Search for buried high-grade water ice at low-to-mid latitudes of Mars using MONS neutron data

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[0702] Cryosphere / Permafrost, [1034] Geochemistry / Hydrothermal Systems, [5422] Planetary Sciences: Solid Surface Planets / Ices, [6225] Planetary Sciences: Solar System Objects / Mars

Scientific paper

Global maps of hydrogen near the surface of Mars, interpreted as mass fraction of water-equivalent hydrogen, WEH, have been generated from neutron and gamma-ray leakage fluxes from Mars. Although these data provide an unambiguous indicator of WEH, quantitative details of its magnitude and burial depth depend on the regolith model used to interpret the data. Presently, this model assumes a spatially uniform surface cover layer having one-to-two mass percent of WEH having thickness, D, covering a semi-infinite ‘permafrost’ deposit containing water mass fraction [H]. Although general characteristics of these maps compare favorably with other observations and theoretical estimates at high latitudes, no comparisons have been possible at low to mid latitudes. Recent HiRISE observations of white deposits uncovered temporarily by five recent small craters between 43° and 55° N latitude, 150° to 190° E longitude [Byrne et al., LPSC 40, Abstract 1831, 2009], provide unambiguous disagreement with both the neutron and gamma-ray model results, although the spatial scales of the Neutron, gamma-ray and HiRISE data are very different. In this talk we develop a new model that gives consistent results with the new HiRISE observations using MONS data. Use of this model shows that large areas in Arcadia and Amazonis contain high-grade water ice deposits that are buried less than one-to-two meters below the surface. These deposits could have been emplaced by the freeze-out of plumes of brine driven by enhanced geothermal temperature gradients.

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