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Morphology of Mars North Polar Ice CapThe northern ice cap of Mars consists of a parabolic dome centered within 13 km of the pole, plus an arm-like ridge extending from the dome between about 135 and 225 east. Chasma Boreale lies between the dome and the extended ridge. The base of the dome is approximately elliptical with a major axis of 1100 km along the 90 east to 270 east direction and minor axis of 700 km along zero east to 180 deg. The heights of the dome and the extended ridge are respectively 2900 inches and 1700 inches above the surrounding basin. Least-squares fitting of a parabola through height profiles of the dome along longitudes 90 deg to 270 deg and zero deg to 180 deg gives an elliptic-paraboloid equation for the dome: Z(m) = 2800 - [(X-x)(exp 2)/113.6] - [(Y-y)(exp 2)/50.3], where X is the 90 deg to 270 deg axis, x = 9.90 km, y = 13.32 km, and the slightly-different fitted heights for the two axes are averaged. The center of the dome is shifted 13.32 km from the pole along zero deg longitude and 9.90 km along 90 deg longitude. Typical mean surface slopes on the ice cap are the order of 1/100 (0.6 deg), A small central portion of the cap, about 100 km by 200 km, extends in elevation about 200 inches above the parabolic shape of the cap. Additional information is contained in the original extended abstract.
Document ID
20010002521
Acquisition Source
Goddard Space Flight Center
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Zwally, H. J.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD United States)
Fountain, A.
(Portland State Univ. OR United States)
Kargel, J.
(Geological Survey Flagstaff, AZ United States)
Kouvaris, L.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD United States)
Lewis, K.
(Colorado Univ. Boulder, CO United States)
MacAyeal, D.
(Chicago Univ. Chicago, IL United States)
Pfeffer, T.
(Colorado Univ. Boulder, CO United States)
Saba, J. L.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD United States)
Date Acquired
August 20, 2013
Publication Date
August 1, 2000
Publication Information
Publication: International Conference on Mars Polar Science and Exploration
Subject Category
Lunar And Planetary Science And Exploration
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.
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