title: Spiders: water-driven erosive structures in the southern hemisphere of Mars.
abstract: Recent data from space missions reveal that there are ongoing climatic changes and erosive processes that continuously modify surface features of Mars. We have investigated the seasonal dynamics of a number of morphological features located at Inca City, a representative area at high southern latitude that has undergone seasonal processes. By integrating visual information from the Mars Orbiter Camera on board the Mars Global Surveyor and climatic cycles from a Mars' General Circulation Model, and considering the recently reported evidence for the presence of water-ice and aqueous precipitates on Mars, we propose that a number of the erosive features identified in Inca City, among them spiders, result from the seasonal melting of aqueous salty solutions.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Astrobiología, Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Ctra. Ajalvir km. 4, 28850 Torrejón de Ardoz, Madrid, Spain. prietobo@inta.es
authors.forename: Olga
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Prieto-Ballesteros
authors.forename: David C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Fernández-Remolar
authors.forename: José Antonio
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Rodríguez-Manfredi
authors.forename: Franck
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Selsis
authors.forename: Susanna C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Manrubia
mesh_terms: D002980:Climate; D018559:Exobiology; D005118:Extraterrestrial Environment / Q000737:chemistry; D055593:Geological Phenomena; D005844:Geology; D007053:Ice; D018535:Mars; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D012621:Seasons; D013696:Temperature; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D007053:Ice; D014867:Water