Viscous relaxation of craters within the martian south polar layered deposits

The South Polar Layered Deposits (PLD) are of fundamental importance to martian climatology, as they may comprise the largest reservoir of near-surface water on Mars. The South PLD exhibit relatively young crater retention surface ages, which are widely attributed to recent resurfacing. However, we show that both constructional and destructional resurfacing mechanisms (such as dust deposition and water ice sublimation, respectively) are inconsistent with the size, depth, and spatial distributions of South PLD craters. We demonstrate that another process—viscous creep relaxation of dusty water ice—is more compatible with the observed cratering of South PLD surfaces. The results of our finite element relaxation simulations suggest that, despite their apparent youthfulness, the PLD have been stable for at least several hundred million and perhaps even over a billion years. Consequently, our modeling implies that the time scales for the formation and preservation of the layers characteristic of the South (and possibly North) PLD are much longer than generally assumed.     

Eolian controlled modification of the martian south polar layered deposits

Data from the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) and Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) aboard the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) mission and the Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) aboard the Mars Odyssey mission have revealed unique surface features in a particular region of the South Polar Layered Deposits (SPLD). The dominant morphology is large-scale quasi-parallel grooves that extend for hundreds of kilometers with only tens of meters of vertical relief, that we have termed here the “Wire Brush” terrain. The grooves are also transected by disjointed, yet roughly continuous, low-relief sinuous ridges that cross roughly perpendicular to the trend-direction of the large-scale grooves and show only tens of meters of relief. We interpret these ridges to be eroded remnants of folded layers. At the northern end of the large-scale grooves there are non-symmetric mounds. They are frequently preceded by a significant depression and/or trailing grooves that are parallel to the Wire Brush trend. We find that a two-stage process involving winds that intermittently remove a low-density crust exposing the underlying ice to ablation is the interpretation that best explains the multitude of features observed here. These features appear to be currently inactive indicating higher winds in previous epochs.     

Evidence for ice flow prior to trough formation in the martian north polar layered deposits

The relative importance of surface mass fluxes and ice flow in shaping the north polar layered deposits (NPLD), now or in the past, remains a fundamental and open question. Motivated by observation of an apparent ice divide on Gemina Lingula (also known as Titania Lobe), we propose a two-stage evolution leading to the present-day topography on that lobe of the NPLD. Ice flow approximately balances surface mass fluxes in the first stage, but in the second stage ice flow has minimal influence and topography is modified predominantly by the formation of troughs. We focus here on evidence for the first stage, by testing the fit of topography between troughs to an ice-flow model. We find that independent model fits on distinct flow paths closely match inter-trough topography, uniformly over a broad region on Gemina Lingula, with mutually consistent and physically reasonable fitting parameters. However, our model requires ice to occupy and flow in spaces where troughs currently incise the ice. We therefore infer that the troughs (and the distribution of mass balance that caused them) post-date deposition of the inter-trough material and its modification by flow. Because trough formation has apparently altered inter-trough topography very little, we infer that trough formation must have been rapid in comparison to the (still unknown) time-scale of flow since troughs began to form. We view the evidence for past flow as strong, but we do not think that topographic evidence alone can be conclusive. Observations of englacial stratigraphy using orbital sounding radars will yield conclusive tests of our inferred mechanism for the formation of inter-trough topography.     

The effects of martian orbital variations upon the sublimation and relaxation of north polar troughs and scarps

The North Polar Layered Deposits (PLD) of Mars are climatologically significant because they represent the largest actively-exchanging reservoir of martian water. The kilometer-scale topography of the North PLD is dominated by troughs and scarps, which exhibit highly-correlated surface slopes and total depths. The most widespread theories of PLD evolution presume that the asymmetrical nature of North PLD troughs (characterized by equatorward-facing slopes that are generally steeper than poleward-facing slopes) is the result of preferential H₂O sublimation from equatorward-facing trough walls. However, our orbitally-modulated simulations indicate that there is no long-term sublimation advantage of equatorward-facing trough walls, because of the effects of obliquity upon the slope dependence of sublimation rate. In contrast, we propose that viscous relaxation of subsurface water is consistent with the slope and depth distributions of North PLD troughs and scarps. The results of our finite element simulations suggest that a mere 2 K difference in the subsurface temperatures of opposing trough walls is sufficient to produce the observed slope disparity, due to the slower rate of uplift of colder poleward-facing trough walls. Both our sublimation and relaxation simulations indicate that present-day North PLD troughs have formed since 5 Ma and are not sites of long-term deposition; additionally, our results imply that glacial flow may govern the large-scale evolution of the North PLD, especially at high obliquity.     

A method to infer past surface mass balance and topography from internal layers in martian polar layered deposits

Internal layers in ice masses can be detected with ice-penetrating radar. In a flowing ice mass, each horizon represents a past surface that has been subsequently buried by accumulation, and strained by ice flow. These layers retain information about relative spatial patterns of accumulation and ablation (mass balance). Internal layers are necessary to accurately infer mass-balance patterns because the ice-surface shape only weakly reflects spatial variations in mass balance. Additional rate-controlling information, such as the layer age, the ice temperature, or the ice-grain sizes and ice-crystal fabric, can be used to infer the absolute rate of mass balance. To infer mass balance from the shapes of internal layers, we solve an inverse problem. The solution to the inverse problem is the best set or sets of unknown boundary conditions or initial conditions that, when used in our calculation of ice-surface elevation and internal-layer shape, generate appropriate predictions of observations that are available. We also show that internal layers can be used to infer martian paleo-surface topography from a past era of ice flow, even though the topography may have been largely altered by subsequent erosion. We have successfully inferred accumulation rates and surface topography from internal layers in Antarctica. Using synthetic data, we demonstrate the ability of this method to solve the corresponding inverse problem to infer accumulation and ablation rates, as well as the surface topography, for martian ice. If past ice flow has affected the shapes of martian internal layers, this method is necessary to infer the spatial pattern and rate of mass balance.     

Radiative habitable zones in martian polar environments

The biologically damaging solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation (quantified by the DNA-weighted dose) reaches the martian surface in extremely high levels. Searching for potentially habitable UV-protected environments on Mars, we considered the polar ice caps that consist of a seasonally varying CO2 ice cover and a permanent H2O ice layer. It was found that, though the CO2 ice is insufficient by itself to screen the UV radiation, at approximately 1 m depth within the perennial H2O ice the DNA-weighted dose is reduced to terrestrial levels. This depth depends strongly on the optical properties of the H2O ice layers (for instance snow-like layers). The Earth-like DNA-weighted dose and Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR) requirements were used to define the upper and lower limits of the northern and southern polar Radiative Habitable Zone (RHZ) for which a temporal and spatial mapping was performed. Based on these studies we conclude that photosynthetic life might be possible within the ice layers of the polar regions. The thickness varies along each martian polar spring and summer between approximately 1.5 and 2.4 m for H2O ice-like layers, and a few centimeters for snow-like covers. These martian Earth-like radiative habitable environments may be primary targets for future martian astrobiological missions. Special attention should be paid to planetary protection, since the polar RHZ may also be subject to terrestrial contamination by probes.     

Limits on the trapping of atmospheric CH4 in martian polar ice analogs

Recent detection of methane (CH₄) on Mars has generated interest in possible biological or geological sources, but the factors responsible for the reported variability are not understood. Here we explore one potential sink that might affect the seasonal cycling of CH₄ on Mars - trapping in ices deposited on the surface. Our apparatus consisted of a high-vacuum chamber in which three different Mars ice analogs (water, carbon dioxide, and carbon dioxide clathrate hydrates) were deposited in the presence of CH₄ gas. The ices were monitored for spectroscopic evidence of CH₄ trapping using transmission Fourier-Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, and during subsequent sublimation of the ice films the vapor composition was measured using mass spectrometry (MS). Trapping of CH₄ in water ice was confirmed at deposition temperatures <100 K which is consistent with previous work, thus validating the experimental methods. However, no trapping of CH₄ was observed in the ice analogs studied at warmer temperatures (140 K for H₂O and CO₂ clathrate, 90 K for CO₂ snow) with approximately 10 mTorr CH₄ in the chamber. From experimental detection limits these results provide an upper limit of 0.02 for the atmosphere/ice trapping ratio of CH₄. If it is assumed that the trapping mechanism is linear with CH₄ partial pressure and can be extrapolated to Mars, this upper limit would indicate that less than 1% is expected to be trapped from the largest reported CH₄ plume, and therefore does not represent a significant sink for CH₄.     

Martian polar and circum-polar sulfate-bearing deposits: Sublimation tills derived from the North Polar Cap

Previous spectroscopic studies have shown the presence of hydrated minerals in various kinds of sedimentary accumulations covering and encircling the martian North Polar Cap. More specifically, gypsum, a hydrated calcium sulfate, has been detected on Olympia Planum, a restricted part of the Circum-Polar Dune Field. To further constrain the geographical distribution and the process of formation and accumulation of these hydrated minerals, we performed an integrated morphological, structural and compositional analysis of a key area where hydrated minerals were detected and where the main polar landforms are present. By the development of a spectral processing method based on spectral derivation and by the acquisition of laboratory spectra of gypsum-ice mixtures we find that gypsum-bearing sediment is not restricted to the Olympia Planum dunes but is also present in all kinds of superficial sediment covering the surface of the North Polar Cap and the Circum-Polar Dune Field. Spectral signatures consistent with perchlorates are also detected on these deposits. The interpretation of landforms reveals that this gypsum-bearing sediment was released from the ice cap by sublimation. We thus infer that gypsum crystals that are now present in the Circum-Polar Dune Field derive from the interior of the North Polar Cap. Gypsum crystals that were initially trapped in the ice cap have been released by sublimation of the ice and have accumulated in the form of ablation tills at the surface of the ice cap. These gypsum-bearing sublimation tills are reworked by winds and are transported towards the Circum-Polar Dune Field. Comparison with sulfates found in terrestrial glaciers suggests that gypsum crystals in the martian North Polar Cap have formed by weathering of dust particles, either in the atmosphere prior to their deposition during the formation of the ice cap, and/or in the ice cap after their deposition.     

Evaluating the meaning of “layer” in the martian north polar layered deposits and the impact on the climate connection

Using data from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) aboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, we reassess the methods by which layers within the north polar layered deposits (NPLD) can be delineated and their thicknesses measured. Apparent brightness and morphology alone are insufficient for this task; high resolution topographic data are necessary. From these analyses, we find that the visible appearance of layers depends to a large degree on the distribution of younger, mantling deposits (which in turn is partially influenced by inherent layer properties) and on the shape and location of the particular outcrop. This younger mantle partially obscures layer morphology and brightness and is likely a cause of the gradational contacts between individual layers at this scale. High resolution images reveal that there are several layers similar in appearance to the well-known marker bed discovered by Malin, M., Edgett, K., 2001. J. Geophys. Res. 106, 23429-23570. The morphology, thicknesses , and separation distances of these marker beds, as gleaned from a high resolution stereo digital elevation model, lend insight into the connection between stratigraphy and climate.     

Effects of soil heterogeneity on martian ground-ice stability and orbital estimates of ice table depth

Data from the Mars Odyssey Gamma-Ray Spectrometer (GRS) instrument suite and results from numerical simulations of subsurface ground-ice stability have been used to estimate the depth of martian ground-ice. Geographic correlation between these estimates is remarkable; the relative ice table depth distributions also agree well. However, GRS-based estimates of ice table depth are generally deeper than predictions based on ground-ice stability simulations. This discrepancy may be related to heterogeneities in the martian surface such as rocks, dust, and albedo variations. We develop a multi-dimensional numerical model of ground-ice stability in a heterogeneous martian subsurface and use it to place the first quantitative constraints on the response of the ice table to meter-scale heterogeneities. We find that heterogeneities produce significant undulations/topography in the ice table at horizontal length scales of a few meters. Decimeter scale rocks create localized areas of deep ice, producing a vertical depression of 10-60 cm in the ice table over a horizontal range of 1-2 rock radii. Decimeter scale dust lenses produce locally shallow ice; however the magnitude of the vertical deflection of the ice table is small (1-4 cm). The effects of decimeter scale albedo variations on the ice table are nearly negligible, although albedo very weakly enhances the effects of dark rocks and bright dust on the ice table. Additionally, we investigate the role played by rocks in estimates of ice table depth based on orbital data. Surface rocks can account for more than half of the discrepancy between ice table depths inferred from GRS data and those predicted by theoretical ice-stability simulations that utilize thermophysical observations. Our results have considerable relevance to the up-coming Mars Scout Mission, Phoenix, because they indicate that the uncertainty in the ice table depth of a given region is greater than differences between current depth estimates. Likewise, small-scale depth variability due to heterogeneities at the eventual landing site is potentially greater than differences between current depth estimates.     

Modeling sublimation of ice exposed by new impacts in the martian mid-latitudes

New impacts in the martian mid-latitudes have exposed near-surface ice. This ice is observed to slowly fade over timescales of months. In the present martian climate, exposed surface ice is unstable during summer months in the mid-latitudes and will sublimate. We model the sublimation of ice at five new impact sites and examine the implications of its persistence. Even with generally conservative assumptions, for most reasonable choices of parameters it is likely that over a millimeter of sublimation occurred in the period during which the ice was observed to fade. The persistence of visible ice through such sublimation suggests that the ice is relatively pure rather than pore-filling. Such ice could be analogous to the nearly pure ice observed by the Phoenix Lander in the “Dodo-Goldilocks” trench and suggests that the high ice contents reported by the Mars Odyssey Gamma Ray Spectrometer at high latitudes extend to the mid-latitudes. Our observations are consistent with a model of the martian ice table in which a layer with high volumetric ice content overlies pore-filling ice, although other structures are possible.     

Influence of ice rheology and dust content on the dynamics of the north-polar cap of Mars

The evolution and dynamics of the north-polar cap (residual-ice-cap/layered-deposits complex) of Mars is simulated with a thermomechanical ice-sheet model. We consider a scenario with ice-free initial conditions at 5 Ma before present due to the large obliquities which prevailed prior to this time. The north-polar cap is then built up to its present shape, driven by a parameterized climate forcing (surface temperature, surface mass balance) based on the obliquity and eccentricity history. The effects of different ice rheologies and different dust contents are investigated. It is found that the build-up scenarios require an accumulation rate of approximately 0.15-0.2 mm a⁻¹ at present. The topography evolution is essentially independent of the ice dynamics due to the slow ice flow. Owing to the uncertainties associated with the ice rheology and the dust content, flow velocities can only be predicted within a range of two orders of magnitude. Likely present values are of the order of 0.1-1 mm a⁻¹, and a strong variation over the climatic cycles is found. For all cases, computed basal temperatures are far below pressure melting.     

Spatial inhomogeneity of the martian subsurface water distribution: implication from a global water cycle model

In an effort to test and to understand the global hydrogen distribution in the shallow subsurface of Mars retrieved by the Mars Odyssey gamma-ray spectrometer, the present state and movement of water are investigated by a coupled global subsurface-atmosphere water cycle model. It was found that the observed global subsurface hydrogen distribution is largely consistent with the modeled global water cycle, so a large fraction of hydrogen is likely to exist as water, at low and mid latitudes in the form of adsorbed water. Under the present climate the water content in the shallow subsurface becomes higher in the northern hemisphere than in the southern hemisphere as a result of global water cycle, regardless of the initial water distribution in the soil or adsorptive capacity. The higher annual maximum soil temperature in the south, stronger net northward transport of atmospheric water vapor, and the emission of vapor from the northern residual polar cap in northern summer contribute to this hemispheric asymmetry. The generally higher adsorptive capacity of clay minerals in the northern plains may further increase this bias. The longitudinal inhomogeneity is caused by several factors, such as thermal inertia, adsorptive capacity, and atmospheric surface pressure. The water abundance is locally high in low thermal inertia regions (e.g., Arabia Terra) and at deep places where the surface pressure is high (e.g., Hellas); it is low in soil with a low adsorptive capacity (e.g., Tharsis) and high thermal inertia regions (e.g., Solis Planum). Most of the soil humidity near the surface at low and mid latitudes may originate from the atmosphere. The model implies that the upper soil layer should be largely ice-free because otherwise an excessive sublimation and vapor emission into the atmosphere in warm seasons would violate the observational constraints. Moreover, the more uniform latitudinal variation of the observed hydrogen abundance near the surface compared to that of deeper layers is indicative of the presence of adsorbed water instead of ground ice because the adsorbed water content does not as steeply depend on latitude as the ground ice stability. Concerning the regolith mineralogy, montmorillonite can much better account for the observed water cycle than palagonite. While the presence of permanent ground ice appears likely in the polar region below a thin layer, large seasonal cycle of phase change between pore ice and adsorbed water may be possible. Regolith adsorption/desorption is neither negligible nor crucial for the seasonal atmospheric water cycle, but the surface-atmosphere coupling is a major prerequisite for the long-term evolution of subsurface water distribution.     

The evolution of the martian elastic lithosphere and implications for crustal and mantle rheology

Estimates of the martian elastic lithosphere thickness Te imply that Te increased from around 20 km in the Noachian to about 70 km in the Amazonian period. A phase of rapid lithospheric growth is observed during the Hesperian and we propose that this elastic thickness history is a consequence of the martian crustal rheology and its thermal evolution. A wet crustal rheology is found to generate a mechanically incompetent layer in the lower crust during the early evolution and the rapid growth of Te during the Hesperian results from the disappearance of this layer due to planetary cooling. The incompetent layer and the related rapid lithospheric growth are absent for a dry basaltic crustal rheology, which is therefore incompatible with the observations. Furthermore, we find that the observed elastic thickness evolution is best compatible with a wet mantle rheology, although a dry mantle cannot be ruled out. It therefore seems likely that rheologically significant amounts of water were retained in the Martian crust and mantle after planetary accretion.     

Monitoring the perennial martian northern polar cap with MGS MOC

We have used the Mars Global Surveyor Mars Orbiter Camera Wide Angle (MGS MOC WA) dataset to study albedo trends on the martian northern residual cap. Six study regions were selected, the Chasma Boreale source region, three regions near the center of the cap (“fish hook” region, latitude = 87°; “bottle opener” region, latitude = 87°, “steep-shallow” region, latitude = 85°), and two lower latitude regions (crater, latitude = 77°, and polar outlier, latitude = 82°), and the albedos of these six regions were examined. These regions were chosen due to their good temporal coverage in the MOC dataset, as well as having been studied by other researchers (Bass et al., 2000, Icarus 144, 382-396; Calvin and Titus, 2004, Lunar Planet. Sci. XXXV, Abstract 1455). The picture which emerges is complex. Most areas experience a combination of darkening and brightening through the northern summer; only one area consistently brightens (the polar outlier region). A good deal of interannual repeatability in each region's albedo behavior is seen, however. Possible causes for the observed complex behaviors include dust deposition from late summer storms, sintering of frost grains over the course of the summer, and cold trapping of volatiles on bright, cold surfaces.     

A microphysically-based approach to modeling emissivity and albedo of the martian seasonal caps

A new model of albedo and emissivity of the martian seasonal caps represented as porous CO₂ slabs containing spherical voids and dust particles is described. In the model, a radiative transfer model is coupled with a microphysical model in order to link changes in albedo and emissivity to changes in porosity caused by ice metamorphism. The coupled model is capable of reproducing temporal changes in the spectra of the caps taken by the Thermal Emission Spectrometer onboard the Mars Global Surveyor and it can be used as the forward model in the retrievals of the caps' physical properties (porosity, dust abundance, void and dust grain size) from the spectra. Preliminary results from such inversion studies are presented.     

Yearly comparisons of the martian polar caps: 1999-2003 Mars Orbiter Camera observations

The Mars Global Surveyor Mars Orbiter Camera wide-angle cameras were used to obtain images of the north and south seasonal and residual polar caps between 1999 and 2003. Wide-angle red camera images were used in assembling mosaics of the north and south polar recessions and regression rates were measured and compared. There are small variations in the north polar recession between 2000 and 2002, especially between LS=7° and LS=50°, however there is no evidence for the plateau in the recession curves that has been observed in some prior years. The south polar recession changes very little from year to year, and the 2001 dust storm had little if any effect on the average cap recession that year. Albedo values of the geographic north pole were measured using wide-angle red and blue camera images, and the residual south polar cap configuration was compared between the three years observed by MOC. The albedo of the geographic north pole generally varies between 0.5 and 0.6 as measured from MOC wide-angle red camera images. There were only minor variations near the edges of the residual south polar cap between the three years examined.     

Ice table depth variability near small rocks at the Phoenix landing site, Mars: A pre-landing assessment

We combine thermal simulations of ground ice stability near small rocks with extrapolations of the abundance of rocks at the Phoenix landing site based on HiRISE rock counts to estimate the degree of ice table depth variability within the 3.8 m² workspace that can be excavated during the mission. Detailed predictions of this kind are important both to test current ground-ice theory and to optimize soil investigations after landing. We find that Phoenix will very likely have access to at least one rock in the diameter range 5 cm to 1 m. Our simulations, which assume the ice to be in diffusive equilibrium with atmospheric water vapor, indicate that all rocks in this size range are associated with an annulus of deep ice-free soil. Ice table depth variability of 1-5 cm is very likely at the landing site due to the presence of small rocks. Further, there are scenarios in which Phoenix might exploit the presence of individual large rocks and/or the arrangement of small rocks to sample soils at depths >10 cm below the average depth predicted from orbit (∼4 cm). Scale analysis to constrain uncertainties in simulation results indicates that estimates of maximum depths may be somewhat conservative and that ice table depressions associated with individual rocks could be deeper and laterally more extended than indicated by formal predictions by mm to cm.     

Comparison between polar regions of Mars from HEND/Odyssey data

In this paper, we have analyzed neutron spectroscopy data gathered by the High Energy Neutron Detector (HEND) instrument onboard Mars Odyssey for comparison of polar regions. It is known that observation of the neutron albedo of Mars provides important information about the distribution of water-ice in subsurface layers and about peculiarities of the CO₂ seasonal cycle. It was found that there are large water-rich permafrost areas with contents of up to ∼50% water by mass fraction at both the north and south Mars polar regions. The water-ice layers at high northern latitudes are placed close to the surface, but in the south they are covered by a dry and relatively thick (10-20 cm) layer of soil. Analysis of temporal variations of neutron flux between summer and winter seasons allowed the estimation of the masses of the CO₂ deposits which seasonally condense at the polar regions. The total mass of the southern seasonal deposition was estimated as 6.3×¹⁰¹⁵ kg, which is larger than the total mass of the seasonal deposition at the north by 40-50%. These results are in good agreement with predictions from the NASA Ames Research Center General Circulation Model (GCM). But, the dynamics of the condensation and sublimation processes are not quite as consistent with these models: the peak accumulation of the condensed mass of CO₂ occurred 10-15 degrees of Ls later than is predicted by the GCM.