Investigating the Role of Amazonian Mesoscale Wind Patterns and Strength on the Spatial Distribution of Martian Bedrock Exposures.

ABSTRACT: The Martian highlands contain Noachian-aged areally-extensive (>225 km²) bedrock exposures that have been mapped using thermal and visible imaging datasets. Given their age, crater density and impact gardening should have led to the formation of decameter scale layers of regolith that would overlie and bury these outcrops if composed of competent materials like basaltic lavas. However, many of these regions lack thick regolith layers and show clear exposures of bedrock materials with elevated thermal inertia values compared to the global average. Hypothesized reasons for the lack of regolith include: (a) relatively weaker material properties than lavas, where friable materials are comminuted and deflated during wind erosion, (b) long-term protection from regolith development thr

SUBMITTER: Gary-Bicas CE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10078484 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature