Search Publications
A chronology of early Mars climatic evolution from impact crater degradation
Mangold, N.; Ansan, V.; Adeli, S. +2 more
The degradation of impact craters provides a powerful tool to analyze surface processes in the Martian past. Previous studies concluded that large impact craters (20-200 km in diameter) were strongly degraded by fluvial erosion during early Martian history. Our goal is to study the progression of crater degradation through time with a particular e…
Global maps of anhydrous minerals at the surface of Mars from OMEGA/MEx
Bibring, J. -P.; Gondet, B.; Langevin, Y. +7 more
We here reassess the global distribution of several key mineral species using the entire OMEGA/Mars Express VIS-NIR imaging spectrometer data set, acquired from orbit insertion in January 2004 to August 2010. Thirty-two pixels per degree global maps of ferric oxides, pyroxenes and olivines have been derived. A significant filtering process was app…
Extensive surface pedogenic alteration of the Martian Noachian crust suggested by plateau phyllosilicates around Valles Marineris
Jaumann, R.; Quantin, Cathy; Le Deit, Laetitia +6 more
Thousands of phyllosilicate-rich outcrops, mainly iron or magnesium-rich are exposed on Noachian terrains in the Martian southern highlands. We analyzed 90 CRISM observations and more than a hundred HiRISE images located on the plateaus surrounding Valles Marineris. We mapped an extensive Al- and Fe/Mg-phyllosilicate-rich formation covering at lea…
Most Mars minerals in a nutshell: Various alteration phases formed in a single environment in Noctis Labyrinthus
Murchie, Scott L.; Mustard, John F.; Le Mouélic, Stéphane +7 more
A closed depression in the Noctis Labyrinthus region of Mars (at 10.4°S, 98.6°W), believed to have formed in the Late Hesperian, holds an inner pit partially filled with several hundred meters of stratified material. Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) visible-near infrared reflectance data reveal signatures of numerous hy…
Constraints on the history of open-basin lakes on Mars from the composition and timing of volcanic resurfacing
Mustard, John F.; Goudge, Timothy A.; Head, James W. +1 more
Abundant evidence exists for valley network-related fluvial activity near the Noachian-Hesperian transition on Mars, and areally significant quantities of volcanic ridged plains were emplaced during this period as well. Thus, it is worthwhile to explore the hypothesis that lava-water interaction occurred on the surface of Mars at this time. We ana…
Aphelion water-ice cloud mapping and property retrieval using the OMEGA imaging spectrometer onboard Mars Express
Bibring, J. -P.; Gondet, B.; Langevin, Y. +8 more
Mapping of the aphelion clouds over the Tharsis plateau and retrieval of their particle size and visible opacity are made possible by the OMEGA imaging spectrometer aboard Mars Express. Observations cover the period from MY26 Ls = 330° to MY29 Ls = 180° and are acquired at various local times, ranging from 8 AM to 6 PM. Cloud…
Analysis of disk-resolved OMEGA and CRISM spectral observations of Phobos and Deimos
Bibring, J. -P.; Arvidson, R. E.; Gondet, B. +8 more
Disk-resolved observations of Phobos acquired by OMEGA at a range of lighting and viewing geometries were fit with the Hapke photometric function to solve for the single particle phase function and single scattering albedos from 0.4 to 2.5 µm. Single scattering albedos were recovered from CRISM observations of Phobos using the OMEGA derived …
Compositional investigation of the proposed chloride-bearing materials on Mars using near-infrared orbital data from OMEGA/MEx
Bibring, Jean-Pierre; Gondet, Brigitte; Poulet, François +7 more
Several hundred occurrences of chloride-bearing salt deposits have been proposed in terrains within the southern highlands of Mars on the basis of Thermal Emission Imaging System and Thermal Emission Spectrometer infrared observations. The spectral identification of chloride salts by remote sensing is challenging because they are transparent over …
First detection of O2 1.27 µm nightglow emission at Mars with OMEGA/MEX and comparison with general circulation model predictions
Gondet, B.; Montmessin, F.; Bertaux, J. L. +2 more
We report the first detection in the atmosphere of Mars of the nightside O2(a1Δg) emission at 1.27 µm from limb observations of the OMEGA imaging spectrometer on board Mars Express (MEX). The emission, detected in three cases out of 40 observations, is due to recombination in a downwelling air parcel of O ato…
Density variations within the south polar layered deposits of Mars
Zuber, Maria T.; Plaut, Jeffrey J.; Phillips, Roger J. +3 more
The south polar layered deposits (SPLD) constitute the largest known reservoir of water on Mars. Previous studies solved for the best fit uniform density of the deposits using a forward approach. Here we invert for the lateral density variations in the layered deposit using gravity data from radio tracking of Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, topograph…