Surface topographic impact of subglacial water beneath the south polar ice cap of Mars ...
Bright radar reflections observed at the Ultimi Scopuli region of Mars’ south polar layered deposits (SPLD) by the Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionosphere Sounding (MARSIS) instrument have been interpreted as the signature of areas of subglacial water beneath it. However, other studies put...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Nature Research
2022
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://dx.doi.org/10.17863/cam.87621 https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/340196 |
| Summary: | Bright radar reflections observed at the Ultimi Scopuli region of Mars’ south polar layered deposits (SPLD) by the Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionosphere Sounding (MARSIS) instrument have been interpreted as the signature of areas of subglacial water beneath it. However, other studies put forward alternative explanations that do not imply the presence of liquid water. Here we shed light on the issue by looking at the surface topography of the region. On Earth, reduced or absent basal friction, and consequent ice velocity changes, cause a distinct topographic signature over subglacial lakes. Using Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter |(MOLA) data, we identify and characterise an anomaly in the surface topography of the SPLD overlying the area of the putative lakes, similar to those found above terrestrial subglacial lakes of similar size. Ice flow model results suggest comparable topographic anomalies form within 0.5 – 1.5 Myr with locally elevated geothermal heating or 2 – 5 Myr without elevated ... |
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