Search Publications
Identification of hydrated silicate minerals on Mars using MRO-CRISM: Geologic context near Nili Fossae and implications for aqueous alteration
Murchie, Scott L.; Ehlmann, Bethany L.; Mustard, John F. +9 more
The Noachian terrain west of the Isidis basin hosts a diverse collection of alteration minerals in rocks comprising varied geomorphic units within a 100,000 km2 region in and near the Nili Fossae. Prior investigations in this region by the Observatoire pour l'Minéralogie, l'Eau, les Glaces, et l'Activité (OMEGA) instrument on Mars Expre…
Density and temperatures of the upper Martian atmosphere measured by stellar occultations with Mars Express SPICAM
Montmessin, Franck; Bertaux, Jean-Loup; González-Galindo, Francisco +6 more
We present one Martian year of observations of the density and temperature in the upper atmosphere of Mars (between 60 and 130 km) obtained by the Mars Express ultraviolet spectrometer Spectroscopy for Investigation of Characteristics of the Atmosphere of Mars (SPICAM). Six hundred sixteen profiles were retrieved using stellar occultations techniq…
Composition, Morphology, and Stratigraphy of Noachian Crust around the Isidis basin
Mangold, N.; Bibring, J. -P.; Mustard, J. F. +5 more
Definitive exposures of pristine, ancient crust on Mars are rare, and the finding that much of the ancient Noachian terrain on Mars exhibits evidence of phyllosilicate alteration adds further complexity. We have analyzed high-resolution data from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter in the well-exposed Noachian crust surrounding the Isidis basin. We fo…
Mineralogy of Juventae Chasma: Sulfates in the light-toned mounds, mafic minerals in the bedrock, and hydrated silica and hydroxylated ferric sulfate on the plateau
Murchie, Scott L.; Mustard, John F.; Brown, Adrian J. +10 more
Juventae Chasma contains four light-toned sulfate-bearing mounds (denoted here as A-D from west to east) inside the trough, mafic outcrops at the base of the mounds and in the wall rock, and light-toned layered deposits of opal and ferric sulfates on the plateau. Hyperspectral visible/near-infrared Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for M…
A ground-to-exosphere Martian general circulation model: 1. Seasonal, diurnal, and solar cycle variation of thermospheric temperatures
Forget, F.; López-Valverde, M. A.; González-Galindo, F. +2 more
We present the extension to the thermosphere of a Martian general circulation model, the first able to self-consistently study the whole Martian atmosphere from the surface to the exosphere. We describe the parameterizations developed to include physical processes important for thermospheric altitudes. The results of a simulation covering 1 full M…
A new model to simulate the Martian mesoscale and microscale atmospheric circulation: Validation and first results
Forget, François; Spiga, Aymeric
The Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique (LMD) Mesoscale Model is a new versatile simulator of the Martian atmosphere and environment at horizontal scales ranging from hundreds of kilometers to tens of meters. The model combines the National Centers for Environmental Prediction(NCEP)-National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) fully compressi…
Characterization of phyllosilicates observed in the central Mawrth Vallis region, Mars, their potential formational processes, and implications for past climate
Murchie, Scott L.; Ehlmann, Bethany L.; Mustard, John F. +7 more
Mawrth Vallis contains one of the largest exposures of phyllosilicates on Mars. Nontronite, montmorillonite, kaolinite, and hydrated silica have been identified throughout the region using data from the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM). In addition, saponite has been identified in one observation within a crater. These …
Testing evidence of recent hydration state change in sulfates on Mars
Bibring, J. -P.; Mustard, J. F.; Forget, F. +6 more
The East Candor Interior Layered Deposit (ILD) has signatures of mono- and polyhydrated sulfate in alternating layers that give insight into the processes which formed these layered deposits and on the environmental conditions acting on them since then. We use orbital data to explore multiple hypotheses for how these deposits formed: (1) sulfate-b…
Latitude dependence of Martian pedestal craters: Evidence for a sublimation-driven formation mechanism
Head, James W.; Kadish, Seth J.; Barlow, Nadine G.
We report on the results of a survey to document and characterize pedestal craters on Mars equatorward of ∼60°N and 65°S latitude. The identification of 2696 pedestal craters reveals a strong latitude dependence, with the vast majority found poleward of 33°N and 40°S. This latitudinal extent is correlated with many climate indicators consistent wi…
Distribution of hydrated minerals in the north polar region of Mars
Mustard, J. F.; Noe Dobrea, E. Z.; Bell, J. F. +5 more
The previous discovery of extensive deposits of hydrated minerals in Olympia Planum in the north polar region of Mars by the Mars Express OMEGA instrument raises important questions about the origin and subsequent redistribution of these hydrated minerals. Here we present a new map of the distribution of hydrated minerals within the north polar re…