Spiders: water-driven erosive structures in the southern hemisphere of Mars.
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.
Prieto-Ballesteros
Olga
O
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
Fernández-Remolar
David C
DC
Rodríguez-Manfredi
José Antonio
JA
Selsis
Franck
F
Manrubia
Susanna C
SC
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
D007053:Ice; D014867:Water