A revised surface age for the North Polar Layered Deposits of Mars

Margaret E. Landis; Shane Byrne; Ingrid J. Daubar; Kenneth E. Herkenhoff; Colin M. Dundas

doi:10.1002/2016GL068434

A revised surface age for the North Polar Layered Deposits of Mars

Margaret E. Landis, Shane Byrne, Ingrid J. Daubar, Kenneth E. Herkenhoff, Colin M. Dundas

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43 Scopus citations

Abstract

The North Polar Layered Deposits (NPLD) of Mars contain a complex stratigraphy that has been suggested to retain a record of past eccentricity- and obliquity-forced climate changes. The surface accumulation rate in the current climate can be constrained by the crater retention age. We scale NPLD crater diameters to account for icy target strength and compare surface age using a new production function for recent small impacts on Mars to the previously used model of Hartmann (2005). Our results indicate that ice is accumulating in these craters several times faster than previously thought, with a 100 m diameter crater being completely infilled within centuries. Craters appear to have a diameter-dependent lifetime, but the data also permit a complete resurfacing of the NPLD at ∼1.5 ka.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	3060-3068
Number of pages	9
Journal	Geophysical Research Letters
Volume	43
Issue number	7
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1002/2016GL068434
State	Published - Apr 16 2016

Keywords

Mars polar science
North Polar Layered Deposits, Mars
impact crater statistics
impact craters
spacecraft observations

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Geophysics
General Earth and Planetary Sciences

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10.1002/2016GL068434

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title = "A revised surface age for the North Polar Layered Deposits of Mars",

abstract = "The North Polar Layered Deposits (NPLD) of Mars contain a complex stratigraphy that has been suggested to retain a record of past eccentricity- and obliquity-forced climate changes. The surface accumulation rate in the current climate can be constrained by the crater retention age. We scale NPLD crater diameters to account for icy target strength and compare surface age using a new production function for recent small impacts on Mars to the previously used model of Hartmann (2005). Our results indicate that ice is accumulating in these craters several times faster than previously thought, with a 100 m diameter crater being completely infilled within centuries. Craters appear to have a diameter-dependent lifetime, but the data also permit a complete resurfacing of the NPLD at ∼1.5 ka.",

keywords = "Mars polar science, North Polar Layered Deposits, Mars, impact crater statistics, impact craters, spacecraft observations",

author = "Landis, {Margaret E.} and Shane Byrne and Daubar, {Ingrid J.} and Herkenhoff, {Kenneth E.} and Dundas, {Colin M.}",

note = "Funding Information: This work was funded by NASA grant NNX13AG72G. M.E.L. was supported by the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program, grant DGE-1143953. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2016. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved.",

year = "2016",

month = apr,

day = "16",

doi = "10.1002/2016GL068434",

language = "English (US)",

volume = "43",

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journal = "Geophysical Research Letters",

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T1 - A revised surface age for the North Polar Layered Deposits of Mars

AU - Landis, Margaret E.

AU - Byrne, Shane

AU - Daubar, Ingrid J.

AU - Herkenhoff, Kenneth E.

AU - Dundas, Colin M.

N1 - Funding Information: This work was funded by NASA grant NNX13AG72G. M.E.L. was supported by the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program, grant DGE-1143953. Publisher Copyright: © 2016. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved.

PY - 2016/4/16

Y1 - 2016/4/16

N2 - The North Polar Layered Deposits (NPLD) of Mars contain a complex stratigraphy that has been suggested to retain a record of past eccentricity- and obliquity-forced climate changes. The surface accumulation rate in the current climate can be constrained by the crater retention age. We scale NPLD crater diameters to account for icy target strength and compare surface age using a new production function for recent small impacts on Mars to the previously used model of Hartmann (2005). Our results indicate that ice is accumulating in these craters several times faster than previously thought, with a 100 m diameter crater being completely infilled within centuries. Craters appear to have a diameter-dependent lifetime, but the data also permit a complete resurfacing of the NPLD at ∼1.5 ka.

AB - The North Polar Layered Deposits (NPLD) of Mars contain a complex stratigraphy that has been suggested to retain a record of past eccentricity- and obliquity-forced climate changes. The surface accumulation rate in the current climate can be constrained by the crater retention age. We scale NPLD crater diameters to account for icy target strength and compare surface age using a new production function for recent small impacts on Mars to the previously used model of Hartmann (2005). Our results indicate that ice is accumulating in these craters several times faster than previously thought, with a 100 m diameter crater being completely infilled within centuries. Craters appear to have a diameter-dependent lifetime, but the data also permit a complete resurfacing of the NPLD at ∼1.5 ka.

KW - Mars polar science

KW - North Polar Layered Deposits, Mars

KW - impact crater statistics

KW - impact craters

KW - spacecraft observations

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DO - 10.1002/2016GL068434

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JO - Geophysical Research Letters

JF - Geophysical Research Letters

IS - 7

ER -

A revised surface age for the North Polar Layered Deposits of Mars

Abstract

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

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