Search Publications
Revised CRISM spectral parameters and summary products based on the currently detected mineral diversity on Mars
Viviano-Beck, Christina E.; Seelos, Frank P.; Murchie, Scott L. +8 more
The investigation of hyperspectral data from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) and the Observatoire pour la Minéralogie, L'Eau, les Glaces et l'Activitié (OMEGA) on Mars Express has revealed an increasingly diverse suite of minerals present on the Martian surface. A revised set of 60 spect…
The digital global geologic map of Mars: Chronostratigraphic ages, topographic and crater morphologic characteristics, and updated resurfacing history
Hare, T. M.; Tanaka, K. L.; Robbins, S. J. +2 more
A new global geologic map of Mars has been completed in a digital, geographic information system (GIS) format using geospatially controlled altimetry and image data sets. The map reconstructs the geologic history of Mars, which includes many new findings collated in the quarter century since the previous, Viking-based global maps were published, a…
Global climate modeling of the Martian water cycle with improved microphysics and radiatively active water ice clouds
Forget, F.; Montmessin, F.; Millour, E. +4 more
Water ice clouds play a key role in the radiative transfer of the Martian atmosphere, impacting its thermal structure, its circulation, and, in turn, the water cycle. Recent studies including the radiative effects of clouds in global climate models (GCMs) have found that the corresponding feedbacks amplify the model defaults. In particular, it pre…
Near-infrared spectra of ferrous mineral mixtures and methods for their identification in planetary surface spectra
Bell, James F.; Cloutis, Edward A.; Mann, Paul +1 more
Iron-bearing minerals are a major component of planetary surfaces, and many can be identified by their characteristic absorption bands in the near-infrared (NIR). Here we present laboratory NIR spectra of a wide range of common Fe-bearing minerals (e.g., olivines, pyroxenes), glasses, and mineral/glass mixtures. We then use this suite of spectra t…
Unexpected variability of Martian hydrogen escape
Montmessin, Franck; Bertaux, Jean-Loup; Chaffin, Michael S. +3 more
Mars today is much drier than the Earth, though they likely began with similar relative amounts of water. One potential cause for this discrepancy is hydrogen loss to space, which may have removed a large fraction of Mars' initial water. Here we demonstrate an order-of-magnitude change in the Martian hydrogen escape rate in 2007, inconsistent with…
The origin and evolution of the Peace Vallis fan system that drains to the Curiosity landing area, Gale Crater, Mars
Williams, Rebecca M. E.; Palucis, Marisa C.; Calef, Fred +7 more
The landing site for the Curiosity rover is located at the distal end of the Peace Vallis fan in Gale Crater. Peace Vallis fan covers 80 km2 and is fed by a 730 km2 catchment, which drains an upland plains area through a 15 km wide gap in the crater rim. Valley incision into accumulated debris delivered sediment through a rel…
The climate history of early Mars: insights from the Antarctic McMurdo Dry Valleys hydrologic system
Head, James W.; Marchant, David R.
Phobos' shape and topography models
Shi, X.; Oberst, J.; Willner, K.
The global shape and the dynamic environment are fundamental properties of a body. Other properties such as volume, bulk density, and models for the dynamic environment can subsequently be computed based on such models. Stereo-photogrammetric methods were applied to derive a global digital terrain model (DTM) with 100 m/pixel resolution using High…
Mud volcanism and morphology of impact craters in Utopia Planitia on Mars: Evidence for the ancient ocean
Hiesinger, H.; Erkeling, G.; Reiss, D. +1 more
Results of our detailed geological mapping and interpretation of the nature and relative and absolute model ages of units and structures in the SW portion of Utopia Planitia (20-45°N, 100-120°E) suggest the following. (1) The size-frequency distribution (SFD) of craters that both are buried by materials of the Vastitas Borealis units (VB) and supe…
One million cubic kilometers of fossil ice in Valles Marineris: Relicts of a 3.5 Gy old glacial landsystem along the Martian equator
Le Mouélic, Stéphane; Le Deit, Laetitia; Mège, Daniel +6 more
Self-consistent landform assemblages suggest that Valles Marineris, the giant valley system that stretches along the Martian equator, was entirely glaciated during Late Noachian to Early Hesperian times and still contains huge volumes of fossil ice. Some of these glacial landform assemblages are illustrated here, with representative examples selec…