Formation and evolution of periglacial landforms under global warming : comparison Earth-Mars

• Main Author: Séjourné, Antoine
• Other Authors: Interactions et dynamique des environnements de surface (IDES), Université Paris-Sud - Paris 11 (UP11)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université Paris Sud - Paris XI, François Costard
• Format: Doctoral or Postdoctoral Thesis
• Language: French
• Published: HAL CCSD 2011
• Subjects: Remote sensing; Planetology; Mars; Periglacial; Geology; Permafrost; Pergélisol; Planétologie; Télédétection; Géologie; Périglaciaires; [SDU.STU]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences; Mackenzie River; Canada; Mackenzie Delta; Ice; Mackenzie river; permafrost; Thermokarst; Yakutia; pergélisol; Siberia
• Online Access: https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00713531; https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00713531/document; https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00713531/file/VA_SI_journI_Antoine_02122011.pdf

On Earth, periglacial regions where an ice-rich permafrost is present provide a record of global climate changes. For example, the ice-rich permafrost (50-80 % of ice by volume) that occurs in Central Yakutia (Siberia) and in the Mackenzie River Delta (Canada) was formed during the glacial periods of the Pleistocene. This permafrost was subsequently degraded during global warming at the early Holocene interglacial period.Global and possibly ice-rich permafrost occurs on Mars as well. It is thought to be the product of obliquity-driven and relatively recent global climate change (i.e. dozens of Ma). Utopia Planitia, situated in the northern mid-latitudes, is dotted with possible periglacial landforms (scalloped depressions, polygons and polygon-junction pits) that could indicate the presence of an ice-rich permafrost. Similarly to Earth, this permafrost could be marker of recent global climate changes.This thesis focuses on the impact of global climate changes on the periglacial regions of Earth and Mars. With this aim in view, we conducted (i) field studies of the periglacial processes and landforms in the Central Yakutia (Siberia) and in the Mackenzie River Delta (Canada) and, (ii) a geomorphological study (based on high-resolution images) of the putative-periglacial landforms of Utopia Planitia.Our study shows that the assemblage of landforms in Utopia Planitia share traits of form, scale and spatial association with the landforms of the Central Yakutia and of the Mackenzie Delta (thermokarst lakes, polygons and polygon-junction ponds) indicating that Utopia Planitia has an ice-rich permafrost. The permafrost is composed of stratified sediments ~ 70 m thick with a high ice-content (possibly ≥ 50 % by volume).The permafrost appears to have a syngenetic origin: it was formed by an accumulation of sediments in the basin of Utopia Planitia under cold climate conditions that leaded to the in-situ freezing of the sediments. The sediments could have been deposited by outflow valleys from Elysium Mons and/or by an ...