Physics
Scientific paper
Dec 2003
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2003agufm.p11b1044h&link_type=abstract
American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2003, abstract #P11B-1044
Physics
1823 Frozen Ground, 1866 Soil Moisture, 1875 Unsaturated Zone, 3230 Numerical Solutions, 6225 Mars
Scientific paper
Recently observed dark streaks on Mars appear to be formed by a flowing fluid, possibly originating from melting ice. These streaks have been seen to form in a matter of months. They are markedly different from dust devil streaks in that they are very straight rather than twisting and curly. The dark streaks also only appear in regions where the temperature is right at 275 K, the triple point of water on Mars. Two hypotheses (of several) for their formation are that lighter dust sticks to a wet surface or brines precipitate a light rock varnish. The purpose of our study is to use numerical models to determine if the patterns associated with these dark streaks can be produced by a fluid flowing from a point source. We have used a 2-D model for fluid flow in a sloping porous medium, using the Richard's approximation of partially saturated fluid flow. The model is calculated using the TRACR3D code with water as the fluid. Our models show patterns similar to the dark streak patterns seen on Mars. We have varied the strength of the fluid source, the slope of the terrain, and the strength of capillary pressure in the porous medium to explore the range of features seen in the dark streaks. We have examined both continous and finite time sources. In future work, we will look at the effect of dissolved CO2 in the fluid along with using brines that may precipitate minerals.
Hier Majumder C. A.
Travis Bryan
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