Martian phase function: Modeling the visible to near-infrared surface photometric function using HST-WFPC2 data

Images of Mars in the visible to near-infrared acquired from 1996 to 2005 using the Hubble Space Telescope WFPC2 have been used to model the martian surface photometric function at 502, 673, 953, and 1042 nm. These data range in spatial resolution from 12 to 70 km/pixel at the sub-Earth point, and in phase angle coverage from 0.34° to 40.5°. The WFPC2 images have been calibrated to radiance factor or I/F and projected to a cylindrical map for coregistration and comparison to similarly mapped spacecraft data sets of albedo, topography, thermal inertia, composition, and geology. We modeled the observed I/F as a function of phase angle using Minnaert, Lambert, lunar-Lambert, and Hapke photometric functions for numerous regions of interest binned into albedo units defined by Viking and TES albedo maps, and thermal-inertia units defined by TES thermal-inertia maps. Visibly opaque water-ice clouds and data acquired under high dust opacity conditions were excluded from the analysis. Our modeling suggests that under average to low atmospheric dust opacity conditions and over this range of phase angles, the photometric properties of the martian surface at 502, 673, 953, and 1042 nm are best modeled by lunar-Lambert functions with parameters derived for three surface units defined by low, moderate, and high TES bolometric albedos.     

Valleys on Hecates Tholus, Mars: origin by basal melting of summit snowpack

Valley networks observed on the martian surface are found mostly on Noachian-aged highlands units, but a few occur on younger volcanic edifices. Enigmatically, they do not occur on all younger volcanoes of similar age or location. Using new data, we reanalyze the radially arrayed valleys on the flanks of Hecates Tholus, a Hesperian-aged shield volcano, and test the hypothesis that these valleys might have formed via basal melting of summit snowpack. We find that magmatic intrusions with reasonable geometries provide sufficient heat flux to cause basal melting of snowpack, with the resulting meltwater interpreted to be responsible for incision of the observed valleys. Valley morphology is similar to valleys observed adjacent to seasonally melting Antarctic Dry Valley glaciers formed on comparable slopes, supporting the hypothesis of a snowmelt origin. These relatively young valley networks are thus plausibly interpreted to form under circumstances in which summit snow accumulation was melted during one or more episodes of high localized heat flux.     

Origin and characteristics of the Mars north polar basal unit and implications for polar geologic history

Building upon previous studies, we have used Mars Orbiter Camera and Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter data to characterize in detail the newly discovered north polar basal unit. Lying stratigraphically between the polar layered deposits, from which it is likely separated by an unconformity, and the Vastitas Borealis Formation, this unit has introduced new complexity into north polar stratigraphy and has important implications for polar history. Exposures of the basal unit in Olympia Planitia and Chasma Boreale reveal relatively dark layers which exhibit differential erosion. Eroded primarily by wind, the basal unit may be the major if not sole source for the north polar dunes and ergs and has contributed material to the lower polar cap layers. We investigate four possible origins for the basal unit (outflow channel/oceanic deposits, basal ice, paleopolar deposits, and eolian deposits). The patchy layering within the unit, its likely sandy grain size, and presence only in the north polar basin suggest that it is primarily an eolian deposit, supporting Byrne and Murray's 2002 earlier conclusion. This implies that at some time during the Early to Late Amazonian, migrating sand was mixed with water ice, forming a relatively dark, sandy deposit. During this time, either no classic polar layered deposits were forming or smaller caps were growing and shrinking, possibly adding material to the basal unit.     

Planetary accretion,oxygen isotopes,and the central limit theorem

Abstract— The accumulation of presolar dust into increasingly larger aggregates such as calcium‐aluminum‐rich inclusions (CAIs) and chondrules, asteroids, and planets should result in a drastic reduction in the numerical spread in oxygen isotopic composition between bodies of similar size, in accord with the central limit theorem. Observed variations in oxygen isotopic composition are many orders of magnitude larger than would be predicted by a simple, random accumulation model that begins in a well‐mixed nebula, no matter what size objects are used as the beginning or end points of the calculation. This discrepancy implies either that some as yet unspecified but relatively long‐lived process acted on the solids in the solar nebula to increase the spread in oxygen isotopic composition during each and every stage of accumulation, or that the nebula was heterogeneous (at least in oxygen) and maintained this heterogeneity throughout most of its nebular history. Depending on its origin, large‐scale nebular heterogeneity could have significant consequences for many areas of cosmochemistry, including the application of well‐known isotopic systems to the dating of nebular events and the prediction of bulk compositions of planetary bodies on the basis of a uniform cosmic abundance. The evidence supports a scenario wherein the oxygen isotopic composition of nebular solids becomes progressively depleted in ¹⁶O with time due to chemical processing within the nebula, rather than a scenario where ¹⁶O‐rich dust and other materials are injected into the nebula, possibly causing its initial collapse.     

Morphology and origin of palimpsests on Ganymede based on Galileo observations

Palimpsests are large, circular, low-relief impact scars on Ganymede and Callisto. These structures were poorly understood based on Voyager-era analysis, but high-resolution Galileo images allow more detailed inspection. We analyze images of four Ganymedean palimpsests targeted by Galileo: Memphis and Buto Faculae, Epigeus, and Zakar. Ganymedean craters and Europan ring structures are used as tools to help better understand palimpsests, based on morphologic similarities. From analysis of Galileo images, palimpsests consist of four surface units: central plains, an unoriented massif facies, a concentric massif facies, and outer deposits. Using as a tie point the location in these structures where secondary craters begin to appear, outer deposits of palimpsests are analogous to the outer ejecta facies of craters; the concentric massif facies of palimpsests are analogous to the pedestal facies of craters; and the unoriented massif facies and central plains are analogous to crater interiors. These analogies are supported by the presence of buried preexisting structure beneath the outer two and absence of buried structure beneath the inner two units. Our observations indicate that palimpsest deposits represent fluidized impact ejecta, rather than cryovolcanic deposits or ancient crater interiors.     

Shock features in iron-nickel metal and troilite of L-group ordinary chondrites

Abstract— Shock metamorphic features in opaque minerals (FeNi metal and troilite) of 22 L chondrites have been studied petrographically and geochemically in an attempt to establish a connection between the present silicate-based shock classification scheme (Stöffler et al., 1991) and the peak-shock and postshock thermal history recorded in these minerals. Unshocked to weakly shocked (S1–S3) L chondrites contain FeNi metal and troilite that display textures related to normal, slow cooling. They may also contain rare disequilibrium shock features, which suggest localized departures from equilibrium shock conditions. Above shock stage S3, selected melting of FeNi metal and troilite produces melt droplets whose composition and abundance correspond to the maximum equilibrium shock state achieved by the sample. At these higher shock levels, the abundance of other shock-induced features, such as polycrystalline kamacite, sheared and fizzed troilite, coarse-grained pearlitic plessite, polycrystalline troilite, and polymineralic melt veins serve as textural criteria that can be used to establish peak-shock conditions. Minimum postshock temperatures obtained from analyses of plessite components show a systematic increase in temperature with an increase in shock stage, thereby providing additional information about the postshock thermal histories of L chondrites. At the highest shock levels recorded in L chondrites (S6 and above), melting and chemical homogenization of FeNi metal produces flattened Ni profiles that may partially to completely obscure any evidence for an earlier, slow-cooling history. All of these features serve as aids for shock classifying L chondrites as well as for quantifying minimum peak temperatures that resulted during shock metamorphism.     

Are small diamonds thermodynamically stable in the interstellar medium?

Very small diamond particles (50 Å diameter) are shown to be thermodynamically stable with respect to similar sized graphite particles for reasonable values of the surface free energies of diamond and graphite. Small diamonds are likely to be stable against both thermal evaporation and chemical attack in the general interstellar medium. A few of the consequences of these conclusions are examined.     

Quaternary eolian dunes in the Savannah River valley,Jasper County,South Carolina,USA

Sand hills in the Savannah River valley in Jasper County (South Carolina, USA) are interpreted as the remnants of parabolic eolian dunes composed of sand derived from the Savannah River and stabilized by vegetation under prevailing climate conditions. Optically stimulated luminescence ages reveal that most of the dunes were active ca. 40 to 19 ka ago, coincident with the last glacial maximum (LGM) through early deglaciation. Modern surface winds are not sufficient for sustained eolian sand transport. When the dunes were active, winds blew at velocities of at least 4 m/s from west to east, and some vegetation was present. The ratio of annual precipitation to potential evapotranspiration (P:PE) was less than the modern ratio of 1.23 and may have been < 0.30, caused by stronger winds (which would have resulted in greater evaporation) and/or reduced precipitation. The Savannah River dunes are part of a larger assemblage of eolian dunes that were active in the eastern United States during and immediately after the LGM, suggesting that eolian sediment behavior in this region has been controlled by regional forcing mechanisms during the Quaternary.     

Petrology and oxygen isotopes of NWA 5492, a new metal‐rich chondrite

Abstract– Northwest Africa 5492 is a new metal‐rich chondrite breccia that may represent a new oxygen reservoir and new chondrite parent body. It has some textural similarities to CB and CH chondrites, but silicates are more reduced, sulfides are more common and not associated with metal, and metal compositions differ from CB and CH chondrites. Oxygen isotope ratios indicate that Northwest Africa (NWA) 5492 components (chondrules and lithic fragments) formed in at least two different oxygen reservoirs. The more common, and presumably host, component plots in a region above the terrestrial fractionation line, below ordinary chondrite compositions, and just above enstatite chondrites in 3‐oxygen space. The only other chondritic materials that plot in this region are chondrules from the Grosvenor Mountains (GRO) 95551 ungrouped metal‐rich chondrite. The other rare component plots near the CR, CB, and CH chondrites. Based on petrologic characteristics and oxygen isotopic compositions, NWA 5492 appears to be related to the ungrouped metal‐rich GRO 95551 chondrite.