| 1. |
- Carlsson, Ella, et al.
(författare)
-
An evaluation of models for Martian gully formation using remote sensing and in situ measurments of Svalbard analogs.
- 2008
-
Ingår i: Lunar and Planetary Science Conference 39. ; XXXIX:1852
-
Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The newly discovered gully systems on Mars have been found on rather young geologi-cal surfaces such as dunes and polygons. This in combination with the general absence of superimposed impact craters suggests that the gullies are relatively young geological features. Their morphology indicates that they have been eroded by a liquid fluid, most probably water. A recent discovery suggests that gully formation is an ongoing process, which appears to occur even today. This is a paradox since water in current Martian atmospheric conditions cannot be found in a stable form on the surface due to the low pressure and temperature during normal conditions. Several formation mechanisms have been proposed for the Martian gullies such as liquid carbon dioxide reservoirs, shallow liquid water aquifer, melting ground ice, dry landslide, snow melt and deep liquid water aquifer. However, none of these models can alone explain all the gullies discovered on Mars. So far Martian gullies have only been studied from high orbit via satellites. Gullies found in Arctic climates on Earth could be an equitable analog for the Martian gullies and a com-parative analysis could help disclose the formation mechanisms of the Martian gullies as well as their eroding agent.
|
|
| 2. |
- Carlsson, Ella, et al.
(författare)
-
FIELD STUDIES OF GULLIES AND PINGOS ON SVALBARD – A MARTIAN ANALOG.
- 2008
-
Ingår i: European Planetary Science Congress, 21-26 September 2008. ; 3
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- The gully systems on Mars have been found to superpose young geological surfaces such as dunes and thermal contraction polygons. This in combination with the general absence of superimposed impact craters suggest that the gullies are relatively recent geological formations. The observed gullies display a wide set of morphologies ranging from features seemingly formed by fluvial erosion to others pointing to dry landslide processes. A recent discovery suggests that this is an ongoing process, which appears to occur even today. Several formation mechanisms have been proposed for the Martian gullies, such as liquid carbon dioxide reservoirs, shallow liquid water aquifer, melting ground ice, dry landslide, snow melt and deep liquid water aquifer. However, none of these models can alone explain all the gullies discovered on Mars. So far Martian gullies have been studied only from orbit via remote sensing data. Hydrostatic pingos are perennial ice-cored mounds that may reach an elongated or circular radius of approximately 150 m. They are found in periglacial environments where they are formed by freezing processes in the continuous permafrost. The pingos go through different evolutionary stages as they mature, where the final stage leaves an annular rim left by the collapse of the summit. Images from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) show small fractured mounds in the Martian mid-latitudes. Even though some differences are observed, the best terrestrial analogues for the observed mound morphology are pingos. Gullies and pingos found in Arctic climates on Earth could be an analog for the Martian ones. A comparative analysis might help to understand the formation mechanisms of the Martian pingos and gullies and their possible eroding agent.
|
|
| 3. |
- Heldmann, Jennifer L., et al.
(författare)
-
Observations of martian gullies and constraints on potential formation mechanisms : Part 2. The northern hemisphere
- 2007
-
Ingår i: Icarus. - : Elsevier BV. - 0019-1035 .- 1090-2643. ; 188:2, s. 324-344
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The formation process(es) responsible for creating the observed geologically recent gully features on Mars has remained the subject of intense debate since their discovery. We present new data and analysis of northern hemisphere gullies from Mars Global Surveyor data which is used to test the various proposed mechanisms of gully formation. We located 137 Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) images in the northern hemisphere that contain clear evidence of gully landforms and analyzed these images in combination with Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) and Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES) data to provide quantitative measurements of numerous gully characteristics. Parameters we measured include apparent source depth and distribution, vertical and horizontal dimensions, slopes, orientations, and present-day characteristics that affect local ground temperatures. Northern hemisphere gullies are clustered in Arcadia Planitia, Tempe Terra, Acidalia Planitia, and Utopia Planitia. These gullies form in craters (84%), knobby terrain (4%), valleys (3%), other/unknown terrains (9%) and are found on all slope orientations although the majority of gullies are equator-facing. Most gullies (63%) are associated with competent rock strata, 26% are not associated with strata, and 11% are ambiguous. Assuming thermal conductivities derived from TES measurements as well as modeled surface temperatures, we find that 95% of the gully alcove bases with adequate data coverage lie at depths where subsurface temperatures are greater than 273 K and 5% of the alcove bases lie within the solid water regime. The average alcove length is 470 m and the average channel length is 690 m. Based on a comparison of measured gully features with predictions from the various models of gully formation, we find that models involving carbon dioxide, melting ground ice in the upper few meters of the soil, dry landslide, and surface snowmelt are the least likely to describe the formation of the martian gullies. Although some discrepancies still exist between prediction and observation, the shallow and deep aquifer models remain as the most plausible theories. Interior processes involving subsurface fluid sources are generally favored over exogenic processes such as wind and snowfall for explaining the origin of the martian gullies. These findings gleaned from the northern hemisphere data are in general agreement with analyses of gullies in the southern hemisphere [Heldmann, J.L., Mellon, M.T., 2004. Icarus 168, 285-304].
|
|
