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Aeolian processes as drivers of landform evolution at the South Pole of Mars

Spiga, Aymeric; Holt, John W.; Smith, Isaac B.

We combine observations of surface morphology, topography, subsurface stratigraphy, and near surface clouds with mesoscale simulations of south polar winds and temperature to investigate processes governing the evolution of spiral troughs on the South Pole of Mars. In general we find that the south polar troughs are cyclic steps that all formed du…

Object-based Dune Analysis: Automated dune mapping and pattern characterization for Ganges Chasma and Gale crater, Mars

Fenton, Lori K.; Michaels, Timothy I.; Vaz, David A. +2 more

A method that enables the automated mapping and characterization of dune fields on Mars is described. Using CTX image mosaics, the introduced Object-based Dune Analysis (OBDA) technique produces an objective and reproducible mapping of dune morphologies over extensive areas. The data set thus obtained integrates a large variety of data, allowing a…

Channel slope reversal near the Martian dichotomy boundary: Testing tectonic hypotheses

Nimmo, Francis; Burr, Devon M.; Jacobsen, Robert E. +1 more

Faults along the Martian dichotomy boundary are evidence of tectonic activity, which by analogy with terrestrial tectonism may cause changes in or even reversal of fluvial longitudinal profiles. In the eastern hemisphere between 30° E and 150° E, this tectonic activity has been hypothesized to result from lower crustal flow or from lithospheric fl…

An introduction to the data and tools of planetary geomorphology

Beyer, Ross A.

This manuscript presents a review of data used by planetary geomorphologists and the software tools needed to prepare, process, and analyze those data, along with an example of doing so. Visible image capture and the photometric and geometric processing of those images are reviewed, as are laser altimetry data, and terrain data derived from images…

Hydrographs of a Martian flood from the breach of Galilaei Crater

Coleman, Neil M.

Spectacular floods were spawned on Mars when large craters filled to overtopping and catastrophically breached. The wealth of data now available permits quantitative analysis of these ancient floods. Galilaei Crater is examined here, along with the likely sources of its water and the processes that formed Tana Vallis, its 1-km-deep outflow channel…