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The Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft, in a highly elliptical polar orbit, obtained vector magnetic field measurements above the surface of Mars (altitudes >100 kilometers). Crustal magnetization, mainly confined to the most ancient, heavily cratered martian highlands, is frequently organized in east-west-trending linear features, the longest extending over 2000 kilometers. Crustal remanent magnetization exceeds that of terrestrial crust by more than an order of magnitude. Groups of quasi-parallel linear features of alternating magnetic polarity were found. They are reminiscent of similar magnetic features associated with sea floor spreading and crustal genesis on Earth but with a much larger spatial scale. They may be a relic of an era of plate tectonics on Mars.

Vector magnetic field observations of the martian crust were acquired by the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) magnetic field experiment/electron reflectometer (MAG/ER) during the aerobraking and science phasing orbits, at altitudes between approximately 100 and 200 kilometers. Magnetic field sources of multiple scales, strength, and geometry were observed. There is a correlation between the location of the sources and the ancient cratered terrain of the martian highlands. The absence of crustal magnetism near large impact basins such as Hellas and Argyre implies cessation of internal dynamo action during the early Naochian epoch ( approximately 4 billion years ago). Sources with equivalent magnetic moments as large as 1.3 x 10(17) ampere-meter2 in the Terra Sirenum region contribute to the development of an asymmetrical, time-variable obstacle to solar wind flow around Mars.

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During the first year of the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) mission, 553 shock crossings have been identified from a total of 363 orbits. The shape of the shock has been determined by examining the MGS spacecraft Magnetometer/Electron Reflectometer (MAG/ER) data. The location of the shock was found highly variable. The present study shows that the high crustal magnetic sources, found in the southern hemisphere, do not seem responsible for the Bow Shock (BS) variability. The present study shows that contrary to many expectations there is no obvious strong one to one correlation between the location of the highest crustal sources and the variability of the shock position. On the other hand, the shock appears farthest from Mars in the hemisphere of locally upward interplanetary electric field consistent with the idea that mass loading play a role in controlling the BS location, which confirms previous results.

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The Magnetic Pileup Boundary (MPB) is a sharp and permanent plasma boundary located between the bow shock and the ionospheric boundary, reported so far at Mars and comets. We use Mars Global Surveyor Magnetometer data to do a quantitative analysis of the magnetic field geometry in the surroundings of the Martian MPB. As a result, we report for the first time a dramatic enhancement of the magnetic field draping at this boundary. This new feature, already reported at comets, is independent of the presence of the crustal magnetic sources. Comparisons with similar results across the Martian and cometary magnetotails reveal that the MPB and the magnetotail boundary are connected. Moreover, the study of this feature can help understand the physics of the Venusian magnetic barrier.

[1] We report observations that show the dependence of the altitude of the magnetic pileup boundary (MPB) at Mars on planetary latitude. As seen by the Mars Global Surveyor Magnetometer/Electron Reflectometer instrument, the MPB is further away from Mars on average at southern latitudes than at northern latitudes. The data are consistent with a MPB distance mapped to the terminator plane that does not vary with latitude in the northern hemisphere, but increases with increasing southern latitude in the southern hemisphere. We also report increased variability in the MPB distance within the longitude range 90 -270°E. longitude in the southern hemisphere which is the region that contains the strongest crustal magnetic fields. These trends are most obvious in a planet-fixed coordinate system, indicating a planet-fixed driver of the MPB location. The proposed mechanism is the local diversion of shocked solar wind flow by crustal magnetic fields. INDEX TERMS: 2780 MagnetosphericPhysics: Solar wind interactions with unmagentized bodies; 6225