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Evidence for Buried "Pre-Noachian" Crust Pre-Dating the Oldest Observed Surface Units on MarsMOLA gridded data shows clear evidence for Quasi-Circular Depressions not visible on images in Early Noachian (EN) terrain units on Mars. We suggest these are buried impact basins that pre-date the superimposed craters whose high density makes these EN units the oldest visible at the surface of Mars. There is crust older than the oldest visible terrain units on Mars, and these EN units cannot date from 4.6 BYA. These and other Noachian units have similar total (visible + buried) crater retention ages, suggesting a common "pre-Noachian" crustal age OR crater saturation beyond which we cannot see.
Document ID
20040031801
Acquisition Source
Goddard Space Flight Center
Document Type
Preprint (Draft being sent to journal)
Authors
Frey, H. V.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Frey, E. L.
(South River High School Edgewater, MD, United States)
Hartmann, W. K.
(Planetary Science Inst. Tucson, AZ, United States)
Tanaka, K. L. T.
(Geological Survey Flagstaff, AZ, United States)
Date Acquired
August 21, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 2004
Subject Category
Lunar And Planetary Science And Exploration
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Public Use Permitted.
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