The Shape of Mars and the Topographic Signature of the Hemispheric Dichotomy

Details The Shape of Mars and the Topographic Signature of the Hemispheric Dichotomy The Shape of Mars and the Topographic Signature of the Hemispheric Dichotomy

Mar 1996

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1996lpi....27.1221s&link_type=abstract

Lunar and Planetary Science, volume 27, page 1221

Physics

Geophysics

Dichotomy, Geophysics, Mars

Scientific paper

Analysis of occultation data from the Mariner 9 and Viking Orbiter spacecraft has yielded the first accurate model for the shape of Mars. The hemispheric dichotomy, which was previously considered to be a relatively sharp 1-3 km change in height from the topographically high southern hemisphere to the low northern hemisphere, is not a fundamental feature of the shape of the planet. The dichotomy is a consequence of tha bout 3 km offset between the center of mass and center of figure of Mars, and the boundary along most of its length consists of broad, gradual surface slopes over distances of thousands of kilometers. This result is supported by analysis of high spatial resolution Earth-based radar topographic profiles. Any successful model for the origin of the dichotomy must explain a planet with an ellipsoidal shape and a long wavelength, gradual topographic transition between the northern and southern hemispheres.

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