Search Publications
Evaluating Flat-Crater Floor Fill Compositions and Morphologies: Insight Into Formation Processes
Rogers, A. D.; Pan, C.; Edwards, C. S.
Numerous impact craters on Mars have been deeply filled, raising questions about the potential processes that contributed to infilling. Previously proposed processes include ponding of impact melt, aeolian sedimentation, lacustrine sedimentation, or volcanic infilling. Better constraints on the infilling processes of flat floor craters are needed …
Controls on the Global Distribution of Martian Landslides
Ehlmann, Bethany L.; Roback, Kevin P.
Recent acquisition of high resolution satellite imagery of the Martian surface has permitted landslides to be studied on a global scale on Mars for the first time. We apply the Scoops3D software package to compute slope stability for select regions of the Martian surface, combining calculations of slope stability with number of observed landslides…
Ripples, Transverse Aeolian Ridges, and Dark-Toned Sand Dunes on Mars: A Case Study in Terra Sabaea
Lu, Y.; Edgett, K. S.; Wu, Y. Z.
Ripples, transverse aeolian ridges (TARs), and dark-toned sand sheets and dunes are common aeolian bedforms on the Martian surface. They are important for understanding the nature of present-day Martian sediments and regional aeolian processes. Here we present a case study investigation of ripples, TARs, a dark-toned sand sheet, and dunes in an un…
Evidence of Regionally Distributed Tectono-Volcanism in a Floor Fractured Crater of North-Central Arabia Terra, Mars
Komatsu, G.; Rani, A.; Basu Sarbadhikari, A. +3 more
Arabia Terra features many tectonic structures, which have been correlated to episodes of incipient tectonics, massive impacts, and controls on fluvial systems. However, the extent of regionally distributed tectono-volcanism and its effects on local structures remains unknown. To characterize the prevalence of volcanically driven processes in this…
Strong Variability of Martian Water Ice Clouds During Dust Storms Revealed From ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter/NOMAD
Vandaele, Ann Carine; Aoki, Shohei; Thomas, Ian +12 more
Observations of water ice clouds and aerosols on Mars can provide important insights into the complexity of the water cycle. Recent observations have indicated an important link between dust activity and the water cycle, as intense dust activity can significantly raise the hygropause, and subsequently increase the escape of water after dissociatio…
Properties of Water Ice and Dust Particles in the Atmosphere of Mars During the 2018 Global Dust Storm as Inferred From the Atmospheric Chemistry Suite
Grigoriev, A.; Montmessin, F.; Fedorova, A. +6 more
The properties of Martian aerosols are an integral part of the planetary climatology. Global dust storms (GDS) significantly alter spatial and vertical distributions of dust and water ice aerosols and their microphysical properties. We explored the 2018/Martian year 34 GDS with the Atmospheric Chemistry Suite instrument onboard the ESA-Roscosmos T…
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…
Martian Water Ice Clouds During the 2018 Global Dust Storm as Observed by the ACS-MIR Channel Onboard the Trace Gas Orbiter
Montmessin, F.; Fedorova, A.; Korablev, O. +8 more
The Atmospheric Chemistry Suite (ACS) instrument onboard the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) European Space Agency-Roscosmos mission began science operations in March 2018. ACS Mid-InfraRed (MIR) channel notably provides solar occultation observations of the Martian atmosphere in the 2.3- to 4.2-µ m spectral range. Here, we use these observa…
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…