Lineament Analysis and Geophysical Modelling of the Alba Patera Region on Mars

Global data sets of images, topography and gravity are available for Mars from several orbiter missions. At the eve of new global data from Mars Global Surveyor (MGS), the capabilities of 3D geophysical modelling based on areal topography and gravity data combined with geologic-tectonic image interpretation is demonstrated here. A unique structure is chosen for the model calculations: the Alba Patera volcanic complex at the northern border of the Tharsis rise. Five groups of graben are discriminated: Ceraunius Fossae, Catenae, Tantalus Fossae (radial group) radial to the Tharsis rise, mainly associated to the formation of Tharsis, and Alba and Tantalus Fossae (circular group), younger than the other graben and circular around Alba Patera. Combining 3D elastic flexure of the lithosphere due to a 3D topographic surface load with 3D gravity models results in a rather thick lithosphere (150–200 km) and thick crust (60–100 km). In another model estimate it has been assumed that the circular grabens are induced by the stresses from the surface load of Alba Patera. In a first order calculation the surface stresses under a point load have been determined resulting in a good correlation of the stress maximum with the location of the circular grabens for a 50-km thick lithosphere. This is in accordance with earlier results from this method, but in contradiction with the thick lithosphere derived from flexure-gravity models. One possibility for this contradiction may be that the different models represent two evolutionary points of Alba Patera. (1) The correlation of stresses with the circular grabens may represent an older stage of evolution with a thinner lithosphere. (2) The flexure-gravity models represent a younger to present stage with a thick lithosphere. The results of the lithosphere thicknesses are compared with an admittance calculation and different thermal evolution models which determine comparable thicknesses (150 km). More detailed models including 3D stress models should wait for new data sets from MGS. The results from the lineament analysis and geophysical modelling are summarized in an evolution model for Alba Patera.     

Composite graben tectonics of Alba Patera on Mars

The Alba Patera main graben zone is radial to the Tharsis bulge, indicating the importance of the Tharsis bulge-related peripheral rift tectonics. The concentric grabens around the Alba Patera area are also partly caused by crustal bending due to the central load of the Alba Patera volcano. These two graben sets partly coincide forming composite structures. Both tectonic systems were still active after the last major volcanic lava extrusions took place. After this, the crater chain grabens, radial to the northernmost part of the Tharsis bulge were formed. These collapse craters were evidently caused by the late-tectonic forces due to the northern Tharsis and adjoining lava loads, resulting in flexural tension and activating previous faults.     

Did tidal deformation power the core dynamo of Mars?

We first show that 7 out of the 20 giant impact basins of Mars recently reported by Frey [Frey, H., 2008. Geophys. Res. Lett. 35. L13203] trace a great circle on Mars. The other five basins trace another great circle and still the other three basins trace yet another great circle. The latter great circle is in good agreement with the pre-Tharsis equator of Mars that is estimated from modeling crustal magnetic anomalies [Arkani-Hamed, J., 2001. Geophys. Res. Lett. 28, 3409-3412] and diagonalizing the moment of inertia of Mars after removing the loading effects of Tharsis bulge [Sprenke, K.F., Baker, L.L., Williams, A.F., 2005. Icarus 174, 486-489]. It is shown in this paper that the three great circles were likely the equatorial plane of Mars at certain times and Mars experienced appreciable polar wander. The great circles also indicate that the asteroids that created the basins were satellites of Mars whose orbits decayed in time through spin-orbit coupling with tidally deforming Mars, and eventually impacted on the planet creating the giant basins at around 4 Ga. The orbital dynamics of four largest asteroids show that they could have orbited Mars for several hundred million years if they were retrograde satellites. Continual elliptical straining of otherwise circular fluid streamlines of the liquid core of Mars by tidal deformation could have exerted a strong strain that was large enough to overcome dissipation and excite the elliptical instability inside the core. We investigate the physical properties of the martian core that are required to allow the tidal deformation to power the core dynamo, i.e., the growth time of the elliptical instability to become shorter than the dissipation time. The tidal energy dissipation rate inside Mars caused by even only one of the 4 largest asteroids is found to be over two orders of magnitude greater than the magnetic energy dissipation rate in the core, indicating that if only one of the 4 largest asteroids were orbiting in retrograde sense, it would have likely powered the core dynamo of Mars for several hundred million years.     

The global martian volcanic evolutionary history

Viking mission image data revealed the total spatial extent of preserved volcanic surface on Mars. One of the dominating surface expressions is Olympus Mons and the surrounding volcanic province Tharsis. Earlier studies of the global volcanic sequence of events based on stratigraphic relationships and crater count statistics were limited to the image resolution of the Viking orbiter camera. Here, a global investigation based on high-resolution image data gathered by the High-Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) during the first years of Mars Express orbiting around Mars is presented. Additionally, Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) and Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) images were used for more detailed and complementary information. The results reveal global volcanism during the Noachian period (>3.7 Ga) followed by more focused vent volcanism in three (Tharsis, Elysium, and Circum-Hellas) and later two (Tharsis and Elysium) volcanic provinces. Finally, the volcanic activity became localized to the Tharsis region (about 1.6 Ga ago), where volcanism was active until very recently (200-100 Ma). These age results were expected from radiometric dating of martian meteorites but now verified for extended geological units, mainly found in the Tharsis Montes surroundings, showing prolonged volcanism for more than 3.5 billions years. The volcanic activity on Mars appears episodic, but decaying in intensity and localizing in space. The spatial and temporal extent of martian volcanism based on crater count statistics now provides a much better database for modelling the thermodynamic evolution of Mars.     

Unveiling the origin of radial grabens on Alba Patera volcano by finite element modelling

The Tharsis region is an 8000-km-wide structural dome that incorporates a concentration of the main volcanic and tectonic activity on the Planet Mars. The area of structural doming is characterised by giant radial graben-dike systems. Nested on a set of these giant dikes to the northern side of Tharsis, is Alba Patera, one of the largest volcanoes in the planetary system. The regional dikes there are in arcuate arrangement and imply an E-W to NW-SE regional extension at Alba Patera. To assess the influence of regional and local tectonics, we studied the dike orientations on the volcano with Viking mosaic data and simulated plausible stress fields with finite element modelling. We found that the influence of a NW-SE regional extension was strong near the volcano centre but decreased rapidly in importance towards the northern pole, i.e., far from the Tharsis centre. By combining this regional stress with a broad uplift that is due to a buoyancy zone of about 1400 km in lateral extent and centred under Alba Patera, we reproduced the radial pattern of dike swarms that diverge from the Tharsis trend. Regional tectonics may have dominated the early stages of dike injection. During the evolution of Alba Patera, however, local updoming controlled the dike pattern, supporting the idea of a hotspot under Alba Patera. The well-expressed dike geometry and characteristics of Alba Patera provide an ideal example for comparative study with analogue hotspots on Earth where plate tectonics and active erosion may complicate the reconstruction of volcanic and tectonic history and the understanding of involved geodynamic processes.     

Interannual variability of water ice clouds over major martian volcanoes observed by MOC

Using Mars Global Surveyor Mars Orbiter Camera daily global maps, cloud areas have been measured daily for water ice clouds associated with the topography of the major volcanoes Olympus Mons, Ascraeus Mons, Pavonis Mons, Arsia Mons, Elysium Mons, and Alba Patera. This study expands on that of Benson et al. [Benson, J.L., Bonev, B.P., James, P.B., Shan, K.J., Cantor, B.A., Caplinger, M.A., 2003. Icarus 165, 34-52] by continuing their cloud area measurements of the Tharsis volcanoes, Olympus Mons and Alba Patera for an additional martian year (August 2001-May 2003) and by also including Elysium Mons measurements from March 1999 through May 2003. The seasonal trends in cloud activity established by Benson et al. [Benson, J.L., Bonev, B.P., James, P.B., Shan, K.J., Cantor, B.A., Caplinger, M.A., 2003. Icarus 165, 34-52] for the five volcanoes studied earlier are corroborated here with an additional year of coverage. For volcanoes other than Arsia Mons, interannual variations that could be associated with the large 2001 planet encircling dust storm are minimal. At Arsia Mons, where cloud activity was continuous in the first two years, clouds disappeared totally for ∼85° of LS (LS=188°-275°) due to the dust storm. Elysium Mons cloud activity is similar to that of Olympus Mons, however the peak in cloud area is near LS=130° rather than near LS=100°.     

Equilibrium rotational stability and figure of Mars

Studies extending over three decades have concluded that the current orientation of the martian rotation pole is unstable. Specifically, the gravitational figure of the planet, after correction for a hydrostatic form, has been interpreted to indicate that the rotation pole should move easily between the present position and a site on the current equator, 90° from the location of the massive Tharsis volcanic province. We demonstrate, using general physical arguments supported by a fluid Love number analysis, that the so-called non-hydrostatic theory is an inaccurate framework for analyzing the rotational stability of planets, such as Mars, that are characterized by long-term elastic strength within the lithosphere. In this case, the appropriate correction to the gravitational figure is the equilibrium rotating form achieved when the elastic lithospheric shell (of some thickness LT) is accounted for. Moreover, the current rotation vector of Mars is shown to be stable when the correct non-equilibrium theory is adopted using values consistent with recent, independent estimates of LT. Finally, we compare observational constraints on the figure of Mars with non-equilibrium predictions based on a large suite of possible Tharsis-driven true polar wander (TPW) scenarios. We conclude, in contrast to recent comparisons of this type based on a non-hydrostatic theory, that the reorientation of the pole associated with the development of Tharsis was likely less than 15° and that the thickness of the elastic lithosphere at the time of Tharsis formation was at least ∼50 km. Larger Tharsis-driven TPW is possible if the present-day gravitational form of the planet at degree 2 has significant contributions from non-Tharsis loads; in this case, the most plausible source would be internal heterogeneities linked to convection.     

Gravity studies of the Tharsis area on Mars

The Tharsis rise on Mars with a diameter of about 8000 km and an elevation up to 10 km shows extensive volcanism and an extensional fracture system. Other authors explained this structure by (I) an uplift due to mantle processes and by (II) volcanic construction. Gravity models of four profiles are in accordance with a total Airy isostatic compensation of the whole rise with mean crustal thicknesses of 50 km and 100 km. But two regions exhibit significant mass deficits: (i) the area between Olympus Mons and the three large Tharsis volcanoes and (ii) central Tharsis. This can be explained by (1) a heated upper mantle, (2) a chemically modified upper mantle, (3) a crustal thickening, or (4) a combination of these three processes. Crustal thickening is mainly a constructional process, but the mass deficit should contribute to a certain degree of uplift causing the extensional area of Labyrinthus Noctis. Gravity modelling results in a different isostatic state of the three Tharsis volcanoes. Pavonis Mons is not compensated, Ascraeus Mons is highly or totally compensated, and Arsia Mons is medium or not compensated. The large, flat volcanic structure Alba Patera has been explained by a hot spot with an evolution of a mantle diapir.The results have shown that the Tharsis rise is a very complex structure. The central and eastern part of the rise is characterized by extensional features and a mass deficit (Extensional Province). The western part is dominated by many volcanic features and a central elongated mass deficit (Volcanic Province). The northern part consists of Alba Patera. It seems unlikely that the whole rise has been generated by one stationary large axisymmetric plume or hot spot. There could have been one or more active hot spots with an evolution in space and time.Contribution Nr. 421, Institut für Geophysik der Universität Kiel, Germany.     

Tectonic histories between Alba Patera and Syria Planum, Mars

Syria Planum and Alba Patera are two of the most prominent features of magmatic-driven activity identified for the Tharsis region and perhaps for all of Mars. In this study, we have performed a Geographic Information System-based comparative investigation of their tectonic histories using published geologic map information and Mars Orbiter Laser Altimetry (MOLA) data. Our primary objective is to assess their evolutional histories by focusing on their extent of deformation in space and time through stratigraphic, paleotectonic, topographic, and geomorphologic analyses. Though there are similarities among the two prominent features, there are several distinct differences, including timing deformational extent, and tectonic intensity of formation. Whereas Alba Patera displays a major pulse of activity during the Late Hesperian/Early Amazonian, Syria Planum is a long-lived center that displays a more uniform distribution of simple graben densities ranging from the Noachian to the Amazonian, many of which occur at greater distances away from the primary center of activity. The histories of the two features presented here are representative of the complex, long-lived evolutional history of Tharsis.     

The rocks of Mars,from far and near

Abstract— The age, structure, composition, and petrogenesis of the martian lithosphere have been constrained by spacecraft imagery and remote sensing. How well do martian meteorites conform to expectations derived from this geologic context? Both data sets indicate a thick, extensive igneous crust formed very early in the planet's history. The composition of the ancient crust is predominantly basaltic, possibly andesitic in part, with sediments derived from volcanic rocks. Later plume eruptions produced igneous centers like Tharsis, the composition of which cannot be determined because of spectral obscuration by dust. Martian meteorites (except Allan Hills 84001) are inferred to have come from volcanic flows in Tharsis or Elysium, and thus are not petrologically representative of most of the martian surface. Remote‐sensing measurements cannot verify the fractional crystallization and assimilation that have been documented in meteorites, but subsurface magmatic processes are consistent with orbital imagery indicating thick crust and large, complex magma chambers beneath Tharsis volcanoes. Meteorite ejection ages are difficult to reconcile with plausible impact histories for Mars, and oversampling of young terrains suggests either that only coherent igneous rocks can survive the ejection process or that older surfaces cannot transmit the required shock waves. The mean density and moment of inertia calculated from spacecraft data are roughly consistent with the proportions and compositions of mantle and core estimated from martian meteorites. Thermal models predicting the absence of crustal recycling, and the chronology of the planetary magnetic field agree with conclusions from radiogenic isotopes and paleomagnetism in martian meteorites. However, lack of vigorous mantle convection, as inferred from meteorite geochemistry, seems inconsistent with their derivation from the Tharsis or Elysium plumes. Geological and meteoritic data provide conflicting information on the planet's volatile inventory and degassing history, but are apparently being reconciled in favor of a periodically wet Mars. Spacecraft measurements suggesting that rocks have been chemically weathered and have interacted with recycled saline groundwater are confirmed by weathering products and stable isotope fractionations in martian meteorites.     

The Martian hydrologic system: Multiple recharge centers at large volcanic provinces and the contribution of snowmelt to outflow channel activity

Global recharge of the martian hydrologic system has traditionally been viewed as occurring through basal melting of the south polar cap. We conclude that regional recharge of a groundwater system at the large volcanic provinces, Elysium and Tharsis, is also very plausible and has several advantages over a south polar recharge source in providing a more direct, efficient supply of water to the outflow channel source regions surrounding these areas. This recharge scenario is proposed to have operated concurrently with and within the context of a global cryosphere–hydrosphere system of the subsurface characteristic of post-Noachian periods. To complement existing groundwater flow modeling studies, we examine geologic evidence and possible mechanisms for accumulation of water at high elevations on the volcanic rises, such as melting snow, infiltration, and increased effective permeability of the subsurface between the recharge zone and outflow source. Evidence for the presence of large Amazonian-aged cold-based piedmont glaciers on the Tharsis Montes has been well documented. Climate modeling predicts snow accumulation on high volcanic rises at obliquities thought to be typical over much of martian history. Thermal gradients causing basal melting of snowpack over 1 km thick could provide several kg m⁻² yr⁻¹ of water, charging a volume equivalent to the pore space in a square meter column of subsurface in less than 1.5×10⁵ yr. In order to account for estimated outflow channel volumes, the subsurface volume above the elevation of the outflow channels must be charged several times over the area of Tharsis. Complete aquifer recharge can be accomplished in ∼0.3–2 My through the snowpack melting mechanism at Tharsis and in ∼5×10⁴ years for channel requirements at Elysium. Abundant radial dikes emanating from large martian volcanic rises can crack and/or melt the cryosphere, initiating water outflow and creating anisotropies that can channel subsurface water from a high-elevation groundwater reservoir to outflow sources. In this model, snow accumulation, infiltration of meltwater, and increased effective permeabilities are a consequence of the geologic, thermal, and climatic environment at Elysium and Tharsis, and may have had a genetic influence on the preferential distribution of outflow channels around volcanic rises on Mars.     

Io: Heat flow from dark volcanic fields

Dark flow fields on the jovian satellite Io are evidence of current or recent volcanic activity. We have examined the darkest volcanic fields and quantified their thermal emission in order to assess their contribution to Io’s total heat flow. Loki Patera, the largest single source of heat flow on Io, is a convenient point of reference. We find that dark volcanic fields are more common in the hemisphere opposite Loki Patera and this large scale concentration is manifested as a maximum in the longitudinal distribution (near ∼200 °W), consistent with USGS global geologic mapping results. In spite of their relatively cool temperatures, dark volcanic fields contribute almost as much to Io’s heat flow as Loki Patera itself because of their larger areal extent. As a group, dark volcanic fields provide an asymmetric component of ∼5% of Io’s global heat flow or ∼5 × 10¹² W.     

Mars

Mars is the fourth planet out from the sun. It is a terrestrial planet with a density suggesting a composition roughly similar to that of the Earth. Its orbital period is 687 days, its orbital eccentricity is 0.093 and its rotational period is about 24 hours. Mars has two small moons of asteroidal shapes and sizes (about 11 and 6 km mean radius), the bigger of which, Phobos, orbits with decreasing semimajor orbit axis. The decrease of the orbit is caused by the dissipation of tidal energy in the Martian mantle. The other satellite, Deimos, orbits close to the synchronous position where the rotation period of a planet equals the orbital period of its satellite and has hardly evolved with time. Mars has a tenous atmosphere composed mostly of CO with strong winds and with large scale aeolian transport of surface material during dust storms and in sublimation-condensation cycles between the polar caps. The planet has a small magnetic field, probably not generated by dynamo action in the core but possibly due to remnant magnetization of crustal rock acquired earlier from a stronger magnetic field generated by a now dead core dynamo. A dynamo powered by thermal power alone would have ceased a few billions of years ago as the core cooled to an extent that it became stably stratified. Mars' topography and its gravity field are dominated by the Tharsis bulge, a huge dome of volcanic origin. Tharsis was the major center of volcanic activity, a second center is Elysium about 100° in longitude away. The Tharsis bulge is a major contributor to the non-hydrostaticity of the planet's figure. The moment of inertia factor together with the mass and the radius presently is the most useful constraint for geophysical models of the Martian interior. It has recently been determined by Doppler range measurements to the Mars Pathfinder Lander to be (Folkner et al. 1997). In addition, models of the interior structure use the chemistry of the SNC meteorites which are widely believed to have originated on Mars. According to the models, Mars is a differentiated planet with a 100 to 200 km thick basaltic crust, a metallic core with a radius of approximately half the planetary radius, and a silicate mantle. Mantle dynamics is essential in forming the elements of the surface tectonics. Models of mantle convection find that the pressure-induced phase transformations of -olivine to -spinel, -spinel to -spinel, and -spinel to perovskite play major roles in the evolution of mantle flow fields and mantle temperature. It is not very likely that the -spinel to perovskite transition is present in Mars today, but a few 100 km thick layer of perovskite may have been present in the lower mantle immediately above the core-mantle boundary early in the Martian history when mantle temperatures were hotter than today. The phase transitions act to reduce the number of upwellings to a few major plumes which is consistent with the bipolar distribution of volcanic centers of Mars. The phase transitions also cause a partial layering of the lower mantle which keeps the lower mantle and the core from extensive cooling over the past aeons. A relatively hot, fluid core is the most widely accepted explanation for the present lack of a self-generated magnetic field. Growth of an inner core which requires sub-liquidus temperatures in the core would have provided an efficient mechanism to power a dynamo up to the present day. Received 10 May 1997     

Polar wander on Mars: Evidence in the geoid

The geoid of Mars is dominated by its equilibrium figure and by the effect of the Tharsis rise. To investigate the rotational stability of Mars prior to the rise of Tharsis, we produced a residual non-hydrostatic geoid without Tharsis. First the hydrostatic component of the present-day flattening was removed. This procedure was performed using a 6% non-hydrostatic component of flattening, a value set by the spin axis precession rate of Mars. Then zonal spherical harmonics up to degree 6 centered on Tharsis were removed. Finally, the resultant residual geoid was evaluated for rotational stability by comparing polar and equatorial moments at 4050 trial pole positions. If the spin axis of ancient Mars was secularly stable, our analysis indicates that substantial polar wander has occurred with the rise of Tharsis. Stable spin axis positions on the non-hydrostatic residual figure of Mars are 15° to 90° from the present-day poles. This result is consistent with previously proposed paleopoles based on magnetic anomalies, geomorphology, and grazing impacts.     

Magnetic anomalies near Apollinaris Patera and the Medusae Fossae Formation in Lucus Planum, Mars

The nature of strong martian crustal field sources is investigated by mapping and modeling of Mars Global Surveyor magnetometer data near Apollinaris Patera, a previously proposed volcanic source, supplemented by large-scale correlative studies. Regional mapping yields evidence for positive correlations of orbital anomalies with both Apollinaris Patera and Lucus Planum, a nearby probable extrusive pyroclastic flow deposit that is mapped as part of the Medusae Fossae Formation. Iterative forward modeling of the Apollinaris Patera magnetic anomaly assuming a source model consisting of one or more uniformly magnetized near-surface disks indicates that the source is centered approximately on the construct with a scale size several times larger and comparable to that of the Apollinaris Patera free-air gravity anomaly. A significantly lower rms deviation is obtained using a two-disk model that favors a concentration of magnetization near the construct itself. Estimates for the dipole moment per unit area of the Lucus Planum source together with maximum thicknesses of ∼3 km based on topographic and radar sounding data lead to an estimated minimum magnetization intensity of ∼50 A/m within the pyroclastic deposits. Intensities of this magnitude are similar to those obtained experimentally for Fe-rich Mars analog basalts that cooled in an oxidizing (high fO₂) environment in the presence of a strong (?10 μT) surface field. Further evidence for the need for an oxidizing environment is provided by a broad spatial correlation of the locations of phyllosilicate exposures identified to date using Mars Express OMEGA data with areas containing strong crustal magnetic fields and valley networks in the Noachian-aged southern highlands. This indicates that the presence of liquid water, which is a major crustal oxidant, was an important factor in the formation of strong magnetic sources. The evidence discussed here for magnetic sources associated with relatively young volcanic units suggests that a martian dynamo existed during the late Noachian/early Hesperian, after the last major basin-forming impacts and the formation of the northern lowlands.     

Polar wander on Triton and Pluto due to volatile migration

Polar wander may occur on Triton and Pluto because of volatile migration. Triton, with its low obliquity, can theoretically sublimate volatiles (mostly nitrogen) at the rate of ∼10¹³ kg year⁻¹ from the equatorial regions and deposit them at the poles. Assuming Triton to be rigid on the sublimation timescale, after ∼10⁵ years the polar caps would become large enough to cancel the rotational flattening, with a total mass equivalent to a global layer ∼120-250 m in depth. At this point the pole wanders about the tidal bulge axis, which is the line joining Triton and Neptune. Rotation about the bulge axis might be expected to disturb the leading side/trailing side cratering statistics. Because no such disturbance is observed, it may be that Triton’s surface volatile inventory is too low to permit wander. On the other hand, its mantle viscosity might be low, so that any uncompensated cap load might be expected to wander toward the tidal bulge axis. In this case, the axis of wander passes through the equator from the leading side to the trailing side; rotation about this wander axis would not disturb the cratering statistics. Low-viscosity polar wander may explain the bright southern hemisphere: this is the pole which is wandering toward the sub-Neptune point. In any case the “permanent” polar caps may be geologically very young. Polar wander may possibly take place on Pluto, due to its obliquity oscillations and perihelion-pole geometry. However, Pluto is probably not experiencing any wander at present. The Sun has been shining strongly on the poles over the last half of the obliquity cycle, so that volatiles should migrate to the equator, stabilizing the planet against wander. Spacecraft missions to Triton and Pluto which measure the dynamical flattening could give information about the accumulation of volatiles at the poles. Such information is best obtained by measuring gravity and topography from orbiters, as was done for Mars with the highly successful Mars Global Surveyor.     

Ancient dorsa-related stresses of the tharsis region on Mars

Topographic information, surface structures and construction of the Martian Tharsis bulge are used to estimate the previous stresses across the low-lying peripheral margins of the crustal blocks in terms of simple compensation models. Hot mantle activity, crustal roots, isostasy, and late-stage extensive lithosphere thickening together with volcanic building have been in combined response to the high-elevated Tharsis bulge. The initial phases of the Tharsis building have been dominated by the mantle plume doming, followed by extrusional dome raising. The volcanism has been most important bulge building factor only after thickening of the crust. During the initial mantle-generated doming and igneous activity the thin-lithosphere block tectonics has been very important. There has been a compressional peripheral zone around the bulge giving rise to dorsa formation while the high bulge crests have been in tensional state. The situation may be favorable for comparative studies with other planets. We may have something to learn from this block tectonics on the one-plate planet Mars even in respect to the Earth's plate tectonic paradigm.On leave from Dept. of Astronomy, University of Oulu, Finland.     

Water clouds and dust aerosols observations with PFS MEX at Mars

Observations of water ice clouds and dust are among the main scientific goals of the Planetary Fourier Spectrometer (PFS), a payload instrument of the European Mars Express mission. We report some results, obtained in three orbits: 37, 41 and 68. The temperature profile, and dust and water ice cloud opacities are retrieved from the thermal infrared (long-wavelength channel of PFS) in a self-consistent way using the same spectrum. Orographic ice clouds are identified above Olympus (orbit 37) and Ascraeus Mons (orbit 68). Both volcanoes were observed near noon at Ls=337° and 342°, respectively. The effective radius of ice particles is preliminary estimated as 1-3 μm, changing along the flanks. The corresponding visual opacity changes in the interval 0.2-0.4 above Olympus and 0.1-0.6 above Ascraeus Mons. In the case of Ascraeus Mons, the ice clouds were observed mainly above the Southern flank of the volcano with maximum opacity near the summit. In the case of Olympus, the clouds were found above both sides of the top. A different type of ice cloud is observed at latitudes above 50°N (orbit 68) in the polar hood: the effective particle radius is estimated to be 4 μm. Below the 1 mb level an inversion in the temperature profiles is found with maximum temperature at around 0.6 mb. Along orbit 68 it appears above Alba Patera, then it increases to the north and decreases above the CO₂ polar cap. Beginning from latitude 20°S above Tharsis (orbit 68), the ice clouds and dust contribute equally to the spectral shape. Further on, the ice clouds are found everywhere along orbit 68 up to the Northern polar cap, except the areas between the Northern flank of Ascraeus Mons (below 10 km) and the edge of Alba Patera. Orbit 41 is shifted from the orbit 68 by roughly 180° longitude and passes through Hellas. Ice clouds are not visible in this orbit at latitudes below 80°S. The dust opacity is anticorrelated with the surface altitude. From 70°S to 25°N latitude the vertical dust distribution follows an exponential law with a scale height of 11.5±0.5 km, which corresponds to the gaseous scale height near noon and indicates a well-mixed condition. The 9 μm dust opacity, reduced to zero surface altitude, is found to be 0.25±0.05, which corresponds to a visual opacity of 0.5-0.7 (depending on the particle size).     

The volcanic history of Mars: High-resolution crater-based studies of the calderas of 20 volcanoes

Determining absolute surface ages for bodies in the Solar System is, at present, only possible for Earth and Moon with radiometric dating for both bodies and biologic proxies such as fossils for Earth. Relative ages through cratering statistics are recognized as one of the most reliable proxies for relative ages, calibrated by lunar geologic mapping and Apollo program sample returns. In this work, we have utilized the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter’s ConTeXt Camera’s images which provide the highest resolution wide-scale coverage of Mars to systematically crater-age-date the calderas of 20 of Mars’ largest volcanoes in order to constrain the length of time over which these volcanoes - and major volcanic activity on the planet, by extension - were active. This constitutes the largest uniform and comprehensive research on these features to date, eliminating unknown uncertainties by multiple researchers analyzing different volcanoes with varied data and methods. We confirm previous results that Mars has had active volcanism throughout most of its history although it varied spatially and temporally, with the latest large-scale caldera activity ending approximately 150 ma in the Tharsis region. We find a transition from explosive to effusive eruption style occurring in the Hesperian, at approximately 3.5 Ga ago, though different regions of the planet transitioned at different times. Since we were statistically complete in our crater counts to sizes as small as ∼60 m in most cases, we also used our results to study the importance of secondary cratering and its effects on crater size-frequency distributions within the small regions of volcanic calderas. We found that there is no “golden rule” for the diameters secondaries become important in crater counts of martian surfaces, with one volcano showing a classic field of secondaries ∼2 crater diameters from the center of its primary but not affecting the size-frequency distribution, and another clearly showing an influence but from no obvious primary.     

Comparison of PFS and TES observations of temperature and water vapor in the martian atmosphere

The interval from L_s = 330° in Mars Year (MY) 26 until L_s = 84° in MY 27 has been used to compare and validate measurements from the Mars Global Surveyor Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES) and the Mars Express Planetary Fourier Spectrometer (PFS). We studied differences between atmospheric temperatures observed by the two instruments. The best agreement between atmospheric temperatures was found at 50 Pa between 40°S and 40°N latitude, where differences were within ±5 K. For other atmospheric levels, differences as large as ∼25 K were observed between the two instruments at some locations. The largest temperature differences occurred mainly over the Hellas Planitia, Argyre Planitia, Tharsis and Valles Marineris regions.On this basis we report on the variability of the martian atmosphere during the 5.5 martian years of Mars climatology obtained by combining the two data sets from TES and PFS. Atmospheric temperatures at 50 Pa responded to the global-scale dust storms of MY 25 and in MY 28 raising temperatures from ∼220 K to ∼250 K during the daytime. An atmospheric temperature of ∼140 K at 50 Pa was observed poleward of 70°N during northern winter and poleward of 60°S during southern winter each year in both the PFS and TES results. Water vapor observed by the two spectrometers showed consistent seasonal and latitudinal variations.