title: The global topography of Mars and implications for surface evolution.
abstract: Elevations measured by the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter have yielded a high-accuracy global map of the topography of Mars. Dominant features include the low northern hemisphere, the Tharsis province, and the Hellas impact basin. The northern hemisphere depression is primarily a long-wavelength effect that has been shaped by an internal mechanism. The topography of Tharsis consists of two broad rises. Material excavated from Hellas contributes to the high elevation of the southern hemisphere and to the scarp along the hemispheric boundary. The present topography has three major drainage centers, with the northern lowlands being the largest. The two polar cap volumes yield an upper limit of the present surface water inventory of 3.2 to 4.7 million cubic kilometers.
authors.affiliation: Earth Sciences Directorate, NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA. dsmith@tharsis.gsfc.nasa.gov
authors.forename: D E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: M T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Zuber
authors.forename: S C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Solomon
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Phillips
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Head
authors.forename: J B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Garvin
authors.forename: W B
authors.initials: WB
authors.lastname: Banerdt
authors.forename: D O
authors.initials: DO
authors.lastname: Muhleman
authors.forename: G H
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Pettengill
authors.forename: G A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Neumann
authors.forename: F G
authors.initials: FG
authors.lastname: Lemoine
authors.forename: J B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Abshire
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Aharonson
authors.forename: C D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Hauck
authors.forename: A B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Ivanov
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: McGovern
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Zwally
authors.forename: T C
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Duxbury
mesh_terms: D019419:Evolution, Planetary; D005118:Extraterrestrial Environment; D007053:Ice; D018535:Mars; D014867:Water
chemical_list: D007053:Ice; D014867:Water