A Large New Crater Exposes the Limits of Water Ice on Mars

Colin M. Dundas; Michael T. Mellon; Liliya V. Posiolova; Katarina Miljković; Gareth S. Collins; Livio L. Tornabene; Vidhya Ganesh Rangarajan; Matthew P. Golombek; Nicholas H. Warner; Ingrid J. Daubar; Shane Byrne; Alfred S. McEwen; Kimberly D. Seelos; Donna Viola; Ali M. Bramson; Gunnar Speth

doi:10.1029/2022GL100747

A Large New Crater Exposes the Limits of Water Ice on Mars

Colin M. Dundas, Michael T. Mellon, Liliya V. Posiolova, Katarina Miljković, Gareth S. Collins, Livio L. Tornabene, Vidhya Ganesh Rangarajan, Matthew P. Golombek, Nicholas H. Warner, Ingrid J. Daubar, Shane Byrne, Alfred S. McEwen, Kimberly D. Seelos, Donna Viola, Ali M. Bramson, Gunnar Speth

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

15 Scopus citations

Abstract

Water ice in the Martian mid-latitudes has advanced and retreated in response to variations in the planet's orbit, obliquity, and climate. A 150 m-diameter new impact crater near 35°N provides the lowest-latitude impact exposure of subsurface ice on Mars. This is the largest known ice-exposing crater and provides key constraints on Martian climate history. This crater indicates a regional, relatively pure ice deposit that is unstable and has nearly vanished. In the past, this deposit may have been tens of meters thick and extended equatorward of 35°N. We infer that it is overlain by pore ice emplaced during temporary stable intervals, due to recent climate variability. The marginal survival of ice here suggests that it is near the edge of shallow ice that regularly exchanges with the atmosphere.

Original language	English (US)
Article number	e2022GL100747
Journal	Geophysical Research Letters
Volume	50
Issue number	2
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1029/2022GL100747
State	Published - Jan 28 2023

Keywords

Mars
climate
ice
midlatitudes
subsurface

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Geophysics
General Earth and Planetary Sciences

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10.1029/2022GL100747

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Dundas, C. M., Mellon, M. T., Posiolova, L. V., Miljković, K., Collins, G. S., Tornabene, L. L., Rangarajan, V. G., Golombek, M. P., Warner, N. H., Daubar, I. J., Byrne, S., McEwen, A. S., Seelos, K. D., Viola, D., Bramson, A. M., & Speth, G. (2023). A Large New Crater Exposes the Limits of Water Ice on Mars. Geophysical Research Letters, 50(2), Article e2022GL100747. https://doi.org/10.1029/2022GL100747

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abstract = "Water ice in the Martian mid-latitudes has advanced and retreated in response to variations in the planet's orbit, obliquity, and climate. A 150 m-diameter new impact crater near 35°N provides the lowest-latitude impact exposure of subsurface ice on Mars. This is the largest known ice-exposing crater and provides key constraints on Martian climate history. This crater indicates a regional, relatively pure ice deposit that is unstable and has nearly vanished. In the past, this deposit may have been tens of meters thick and extended equatorward of 35°N. We infer that it is overlain by pore ice emplaced during temporary stable intervals, due to recent climate variability. The marginal survival of ice here suggests that it is near the edge of shallow ice that regularly exchanges with the atmosphere.",

keywords = "Mars, climate, ice, midlatitudes, subsurface",

author = "Dundas, {Colin M.} and Mellon, {Michael T.} and Posiolova, {Liliya V.} and Katarina Miljkovi{\'c} and Collins, {Gareth S.} and Tornabene, {Livio L.} and Rangarajan, {Vidhya Ganesh} and Golombek, {Matthew P.} and Warner, {Nicholas H.} and Daubar, {Ingrid J.} and Shane Byrne and McEwen, {Alfred S.} and Seelos, {Kimberly D.} and Donna Viola and Bramson, {Ali M.} and Gunnar Speth",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2022 Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology. Government sponsorship acknowledged and The Authors. This article has been contributed to by U.S. Government employees and their work is in the public domain in the USA.",

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AU - Mellon, Michael T.

AU - Posiolova, Liliya V.

AU - Miljković, Katarina

AU - Collins, Gareth S.

AU - Tornabene, Livio L.

AU - Rangarajan, Vidhya Ganesh

AU - Golombek, Matthew P.

AU - Warner, Nicholas H.

AU - Daubar, Ingrid J.

AU - Byrne, Shane

AU - McEwen, Alfred S.

AU - Seelos, Kimberly D.

AU - Viola, Donna

AU - Bramson, Ali M.

AU - Speth, Gunnar

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2022 Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology. Government sponsorship acknowledged and The Authors. This article has been contributed to by U.S. Government employees and their work is in the public domain in the USA.

PY - 2023/1/28

Y1 - 2023/1/28

N2 - Water ice in the Martian mid-latitudes has advanced and retreated in response to variations in the planet's orbit, obliquity, and climate. A 150 m-diameter new impact crater near 35°N provides the lowest-latitude impact exposure of subsurface ice on Mars. This is the largest known ice-exposing crater and provides key constraints on Martian climate history. This crater indicates a regional, relatively pure ice deposit that is unstable and has nearly vanished. In the past, this deposit may have been tens of meters thick and extended equatorward of 35°N. We infer that it is overlain by pore ice emplaced during temporary stable intervals, due to recent climate variability. The marginal survival of ice here suggests that it is near the edge of shallow ice that regularly exchanges with the atmosphere.

AB - Water ice in the Martian mid-latitudes has advanced and retreated in response to variations in the planet's orbit, obliquity, and climate. A 150 m-diameter new impact crater near 35°N provides the lowest-latitude impact exposure of subsurface ice on Mars. This is the largest known ice-exposing crater and provides key constraints on Martian climate history. This crater indicates a regional, relatively pure ice deposit that is unstable and has nearly vanished. In the past, this deposit may have been tens of meters thick and extended equatorward of 35°N. We infer that it is overlain by pore ice emplaced during temporary stable intervals, due to recent climate variability. The marginal survival of ice here suggests that it is near the edge of shallow ice that regularly exchanges with the atmosphere.

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KW - climate

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KW - midlatitudes

KW - subsurface

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A Large New Crater Exposes the Limits of Water Ice on Mars

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