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Synergistic Ground and Orbital Observations of Iron Oxides on Mt. Sharp and Vera Rubin Ridge
Arvidson, R. E.; Morris, R. V.; Pinet, P. +12 more
Visible/short-wave infrared spectral data from the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) show absorptions attributed to hematite at Vera Rubin ridge (VRR), a topographic feature on northwest Mt. Sharp. The goals of this study are to determine why absorptions caused by ferric iron are strongly visible from orbit at VRR and to…
Assessment of InSight Landing Site Predictions
Golombek, M.; Williams, N.; Charalambous, C. +5 more
Comprehensive analysis of remote sensing data used to select the Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport (InSight) landing site correctly predicted the atmospheric temperature and pressure profile during entry and descent, the safe landing surface, and the geologic setting of the site. The smooth plains upon w…
Similarities and Differences of Global Dust Storms in MY 25, 28, and 34
Grassi, D.; Giuranna, M.; Amoroso, M. +2 more
To better understand the dust cycle on Mars during years with planet-encircling dust storms, we analyze the last three events that took place in Mars Year (MY) 25, MY 28, and MY 34. Global dust storms that occurred in MY 25 and MY 34 (June 2018) were taking place during equinox, while the MY 28 storm had an onset after perihelion. Before the expan…
Variations in the Ionospheric Peak Altitude at Mars in Response to Dust Storms: 13 Years of Observations From the Mars Express Radar Sounder
Gurnett, D. A.; Němec, F.; Morgan, D. D. +7 more
Previous observations have shown that, during Martian dust storms, the peak of the ionosphere rises in altitude. Observational studies of this type, however, have been extremely limited. Using 13 years of ionospheric peak altitude data from the Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionosphere Sounding instrument on Mars Express, we study how the …
Aram Dorsum: An Extensive Mid-Noachian Age Fluvial Depositional System in Arabia Terra, Mars
Sefton-Nash, Elliot; Williams, Rebecca M. E.; Fawdon, Peter +5 more
A major debate in Mars science is the nature of the early Mars climate, and the availability of precipitation and runoff. Observations of relict erosional valley networks have been proposed as evidence for extensive surface runoff around the Noachian-Hesperian boundary. However, these valley networks only provide a time-integrated record of landsc…
Polyphase Mid-Latitude Glaciation on Mars: Chronology of the Formation of Superposed Glacier-Like Forms from Crater-Count Dating
Hepburn, A. J.; Hubbard, B.; Ng, F. S. L. +2 more
Reconstructing Mars's glacial history informs understanding of its physical environment and past climate. The known distribution of viscous flow features (VFFs) containing water ice suggests that its mid-latitudes were glaciated during the Late Amazonian period (the last several hundred million years). The identification of a subgroup of VFFs—call…
Paleolakes in the Northwest Hellas Region, Mars: Implications for the Regional Geologic History and Paleoclimate
Xiao, Long; Glotch, Timothy D.; Zhao, Jiannan
Hellas basin is one of the largest and oldest impact basins on the Martian surface. Its surrounding highland regions have undergone complicated geologic processes after the formation of Hellas basin. However, the geologic and climatic histories of the highlands surrounding Hellas are still unclear. Paleolakes provide us clues to answer these quest…
Late Amazonian Ice Survival in Kasei Valles, Mars
Hepburn, A. J.; Hubbard, B.; Ng, F. S. L. +1 more
High-obliquity excursions on Mars are hypothesized to have redistributed water from the poles to nourish mid-latitude glaciers. Evidence of this process is provided by different types of viscous flow features (ice-rich deposits buried beneath sediment mantle) located there today, including lobate debris aprons (LDAs). During high-obliquity extreme…
Mars's Red (575-625 nm) Seasonal Approximate Reflectivity Averaged Over Mars Years 24-28 From Mars Orbiter Camera
Robbins, Stuart J.
The Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft successfully orbited Mars for over nine Earth years, its instruments returning a plethora of data that still today form important, key data sets in Mars research. A relatively underutilized data set was returned from the Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC), specifically the wide-angle component (MOC-WA), despite returning…
Anomalous Phyllosilicate-Bearing Outcrops South of Coprates Chasma: A Study of Possible Emplacement Mechanisms
Seelos, Frank P.; Murchie, Scott L.; Buczkowski, Debra L. +4 more
The formation of widespread phyllosilicate-bearing near-surface layers on Mars has often been attributed to pedogenesis, a process of weathering basaltic soils by continued exposure to meteoric water percolating down from the surface, which can result in layers of aluminum phyllosilicates forming over layers of iron-magnesium phyllosilicates. We p…