Formation of Martian Gullies by the Flow of Simultaneously Freezing and Boiling Liquid WaterGeomorphic evidence suggests that recent gullies on Mars were formed by fluvial activity. The Martian gully features are significant because their existence implies the presence of liquid water near the surface on Mars in geologically recent times. Irrespective of the ultimate source of the fluid carving the gullies, we seek to understand the behavior of this fluid after it reaches the Martian surface. We find that, contrary to popular belief, the fluvially-carved Martian gullies require formation conditions such as now occur on Mars, outside of the temperature-pressure stability regime of liquid water. Mars Global Surveyor observations of gully length and our modeling of water stability are consistent with gully formation from the action of pure liquid water that is simultaneously boiling and freezing.
Document ID
20040161171
Acquisition Source
Ames Research Center
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Heldmann, Jennifer L. (Colorado Univ. Boulder, CO, United States)
Mellon, Michael T. (Colorado Univ. Boulder, CO, United States)
Toon, Owen B. (Colorado Univ. Boulder, CO, United States)
Pollard, Wayne H. (McGill Univ. Montreal, Quebec, Canada)
Mellon, Michael T. (Colorado Univ. Boulder, CO, United States)
Pitlick, John (Colorado Univ. Boulder, CO, United States)
McKay, Christopher P. (NASA Ames Research Center Moffett Field, CA, United States)
Andersen, Dale T. (McGill Univ. Montreal, Quebec, Canada)