Modeling tsunami propagation and the emplacement of thumbprint terrain in an early Mars ocean

Costard, F.; Séjourné, Antoine; Kelfoun, Karim; Clifford, Stephen M.; Lavigne, Franck; Pietro, Ilaria Di; Bouley, Sylvain

doi:10.1002/2016je005230

Cited by 85 publications

(60 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…The range of sustained water level variation that we estimated from several geological observations is of the same order of magnitude estimated by the model of Horvath and Andrews‐Hanna () for Gale crater. There is a notable consistency between the stationary water level at approximately −4,000 m in the basins analyzed and previous works that suggests the presence of a northern Late Hesperian ocean shoreline between 3,940 and −4,100 m (Costard et al, ; Ivanov et al, J. A. Rodriguez et al, ; Webb, ).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 82%

Geological Evidence of Planet‐Wide Groundwater System on Mars

et al. 2019

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The scale of groundwater upwelling on Mars, as well as its relation to sedimentary systems, remains an ongoing debate. Several deep craters (basins) in the northern equatorial regions show compelling signs that large amounts of water once existed on Mars at a planet‐wide scale. The presence of water‐formed features, including fluvial Gilbert and sapping deltas fed by sapping valleys, constitute strong evidence of groundwater upwelling resulting in long term standing bodies of water inside the basins. Terrestrial field evidence shows that sapping valleys can occur in basalt bedrock and not only in unconsolidated sediments. A hypothesis that considers the elevation differences between the observed morphologies and the assumed basal groundwater level is presented and described as the “dike‐confined water” model, already present on Earth and introduced for the first time in the Martian geological literature. Only the deepest basins considered in this study, those with bases deeper than −4000 m in elevation below the Mars datum, intercepted the water‐saturated zone and exhibit evidence of groundwater fluctuations. The discovery of these groundwater discharge sites on a planet‐wide scale strongly suggests a link between the putative Martian ocean and various configurations of sedimentary deposits that were formed as a result of groundwater fluctuations during the Hesperian period. This newly recognized evidence of water‐formed features significantly increases the chance that biosignatures could be buried in the sediment. These deep basins (groundwater‐fed lakes) will be of interest to future exploration missions as they might provide evidence of geological conditions suitable for life.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 82%

Geological Evidence of Planet‐Wide Groundwater System on Mars

et al. 2019

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“…The lobes each have a ridge at the front (white arrow on Figure b). These lobes share similar morphologic characteristics with the runup lobate deposits that were recently interpreted as tsunami deposits (Costard et al, ; Rodriguez et al, ). All of these features superimpose the VBF and collectively suggest that there was a large (1,000‐km diameter) reservoir of water/mud in the deepest portions of the Utopia basin (Ivanov et al, ; Skinner & Mazzini, ).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 54%

Grid Mapping the Northern Plains of Mars: Using Morphotype and Distribution of Ice‐Related Landforms to Understand Multiple Ice‐Rich Deposits in Utopia Planitia

et al. 2019

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This work in Utopia Planitia is the first continuous regional mapping of ice‐related landforms integrated into an effort to study the three main basins (Arcadia, Acidalia, and Utopia Planitiae) in the northern plains. The distribution and morphotypes of these landforms, SHAllow RADar detections, and crater size‐frequency distribution measurements (>50 m in diameter) were used to understand the permafrost cryolithology and its past evolution in relation to climate in Utopia Planitia. Three assemblages of landforms were identified based on their spatial correlation and correlation with Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter surface roughness along a strip from 30°N to 80°N. At 30°–38°N, the assemblage is formed by kilometer‐scale polygons, high‐albedo mounds, and thumbprint terrains. This assemblage is associated with a lobate deposit of 30 m in thickness with a crater retention age of 1 Ga. At 38°–47°N, the assemblage is comprised of large scallops, 100‐m‐diameter polygons, pits, and mantled deposits. This assemblage is correlated with a deposit of 80 m in thickness containing excess ice (~50–85% by volume) with a crater retention age of about 10 Ma. At 47°–78°N, the assemblage is composed of mantled deposits, textured terrains, and 30‐m‐diameter polygons. This assemblage is related to the ice‐rich, debris‐covered, latitude‐dependent mantle that has a crater retention age of about 1.5 Ma. Utopia Planitia appears to be a region of combined depositions of sediment and continuous cold climatic conditions that leaded to a complex distribution of ground ice.

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“…A subsurface water inventory of~496 m GEL may be difficult to reconcile with independent estimates, which suggest that~170 m GEL is likely to be more plausible (Weiss & Head, 2017). Other interpretations suggest that the subsurface water inventory may have been much larger, possibly consistent with~496 m GEL (e.g., Costard et al, 2017;Rodriguez et al, 2016). Finally, a heating duration of~30,000 years in the Noachian-Hesperian is plausible if we consider the hydrogen-methane mechanism because these gases would have an atmospheric lifetime of~10 5 -10 7 years (e.g., Wordsworth et al, 2017).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Groundwater Release on Early Mars: Utilizing Models and Proposed Evidence for Groundwater Release to Estimate the Required Climate and Subsurface Water Budget

Palumbo

Head

2020

Geophysical Research Letters

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It has been proposed that groundwater was released onto the early martian surface in several locations, including Meridiani Planum, NE Hellas, Terra Sirenum, the northern lowlands, and Gale crater. We assume that groundwater was released in a manner similar to a groundwater-fed lake on Earth and then use a combination of a global climate model and mathematical relationships to place lower limit estimates on the early climate and subsurface water inventory that are required for groundwater release to occur at all of these locations. We find that the minimum required conditions are global mean annual temperature >284 K and a subsurface water inventory >496 m global equivalent layer. Additionally, thermal models predict that if such warm conditions occurred from punctuated heating in an otherwise "cold and icy" climate, the warm conditions must have persisted for thousands of years in order to remove the cryosphere and permit groundwater release.Plain Language Summary Geologic evidence has been interpreted to mean that groundwater was released from the subsurface to the early martian surface at multiple locations. Groundwater release requires both a warm climate and sufficient water in the subsurface. In this work, we estimate the climate and subsurface water inventory that would be required for groundwater to be released at these locations. The plausibility of the predicted climate and subsurface water inventory can act as a test for these groundwater-related interpretations. We find that early Mars would be required to have had average global temperatures similar to present-day Earth and a very large subsurface water inventory.

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Modeling tsunami propagation and the emplacement of thumbprint terrain in an early Mars ocean

Cited by 85 publications

References 47 publications

Geological Evidence of Planet‐Wide Groundwater System on Mars

Geological Evidence of Planet‐Wide Groundwater System on Mars

Grid Mapping the Northern Plains of Mars: Using Morphotype and Distribution of Ice‐Related Landforms to Understand Multiple Ice‐Rich Deposits in Utopia Planitia

Groundwater Release on Early Mars: Utilizing Models and Proposed Evidence for Groundwater Release to Estimate the Required Climate and Subsurface Water Budget

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