Eolian erosion of polygons in the Atacama Desert as a proxy for hyper-arid environments on Earth and beyond.

ABSTRACT: Polygonal networks occur on various terrestrial and extraterrestrial surfaces holding valuable information on the pedological and climatological conditions under which they develop. However, unlike periglacial polygons that are commonly used as an environmental proxy, the information that polygons in the hyper-arid Atacama Desert can provide is little understood. To promote their use as a proxy, we investigated a polygonal network within an inactive channel that exhibits uncommonly diverse surface morphologies and mineral compositions, using geochemical and remote sensing techniques. Our findings show that the polygons belong to a continuous network of the same genetic origin. Their differences result from post-formational differential eolian erosion up to 50 cm depth, exposing indurated s

SUBMITTER: Sager C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9300690 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature