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Detailed stratigraphy and bed thickness of the Mars north and south polar layered deposits

Limaye, Ajay B. S. and Aharonson, Oded and Perron, J. Taylor (2012) Detailed stratigraphy and bed thickness of the Mars north and south polar layered deposits. Journal of Geophysical Research E, 117 . Art. No. E06009 . ISSN 0148-0227. doi:10.1029/2011JE003961. https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:20120730-135550969

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Abstract

The Mars polar layered deposits (PLD) likely hold an extensive record of recent climate during a period of high-amplitude orbit and obliquity cycles. Previous work has detected limited evidence for orbital signatures within PLD stratigraphy, but data from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) permit renewed analysis of PLD stratigraphy at sub-meter scale. Topography derived from HiRISE images using stereogrammetry resolves beds previously detectable only as alternating light and dark bands in visible images. We utilize these data to measure the thickness of individual beds within the PLD, corrected for non-horizontal bed orientation. Stratigraphic columns and bed thickness profiles are presented for two sites within the NPLD, and show several sets of finely bedded units 1–2 m thick; isolated marker beds 3–4 m thick; and undifferentiated sections. Bed thickness measurements for three sites within the SPLD exhibit only one bed type based on albedo and morphology, and bed thicknesses have a larger mean and variance compared to measurements for the NPLD. Power spectra of brightness and slope derived along the measured stratigraphic sections confirm the regularity of NPLD fine bed thickness, and the lack of a dominant SPLD bed thickness. The regularity of fine bed thickness of the NPLD is consistent with quasiperiodic bed formation, albeit with unknown temporal period; the SPLD thickness measurements show no such regularity.


Item Type:Article
Related URLs:
URLURL TypeDescription
http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2011JE003961DOIArticle
ORCID:
AuthorORCID
Aharonson, Oded0000-0001-9930-2495
Additional Information:© 2012 American Geophysical Union. Received 22 September 2011; accepted 22 May 2012; published 30 June 2012. This work was supported by the van Wingen Fellowship, the W. M. Keck Institute for Space Studies, and the NASA Mars Data Analysis Program, award 65P-1089493. Kevin Lewis provided valuable consultation, and Terry-Ann Suer and Michael Lauria contributed to stereogrammetry processing. We gratefully acknowledge the HiRISE Team for the image data, and thank Sarah Milkovich and an anonymous reviewer for comments that greatly improved this manuscript.
Group:Keck Institute for Space Studies
Funders:
Funding AgencyGrant Number
van Wingen FellowshipUNSPECIFIED
Keck Institute for Space Studies (KISS)UNSPECIFIED
NASA65P-1089493
Subject Keywords:Mars; polar deposits; stratigraphy
DOI:10.1029/2011JE003961
Record Number:CaltechAUTHORS:20120730-135550969
Persistent URL:https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:20120730-135550969
Official Citation:Limaye, A. B. S., O. Aharonson, and J. T. Perron (2012), Detailed stratigraphy and bed thickness of the Mars north and south polar layered deposits, J. Geophys. Res., 117, E06009, doi:10.1029/2011JE003961.
Usage Policy:No commercial reproduction, distribution, display or performance rights in this work are provided.
ID Code:32798
Collection:CaltechAUTHORS
Deposited By:INVALID USER
Deposited On:31 Jul 2012 17:54
Last Modified:09 Nov 2021 21:30

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