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Hellas Planitia, Mars - Site of net dust erosion and implications for the nature of basin floor depositsHellas Planitia, located within an enclosed basin which includes the lowest topography on Mars, appears to be undergoing net erosion. Dust is removed from the basin. It probably contributes to global dust storms and should leave behind a coarse lag. The particle size distributions and particularly the rock or boulder populations in this lag might be useful for distinguishing between processes which formed the lithologic units that comprise Hellas Planitia. This report concludes that the abundance of rock particles larger than coarse sand is very low. Although this hypothesis awaits confirmation from forthcoming spacecraft data, the origins for Hellas floor deposits favored by this study are indurated volcanic airfall or ancient loess, lacustrine deposits, and some types of volcanic mud flows. The conclusions of this study tend to disfavor such geologic processes as blocky lava flows, glacial deposits (e,g., moraines), or boulder-laden catastrophic flood outwash.
Document ID
19930069923
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
Authors
Moore, Jeffrey M.
(NASA Ames Research Center; SETI Inst. Moffett Field, CA, United States)
Edgett, Kenneth S.
(Arizona State Univ. Tempe, United States)
Date Acquired
August 16, 2013
Publication Date
August 6, 1993
Publication Information
Publication: Geophysical Research Letters
Volume: 20
Issue: 15
ISSN: 0094-8276
Subject Category
Lunar And Planetary Exploration
Accession Number
93A53920
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NAGW-2289
PROJECT: RTOP 151-01-60-10
CONTRACT_GRANT: NAGW-943
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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