A Polygonal Terrain on Southern Martian Polar Cap: Implications for Its Formation Mechanism
Polygonal terrains on a Martian southern polar cap have been observed in high-resolution images by the Mars Orbiter Camera. However, their formation mechanism is enigmatic due to the lack of constraints from their geometric and physical properties. Here we proposed a series of recognition procedures...
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ftmdpi:oai:mdpi.com:/2072-4292/14/22/5789/ 2023-08-20T04:07:10+02:00 A Polygonal Terrain on Southern Martian Polar Cap: Implications for Its Formation Mechanism Lei Zhang Yang Lu Jinhai Zhang agris 2022-11-16 application/pdf https://doi.org/10.3390/rs14225789 EN eng Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute Environmental Remote Sensing https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/rs14225789 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Remote Sensing; Volume 14; Issue 22; Pages: 5789 polygonal terrain Mars southern polar cap formation mechanism gravity-driven plastic deformation and creep Text 2022 ftmdpi https://doi.org/10.3390/rs14225789 2023-08-01T07:22:12Z Polygonal terrains on a Martian southern polar cap have been observed in high-resolution images by the Mars Orbiter Camera. However, their formation mechanism is enigmatic due to the lack of constraints from their geometric and physical properties. Here we proposed a series of recognition procedures on an image of polygonal terrain located at Australe Scopuli taken by a High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment. Then, we quantitatively analyzed the areas, orientations and polygon edge densities (~0.10 to ~0.06 in different subregions) of the polygonal terrain. Based on the recognition results, three elevation-related subregions can be distinguished according to the distributions of polygon size and orientation. The two side subregions distribute relatively small and relatively large polygons, respectively. The middle subregion can be regarded as an intermediate zone along the slope (~1°). The intermediate zone is squeezed by the surrounding polygons, indicating a possible uplift or subsidence on previous or present Mars. This paper found a possible formation mechanism of the polygonal terrain located at the south pole of Mars, suggesting that polar-ice-cap polygons are formed during the process of lateral sliding gravity-driven plastic creep and the deformation of ice, with the polygon boundaries being reshaped during the alignment at high slopes and partially compressed at low slopes. These properties and possible formation mechanisms could provide more constraints on understanding ancient and/or present climates on Mars. Text Ice cap South pole MDPI Open Access Publishing South Pole Remote Sensing 14 22 5789 |
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MDPI Open Access Publishing |
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English |
topic |
polygonal terrain Mars southern polar cap formation mechanism gravity-driven plastic deformation and creep |
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polygonal terrain Mars southern polar cap formation mechanism gravity-driven plastic deformation and creep Lei Zhang Yang Lu Jinhai Zhang A Polygonal Terrain on Southern Martian Polar Cap: Implications for Its Formation Mechanism |
topic_facet |
polygonal terrain Mars southern polar cap formation mechanism gravity-driven plastic deformation and creep |
description |
Polygonal terrains on a Martian southern polar cap have been observed in high-resolution images by the Mars Orbiter Camera. However, their formation mechanism is enigmatic due to the lack of constraints from their geometric and physical properties. Here we proposed a series of recognition procedures on an image of polygonal terrain located at Australe Scopuli taken by a High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment. Then, we quantitatively analyzed the areas, orientations and polygon edge densities (~0.10 to ~0.06 in different subregions) of the polygonal terrain. Based on the recognition results, three elevation-related subregions can be distinguished according to the distributions of polygon size and orientation. The two side subregions distribute relatively small and relatively large polygons, respectively. The middle subregion can be regarded as an intermediate zone along the slope (~1°). The intermediate zone is squeezed by the surrounding polygons, indicating a possible uplift or subsidence on previous or present Mars. This paper found a possible formation mechanism of the polygonal terrain located at the south pole of Mars, suggesting that polar-ice-cap polygons are formed during the process of lateral sliding gravity-driven plastic creep and the deformation of ice, with the polygon boundaries being reshaped during the alignment at high slopes and partially compressed at low slopes. These properties and possible formation mechanisms could provide more constraints on understanding ancient and/or present climates on Mars. |
format |
Text |
author |
Lei Zhang Yang Lu Jinhai Zhang |
author_facet |
Lei Zhang Yang Lu Jinhai Zhang |
author_sort |
Lei Zhang |
title |
A Polygonal Terrain on Southern Martian Polar Cap: Implications for Its Formation Mechanism |
title_short |
A Polygonal Terrain on Southern Martian Polar Cap: Implications for Its Formation Mechanism |
title_full |
A Polygonal Terrain on Southern Martian Polar Cap: Implications for Its Formation Mechanism |
title_fullStr |
A Polygonal Terrain on Southern Martian Polar Cap: Implications for Its Formation Mechanism |
title_full_unstemmed |
A Polygonal Terrain on Southern Martian Polar Cap: Implications for Its Formation Mechanism |
title_sort |
polygonal terrain on southern martian polar cap: implications for its formation mechanism |
publisher |
Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute |
publishDate |
2022 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.3390/rs14225789 |
op_coverage |
agris |
geographic |
South Pole |
geographic_facet |
South Pole |
genre |
Ice cap South pole |
genre_facet |
Ice cap South pole |
op_source |
Remote Sensing; Volume 14; Issue 22; Pages: 5789 |
op_relation |
Environmental Remote Sensing https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/rs14225789 |
op_rights |
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3390/rs14225789 |
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Remote Sensing |
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14 |
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22 |
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5789 |
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1774718626590359552 |