Geologic history of the north polar region of Mars from the Late Hesperian to the present: Stratigraphy, melting and retreat

Details Geologic history of the north polar region of Mars from the Late Hesperian to the present: Stratigraphy, melting and retreat Geologic history of the north polar region of Mars from the Late Hesperian to the present: Stratigraphy, melting and retreat

Nov 2004

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2004phdt.......180f&link_type=abstract

Thesis (PhD). BROWN UNIVERSITY, Source DAI-B 65/05, p. 2304, Nov 2004, 209 pages.

Mathematics

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Scientific paper

The martian polar caps constitute the largest current surface reservoirs of water on the planet. For this reason, the caps are key drivers of the martian hydrologic cycle and significantly affect the climate. Additionally, most global circulation models rely on the presence of an infinite water supply at least in the north polar region. In this study, we have addressed the crucial questions of when the north polar cap began to form and what its geologic history has been which have important implications for Mars geologic history as a whole. Using primarily Viking and Mars Orbiter Camera images and Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter data, we have created stratigraphic cross-sections of the north polar region geologic units, a detailed morphologic description of Chasma Boreale (a large chasm in the north polar cap), a thorough characterization of the enigmatic Basal Unit lying beneath the north polar cap, and a preliminary comparison of the north and south polar caps. Through these analyses, we have discovered that the north polar cap was once larger and has since retreated (possibly multiple times), that the north polar cap has undergone large-scale melting, and that during almost three billion years of Mars history, eolian processes may have dominated at the north pole. Additionally, the south polar cap has undergone major retreat (nearly three billion years previous to its northern counterpart) and melting which may have been contemporaneous with melting in the north. The reasons for differences between the histories of the two polar caps and the manner in which similar events at the two poles were linked remain puzzling, yet we explore possible answers. These results can now be correlated with evidence for changes in the martian climate and hydrologic history as well as with global circulation and climate models as part of an integrated picture of martian geologic history.

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