes that we expect to be revealed in a Mars SAR Mission, as well as the stratigraphic setting of past depositional environments that are similar to those seen in southern Egypt. We have used terrestrial orbital radar data for southern Egypt, comparing geologic materials and boundaries mapped in the field and with visible wavelengths (from Landsat) to those discerned via Shuttle Imaging Radar (SIR) -C, and field checking key sites to determine the depth, physical characteristics and types of geologic boundaries that contribute to the radar returns. In addition to stratigraphic mapping of the thickness and extent of near-surface units in the field, we have used ground-penetrating radar (GPR) to determine the lateral extent and depth of subsurface interfaces. In this manner, we expect to learn more about the capabilities and limitations of orbital and ground-based systems, the trade-offs between frequency, polarization and resolution in Mars-like terrain for detecting buried interfaces and structures, and more about the geologic history of southern Egypt. Several studies have concentrated on one of the areas of prominent radar-detected channels near Bir Safsaf in the southwest desert, we have concentrated on the Bir Kiseiba region, an area where the mixture of gravel spreads, buried paleochannels, and alluvium creates a setting that may mimic outflow deposit locations on Mars. While bedrock incised channels may stand out in SAR images because of a near-surface, sharp dielectric interface (such as those at Safsaf and in northern Sudan), the more complex problem of distinguishing fluvial patterns in Mars-like alluvial environments requires additional study.

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