Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Data From: Interweaving Recurring Slope Lineae On Mars: Do They Support A Wet Hypothesis?, Daniel P. Mason, Louis A. Scuderi

Earth and Planetary Sciences Faculty and Staff Publications

This is a metadata only access point for the referenced dataset hosted in the Dryad data repository. The following abstract relates to the dataset that is available through Dryad.

Included in these supplementary materials is a manuscript citation and manuscript keywords for the manuscript “Interweaving Recurring Slope Lineae on Mars: Do They Support a Wet Hypothesis?”, as submitted to the scientific journal Icarus. Also included are two JP2 image files, a digital terrain model (DTM) file, two shapefiles, and forty-eight CSV files that all collectively detail data relating to channel counts and sinuosity measurements for Martian hillslope features known as …

Comparative Lineament And Geomorphic Analysis Of Chaotic Terrains And Noctis Labyrinthus, Mars, Sarah A. Walton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Noctis Labyrinthus (NL) is an extensional trough network connecting the Tharsis rise and Valles Marineris on Mars. Chaotic terrains are a group of polygonally-fractured surface features commonly associated with subsidence due to rapid fluid loss within the subsurface. Polygonal surface patterns are seen at both sites, where geometric topographic highs are bounded by low troughs. Lineaments, topography, and geomorphology of NL and chaotic terrains were analyzed to determine tectonics and fluid influence in the formation and evolution of both sites. NL shows preferential fracture patterns associated with regional extension. Lineaments within chaotic terrains do not show cumulative preferential trends but …

Integrating Remote And In-Situ Techniques To Quantify Landscape Evolution, Matthew Maclay

Dartmouth College Master’s Theses

With the increasing availability and resolution of remote sensing techniques, the resulting data products are increasingly being applied to answer societally relevant questions regarding quantifying the effects of climate change, mitigating natural hazards, and understanding landscape changes over varying temporal and spatial scales. While the power and potential for such large-scale, efficient, and cost-effective surveys are undeniable, a thorough understanding of any environment requires that remotely sensed data are ground-truthed or put into context with in-situ observations. In this thesis, Chapter 1 presents a literature review of Martian analog sites and discusses the importance of integrating in-situ and remote sensing …

Delineating A Stream Network At Gale Crater, Mars, On Arcgis Pro: A Geographic Information Systems Approach, Elpidio Guzman De La Cruz

West Chester University Master’s Theses

The northwestern region of the Gale crater experienced flooding in the past. Delineation of stream networks for the northwestern region of Gale Crater, Mars employing geographic information systems (GIS) techniques is applied. The stream network produced by the algorithm in the study traverses the clay unit in Gediz Vallis, and visual HiRISE imagery analysis correlates with a topologic cross section of an inverted river channel of 750 meters wide and 90 meters deep. HiRISE imagery analysis further confirms a sulfate and clay stratigraphic unit in a stream 125 meters wide and 25 meters deep. Lastly, data smoothing procedures in the …

A Comparison Of Relict And Active Terrestrial Patterned Ground As An Analog For Mars, John Paul Knightly Jr.

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Patterned ground is a ubiquitous landform in periglacial regions of Earth and is also present across the mid to high latitudes of Mars. The association of terrestrial patterned ground to the presence of subsurface water ice in the form of permafrost that develops a seasonal ‘wet’ active layer during the summer thaw prompted further investigation of patterned ground on Mars. The Phoenix spacecraft was sent to the surface of the north polar plains of Mars to investigate an area of patterned ground where water ice was predicted to occur. The confirmation of subsurface water ice at the Phoenix landing site …

Four Decades Of Understanding Martian Geomorphology: Revisiting Baker's "The Geomorphology Of Mars", Anshuman Bhardwaj, Lydia Sam, Saeideh Gharehchahi

Research, Publications & Creative Work

Owing to multiple successful orbiter and rover missions in the past two and half decades, our understanding of the Martian atmosphere, terrain, and subsurface has continuously evolved. This prompts the need to revisit the first holistic review of Martian geomorphology based on useful images from Viking Mission orbiters, authored by Prof. Victor R. Baker. Several of the remote sensing-based interpretations and recommendations in Baker’s (1981) paper are as valid even today as they were four decades back. With an unprecedented focus on Mars exploration in the coming decades, it is important to briefly revisit the advances and prospects in Martian …

Mineralogy Of Aeolian Deposits In Gale Crater, Mars: The Bagnold Dunes To Glen Torridon, Eleanor Moreland

Senior Honors Papers / Undergraduate Theses

We select four sand deposits along the traverse of the Curiosity rover to evaluate the spatial distribution of mineralogy and grain size. While extensive work has focused on characterizing the Bagnold Dunes in-situ and from orbit, less attention has been given to deposits south of the Vera Rubin Ridge (VRR). Overall, our results illustrate a compositional dichotomy among aeolian deposits, separated by the VRR. Initial investigations of hyperspectral data from the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) show differences in the long wavelength spectral features and absolute reflectance measurements for the deposit south of the Bagnold Dunes. The southern …

Late Amazonian Wind Regimes And Landscape Evolution In Northern Meridiani Planum, Mars, Thomas Stritch

Geology: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

Aeolian process have dominated the lower latitudes of Mars for billions of years. Aeolian landforms can act as records of current and past climates and landscape evolution processes. The etched deposits of Meridiani Planum, a vast suite of layered bedrock extending from southwest Arabia Terra to Schiaparelli crater, have long been noted to have been eroded by aeolian processes. However, little detailed work on the aeolian landforms of Meridiani Planum beyond the Opportunity rover landing site has been done. In this study, I examine wind streaks, aeolian bedforms (including dunes and large ripples), and yardangs in a valley about 370 …

Characterizing Ice-Wedge Polygon Geomorphology In The Haughton Impact Structure, Devon Island, Jordan Hawkswell

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Ice-wedge polygon networks are a common feature in periglacial environments formed through thermal contraction cracking and snowmelt infiltration. Polygons of similar morphology are ubiquitous throughout the mid-latitudes of Mars and are believed to have formed through thermal contraction processes. This study aims to characterize the polygons on Devon Island in the Canadian Arctic and the significant variations in geomorphology they display. The study uses LiDAR data to map, analyse, and compare three sites of polygonal terrain. Variations in polygon morphology such as size and orthogonality are observed in the relatively small study area. The results show that polygon morphologic variations …

The Periglacial Landscape Of Mars: Insight Into The 'Decameter-Scale Rimmed Depressions' In Utopia Planitia, Arya Bina

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Currently, Mars appears to be in a ‘frozen’ and ‘dry’ state, with the clear majority of the planet’s surface maintaining year-round sub-zero temperatures. However, the discovery of features consistent with landforms found in periglacial environments on Earth, suggests a climate history for Mars that may have involved freeze and thaw cycles. Such landforms include hummocky, polygonised, scalloped, and pitted terrains, as well as ice-rich deposits and gullies, along the mid- to high-latitude bands, typically with no lower than 20o N/S. The detection of near-surface and surface ice via the Phoenix lander, excavation of ice via recent impact cratering activity as …

The Role Of Co2 Sublimation In Mass Wasting And Landscape Evolution Under Martian Conditions, Matthew Edwin Sylvest

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Here we present the first set of laboratory experiments under martian atmospheric conditions which demonstrate that the sublimation of CO2 ice from within the sediment body can trigger failure of unconsolidated, regolith slopes, and can measurably alter the landscape. Previous theoretical studies required CO2 slab ice for movements, but we find that only frost is required. Hence, sediment transport by CO2 sublimation could be more widely applicable (in space and time) on Mars than previously thought. This supports recent work suggesting CO2 sublimation could be responsible for recent modification in martian gullies.

A second set of experiments were carried out …

A Quantitative Analysis Of The Fretted Terrain Valleys, Arabia Terra, Mars, Kelsey Anne Mason

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Fretted terrain describes regions on Mars with low-lying, flat valleys separated by steep cliffs that often form polygonal-shaped mesas. The fretted terrain valleys have a morphology distinct from other valleys found on Mars, and their unknown origin may hold insights into critical questions about Mars' tectonic, magmatic, and hydrologic history. Current hypoThesis for the formation of the fretted terrain include fracturing as well as hydrological flow processes such as fluvial or glacial erosion. The region for this study is located in eastern Arabia Terra and is the type-location for fretted terrain. By qualitatively and quantitatively documenting the planform, or map-view, …

Martian Gully Formation And Evolution: Studies From The Local To Global Scale, Tanya Nicole Harrison

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Gullies in the mid- and high-latitudes of Mars were first observed in Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) images in 1997. Appearing to be geologically young, they quickly became a feature of interest due to the implication of liquid water in their formation based on distinct morphological characteristics including incised channels, many exhibiting features indicative of fluid flow. However, the temperature and pressure conditions on the surface of Mars during its most recent geologic era have not been conducive to sustaining water in the liquid phase for extended periods of time; therefore, a number of “wet” (water-related) and …

Morphological And Structural Mapping Of The Oudemans Impact Crater Layered Central Uplift, Mars, Bahareh Kasmai

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Central uplifts in large meteorite impact craters provide valuable information about the subsurface geology of planetary bodies. Compared to impact craters on Earth, Martian central uplifts can be well exposed and can be mapped in detail by using satellite imagery. Central uplifts preserve morphological and structural features formed as result of the combination of emplacement during the impact process, post impact modification, and erosion over time. In this study, the Oudemans Crater central uplift (the largest central uplift with layers on Mars) was investigated. Oudemans (9.89 S, 268.1 E) is 124 km in diameter and is located in the Sinai …

Remote Exploration: Understanding Martian Surface Processes, Sarah M. Bass, Virginia C. Gulick, Natalie Glines, Patrick Freeman

STAR Program Research Presentations

Earth and Mars share many similar physical features, including canyons, valleys, craters, volcanoes, ice, and gullies. My research focuses on two distinct projects. The first concentrates on the formation of gullies, which are channel networks generally formed on mid-latitude crater walls on Mars. Debated gully-forming processes include the melting of snowpacks, sublimation of accumulated carbon dioxide frost, melting of snow-rich dusty mantle material, and groundwater flows. Using High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) images of gullies and working with Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) in ENVI, we are able to perform detailed studies of gully morphology, including volume calculations using slope, …

Martian Dune Fields: Aeolian Activity, Morphology, Sediment Pathways, And Provenance, Matthew Chojnacki

Doctoral Dissertations

Wind has likely been the dominant geologic agent for most of Mars’ history. The wide-spread nature of sand dunes there shows that near-surface winds have commonly interacted with plentiful mobile sediments. Early studies of these dunes suggested minimal activity, dominantly unidirectional simple dune morphologies, and little variations in basaltic sand compositions. This dissertation examines martian sand dunes and aeolian systems, in terms of their activity, morphologies, thermophysical properties, sand compositions, geologic contexts, and source-lithologies using new higher-resolution orbital data. Although previous evidence for contemporary dune activity has been limited, results presented in Chapter II show substantial activity in Endeavour Crater, …

The Periglacial Landscape Of Utopia Planitia; Geologic Evidence For Recent Climate Change On Mars., Mary C. Kerrigan

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The northern plains of Utopia Planitia, Mars, hosts an abundance of potential periglacial landforms including scalloped depressions, gullies, and polygon networks. This research was undertaken to investigate the distribution and stratigraphy of scalloped depressions in Utopia Planitia and to reconstruct the past environment in which this periglacial landscape formed. To that end, a revised geologic map of the region has been produced. We define, for the first time, a new Periglacial Unit, the youngest geologic unit in Utopia Planitia. We have also developed a model for the formation and evolution of the periglacial landscape examined by assessing the use of …

Experimental Simulations Of Dark Slope Streaks On Mars, Kelly Howe

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Martian slope streaks were first observed in Viking images but their formation still remains ambiguous. Martian slope streaks are currently occurring geological phenomenon on Mars, which requires any formation theory to be in agreement with Mar's current temperature and pressure conditions. Planar morphology of martian slope streaks suggest a potential fluvial formation, but current conditions on Mars are not conducive to water remaining liquid long enough to erode the surface. Debris flows, fluid stains and dry dust avalanches have all been previously cited as a potential formation mechanism for martian slope streaks. Recent experimental simulations indicate that a fluvial source …

An Evaluation Of The History Of Aqueous Activity On Mars Through A Survey Of Select Hypothesized Martian Deltas And Paleolakes Via The Analysis Of Mineralogy, Morphology, And Thermophysical Properties, Andrea C.G. Hughes

Masters Theses

Aqueous deposits are an essential key to understanding the geologic/climatic history of water on Mars. The Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM), High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE), and Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) have enabled studies of Martian fan deposits in unprecedented detail, including the identification of hydrated minerals (such as phyllosilicates, carbonates, and sulfates) and morphologies consistent with formation in an aqueous environment associated with Martian sedimentary deposits. In this study, twenty-six previously identified fan-shaped deposits (hypothesized as possible deltas) have been examined for hydrated minerals in the beds and distal regions of the deposits. Six deposits …