Murray, John B.; Muller, Jan-Peter; Neukum, Gerhard; Werner, Stephanie C.; van Gasselt, Stephan; Hauber, Ernst; Markiewicz, Wojciech J.; Head III, James W.; Foing, Bernard H.; Page, David; Mitchell, Karl L.; Portyankina, Ganna and the HRSC Co-Investigator Team,
(2005).
| DOI (Digital Object Identifier) Link: | http://dx.doi.org/doi:10.1038/nature03379 |
|---|---|
| Google Scholar: | Look up in Google Scholar |
Abstract
The Cerberus Fossae fissures on Mars are the source of both lava and water floods 2-10 million years old. Evidence for resulting lava plains has been identified in eastern Elysium, but seas and lakes from these fissures and previous flooding events were presumed to have evaporated and sublimed away. HRSC images from the ESA Mars Express spacecraft indicate that they may still be there. We present evidence consistent with a presently-existing frozen body of water, with surface pack-ice, around +5º latitude and 150º east longitude in southern Elysium. It measures about 800 km x 900 km and averages up to 45 metres deep: similar in size and depth to the North Sea. Its age from crater counts is 5 ±2 Ma. If our interpretation is confirmed, this is one place that might preserve evidence of primitive life, if it has ever developed on Mars.
| Item Type: | Journal Article |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 1476-4687 |
| Academic Unit/Department: | Science > Environment, Earth and Ecosystems Science > Physical Sciences |
| Interdisciplinary Research Centre: | Centre for Earth, Planetary, Space and Astronomical Research (CEPSAR) |
| Item ID: | 3997 |
| Depositing User: | John Murray |
| Date Deposited: | 05 Jul 2006 |
| Last Modified: | 02 Dec 2010 19:50 |
| URI: | http://oro.open.ac.uk/id/eprint/3997 |
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