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Medusae Fossae Formation: New Perspectives From Mars Global Surveyor, Bethany Bradley, S. E.H Sakimoto, H. Frey, J. R. Zimbelman
Medusae Fossae Formation: New Perspectives From Mars Global Surveyor, Bethany Bradley, S. E.H Sakimoto, H. Frey, J. R. Zimbelman
Bethany Bradley
The nature and origin of the Medusae Fossae Formation (MFF) on Mars has been debated since the return of the first Viking images. The MFF's young age, distinctive surface texture, and lack of obvious source have prompted multiple hypotheses for its origin. This study uses data from the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) mission to examine the MFF at all available scales. We discuss and quantify observations from Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) topography and Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) images to better constrain the origin of the MFF. Topographic grid estimates yield a present extent of 2.1 × 106 km2 and …