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SHARAD detection and characterization of subsurface water ice deposits in Utopia Planitia, Mars
Author(s) -
Stuurman C. M.,
Osinski G. R.,
Holt J. W.,
Levy J. S.,
Brothers T. C.,
Kerrigan M.,
Campbell B. A.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1002/2016gl070138
Subject(s) - geology , mars exploration program , ground penetrating radar , radar , water ice , terrain , expansive , geomorphology , astrobiology , telecommunications , ecology , physics , compressive strength , materials science , computer science , composite material , biology
Morphological analyses of Utopia Planitia, Mars, have led to the hypothesis that the region contains a substantial amount of near‐surface ice. This paper tests this hypothesis using ground‐penetrating radar techniques. We have identified an expansive radar reflective region spanning approximately 375,000 km 2 in SHAllow RADar (SHARAD) data over western Utopia Planitia. The SHARAD reflective regions coincides with high densities of scalloped depressions and polygonal terrain. The reflectors are associated with layered mesas ∼80–170 m thick. We find a value of 2.8 ± 0.8 for the dielectric constant of the material overlying the reflectors. This work finds that the dielectric constant is consistent with a mixture of ice, air, and dust, containing a water ice volume up to 14,300 km 3 in this unit.