The frozen ocean hypothesis for Martian northern plains

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We consider the possibility that the northern plains of Mars would be an ancient frozen ocean, covered by a rather thin (at most of the order of a few hundred meters) layer of volcanic and impact debris and dust that prevents the ice beneath from being directly observed and thermally protects it from summertime sublimation. In other words, our suggestion is that the northern plains are not a sedimented floor of an evaporated ocean but rather a surface of a frozen one. According to current models and direct observation, subsurface ice in the high latitudes is stable under current climatic conditions. The frozen ocean hypothesis would naturally explain the striking topographic flatness of the northern plains (the hypsography). We show that the frozen ocean is plausible in terms of current models of paleoclimatic development. We also discuss the possibility that a remnant salty brine ocean could still exist under the ice and that electric currents flowing in it would be responsible for the recently observed about 40 nT northern hemisphere magnetic anomalies. The latter hypothesis could be tested by suitably placed surface magnetometers. The frozen ocean hypothesis itself should be testable by the MARSIS radar onboard MarsExpress.

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