Search Publications
Assessing Controls on the Incomplete Draining of Martian Open-Basin Lakes
Goudge, Timothy A.; Fassett, Caleb I.; Bamber, Emily R. +1 more
Over 250 hydrologically open paleolakes, which filled with water before catastrophically breaching, have been identified on Mars. These open-basin lakes are recognized by the topographic geometry of a closed contour below the elevation of the outlet, indicating that the lake was incompletely drained by the breach flood. Here, we explore factors th…
Deciphering the Structural History of Ulysses Fossae, Mars, Using Fault Pattern Analysis
Byrne, Paul K.; Shahrzad, Stephanie; Bramham, Emma K. +3 more
Ulysses Fossae is a faulted region surrounded by lava flows that sits between the major volcanoes of the Tharsis Rise volcanic province on Mars. This area is unique, as it is the only exposure of extensional faulting which can be related to the Olympus Mons volcano and one of the only a few faulted areas relating to the Tharsis Montes. In order to…
Prolonged Record of Hydroclimatic Changes at Antoniadi Crater, Mars
Mangold, N.; Pajola, M.; Cremonese, G. +13 more
The first billion years of Martian geologic history consisted of surface environments and landscapes dramatically different from those seen today, with flowing liquid water sculpting river channels and ponding to form bodies of water. However, the hydro-climatic context, the frequency, and the duration under which these systems existed remain unce…
The Geology of Eden Patera, a Type-Example of Plains Style Caldera Complexes on Mars
Michalski, Joseph R.; Chu, Yin Yau Yoyo; Webb, A. Alexander G.
A population of underrecognized volcanic constructs associated with explosive and effusive volcanism is present within Arabia Terra and perhaps throughout the ancient highlands on Mars. These features, termed "plains-style caldera complexes," are characterized by 10s-of-km wide crustal collapse structures, lava flows, and potential pyroclastic dep…
Silica-Bearing Mounds and Strata in the Southwest Melas Basin, Valles Marineris, Mars: Evidence for a Hydrothermal Origin
Horgan, Briony H. N.; Rogers, Emma R.; Qualizza, Briar R. +2 more
A small basin on the Southwest (SW) margin of Melas Chasma in Valles Marineris, Mars, hosts a variety of previously identified sedimentary fans and layered strata hypothesized to have been formed by one or more paleolakes. This basin also contains light-toned layered mounds that have distinct spectral absorption bands consistent with amorphous hyd…
Impact of Mars GDS 2018 on the Chemistry of Water, Nitrogenated and Deuterated Cluster Ions: NOMAD Observations
Korablev, O.; Haider, S. A.; Shah, Siddhi Y.
The ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter instruments, Nadir and Occultation for Mars Discovery and Atmospheric Chemistry Suite have provided vertical profiles of H2O and HDO mixing ratios in the presence and absence of Global Dust Storm 2018. These observations are carried out in the lower atmosphere at SZA ∼ 71° of northern mid latitude (∼55°N, 1…
Magmatic Origins of Extensional Structures in Tempe Terra, Mars
Thomas, M.; Orlov, C. J.; Bramham, E. K. +2 more
Numerous graben features transect the Tempe Terra plateau in the northeastern Tharsis Rise, Mars, making it one of the most heavily structured regions of Tharsis. The origin of the complex fault geometries, generated over three distinct stages of tectonic activity, is poorly understood. This work distinguishes between Tempe Terra structures of loc…
Spectral Analysis of Mare Ingenii Basin (Lunar Farside)
Massironi, Matteo; Combe, Jean-Philippe; Tosi, Federico +8 more
Mare Ingenii is a site of great interest for lunar geology as it is one of the few basaltic plains on the farside of the Moon. It is located within the outer edge of the South Pole-Aitken basin, the largest and oldest impact basin in our Solar System. Mare Ingenii includes two large craters, Thomson and Thomson M, and a prominent swirl, a high-alb…
Mineralogy of Surface Materials at the Chang'E-5 Landing Site and Possible Exotic Sources From In Situ Spectral Observations
Yang, Maosheng; Qian, Yuqi; Horgan, Briony +2 more
China's Chang'E-5 (CE-5) mission landed at 43.06°N and 51.92°W on 1 December 2020, within the Northern Oceanus Procellarum region of the Moon. The CE-5 landing site is situated within a young lunar basalt unit estimated to be around 2.0 Ga. A comprehensive understanding of the lunar regolith composition within the CE-5 region is pivotal as it furn…
Hazy Blue Worlds: A Holistic Aerosol Model for Uranus and Neptune, Including Dark Spots
Fletcher, L. N.; Pérez-Hoyos, S.; Wong, M. H. +7 more
We present a reanalysis (using the Minnaert limb-darkening approximation) of visible/near-infrared (0.3-2.5 µm) observations of Uranus and Neptune made by several instruments. We find a common model of the vertical aerosol distribution i.e., consistent with the observed reflectivity spectra of both planets, consisting of: (a) a deep aerosol …