Permafrost on Mars: distribution, formation, and geological role

• Main Author: Nummedal, D.
• Format: Other/Unknown Material
• Language: unknown
• Published: 1984
• Subjects: 91; Ice; permafrost
• Online Access: http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19840015438

The morphology of channels, valleys, chaotic and fretted terrains and many smaller features on Mars is consistent with the hypothesis that localized deterioration of thick layers of ice-rich permafrost was a dominant geologic process on the Martian surface. Such ground ice deterioration gave rise to large-scale mass movement, including sliding, slumping and sediment gravity flowage, perhaps also catastropic floods. In contrast to Earth, such mass movement processes on Mars lack effective competition from erosion by surface runoff. Therefore, Martian features due to mass movement grew to reach immense size without being greatly modified by secondary erosional processes. The Viking Mission to Mars in 1976 provided adequate measurements of the relevant physical parameters to constrain models for Martian permafrost.