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Mars: Nature and evolution of young latitude‐dependent water‐ice‐rich mantle
Author(s) -
Kreslavsky M. A.,
Head J. W.
Publication year - 2002
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 - 10.1029/2002gl015392
Subject(s) - geology , latitude , mars exploration program , amazonian , sedimentary rock , mantle (geology) , paleontology , astrobiology , amazon rainforest , geodesy , ecology , physics , biology
High‐resolution altimetry and imaging have revealed the presence of a meters‐thick sedimentary layer at middle to high northern and southern latitudes presently covering at least 23% of the planet. The layer is interpreted to be water‐ice‐rich, and to undergone degradation recently. Its activity very likely coincided with the last major obliquity excursion a few hundred thousand years ago. The majority of the layer at higher latitudes, however, persisted for a much longer time in the Late Amazonian. Stratigraphic analysis suggests a complex history of successive episodes of deposition and removal. Repeated deposition and removal of the mantles are interpreted to be responsible for the unusual statistical properties of kilometer‐scale topography in the transitional mid‐latitude zones.