How the Martian Residual South Polar Cap Develops Quasi-Circular and Heart-Shaped Pits, Troughs, and Moats

• Published in: Icarus
• Main Authors: Buhler, Peter B., Ingersoll, Andrew P., Ehlmann, Bethany L., Fassett, Caleb I., Head, James W.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: Elsevier 2017
• Subjects: Titus; Ice cap
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.icarus.2017.01.012

The martian Residual South Polar Cap (RSPC) is a 1-10 m thick deposit of permanent CO_2 ice perched on the much larger H_2O ice cap. The CO_2 ice is dissected into mesas by erosional landforms that can be broadly classified as (i) quasi-circular pits, (ii) heart-shaped pits, (iii) linear troughs, an...