ESAs Mars Express has supplied brand-new insights into Marss Medusae Fossae Formation, exposing deep layers of water ice, the largest such discovery in the region. This ice might significantly impact our understanding of Marss environment history and is important for future human expedition. Credit: Planetary Science Institute/Smithsonian InstitutionRecent Mars Express data reveals the Medusae Fossae Formation consists of comprehensive water ice layers, providing new ideas about Marss past and supporting future exploration.Windswept piles of dust, or layers of ice? ESAs Mars Express has actually reviewed one of Marss the majority of strange features to clarify its composition. Its findings recommend layers of water ice extending numerous kilometers below ground– the most water ever found in this part of the planet.Over 15 years ago, Mars Express studied the Medusae Fossae Formation (MFF), revealing massive deposits as much as 2.5 km deep. From these early observations, it was uncertain what the deposits were made of– however brand-new research study now has an answer.This image shows a height map of the Martian surface area, with most affordable land in blue and highest in white. Standing at a remarkable 22 km, Olympus Mons is the highest volcano in the entire Solar System.The Medusae Fossae Formation (MFF) is a fascinating area near to the equator. It consists of a series of enormous wind-sculpted deposits measuring hundreds of kilometers throughout and numerous kilometers high. Found at the boundary in between Marss lowlands and highlands, the MFF is possibly the biggest single source of dust on Mars, and among the most extensive deposits on the planet.Credit: ESA”Weve explored the MFF once again using newer information from Mars Expresss MARSIS radar, and discovered the deposits to be even thicker than we thought: up to 3.7 km thick,” states Thomas Watters of the Smithsonian Institution, USA, lead author of both the new research study and the initial 2007 research study. “Excitingly, the radar signals match what we d expect to see from layered ice, and resemble the signals we see from Marss polar caps, which we understand to be really ice rich.”If melted, the ice locked up in the MFF would cover the whole world in a layer of water 1.5 to 2.7 m deep: the most water ever found in this part of Mars, and enough to fill Earths Red Sea.Marss Medusae Fossae Formation (MFF) includes a series of wind-sculpted deposits determining hundreds of kilometers throughout and a number of kilometers high. Found at the limit between Marss highlands and lowlands, the functions are perhaps the most significant single source of dust on Mars, and among the most substantial deposits on the planet.But this dry layer seems to hide a trick. A group of researchers utilized Mars Express radar information to peer below the surface. What they found was a leading layer of dust that covers what seems to be a thick layer of deposits rich in water ice. This map shows the approximated amount of ice within the mounds that form the MFF, showing that the ice-rich deposits are up to 3000 m thick.The scientists estimate that the layer of dry material (likely dust or volcanic ash) covering the ice is 300– 600 m thick. If we presume that the dust is 300 m thick, this map shows the ice thickness. In this case, the total volume of water ice consisted of within the MFF deposits would be 400,000 km3, or if it melted, enough to cover Mars in an ocean of water 2.7 m deep.If the dust layer is rather 600 m thick, the water ice layer would be thinner, and the overall volume of water ice included within the MFF deposits would be 220,000 km3, or if it melted, enough to cover Mars in an ocean of water 1.5 m deep.Credit: Planetary Science Institute/Smithsonian InstitutionAlternating Layers of IceThe MFF includes numerous wind-sculpted features determining numerous kilometers throughout and numerous kilometers high. Found at the boundary in between Marss lowlands and highlands, the functions are potentially the greatest single source of dust on Mars, and among the most substantial deposits on the planet.Initial observations from Mars Express revealed the MFF to be fairly transparent to radar and low in density, both attributes we d see from icy deposits. Researchers couldnt rule out a drier possibility: that the features are actually huge build-ups of windblown dust, volcanic ash, or sediment.Close to Marss equator lies the Medusae Fossae Formation (MFF), a remarkable wind-sculpted region that might be the greatest single source of dust on Mars.When Mars Express turned its MARSIS radar sounder instrument towards the MFF, it revealed a surprise. The radar signals that echoed back matched what we d anticipate to see from layered deposits rich in water ice.In this image, the white horizontal line on the colored height map of Marss surface area (top) reveals a narrow stretch of land that was scanned by MARSIS. The pop-out listed below shows the radar information collected by the instrument that reveals the subsurface; the brighter the area, the stronger the radar echo received from that area.The white line covers 2 mounds separated by a valley. These mounds are clearly visible in the radar information listed below. Analysis of the radar data recommends that below a thick layer of dry product (most likely dust or ashes), the mounds are filled with water ice.Credit: CReSIS/KU/Smithsonian Institution”Heres where the brand-new radar data can be found in! Offered how deep it is, if the MFF was just a huge pile of dust, we d expect it to become compressed under its own weight,” says co-author Andrea Cicchetti of the National Institute for Astrophysics, Italy. “This would create something far denser than what we really see with MARSIS. And when we designed how different ice-free materials would behave, absolutely nothing recreated the properties of the MFF– we require ice.”The brand-new results instead recommend layers of dust and ice, all topped by a protective layer of dry dust or ash a number of hundred meters thick.Close to Marss equator lies the Medusae Fossae Formation (MFF), a remarkable series of wind-sculpted deposits that may be the most significant single source of dust on Mars.When Mars Express turned its MARSIS radar sounder instrument towards the MFF, it revealed a surprise. The radar signals that echoed back from below the surface area match what we d anticipate to see from layered deposits rich in water ice.In this image, the white line on Marss surface area (top) shows a stretch of land that was scanned by MARSIS. The graph below shows the shape of the land and the structure of the subsurface, with the layer of dry sediments (most likely dust or ashes) in brown and the layer of thought ice-rich deposits in blue. The chart reveals that the ice deposit is thousands of meters high and numerous kilometers wide.If all the suspected water ice in the MFF melted, it would cover Mars in an ocean of water as much as 2.7 m deep.Credit: CReSIS/KU/Smithsonian InstitutionFuture Exploration and CollaborationAlthough Mars now seems an arid world, the planets surface area is full of indications that water was as soon as plentiful, consisting of dried-up river channels, ancient ocean and lake beds, and water-carved valleys. Weve likewise discovered significant stores of water ice on Mars, such as the massive polar caps, buried glaciers nearer the equator, and near-surface ice laced through Martian soil.Massive stores of ice near the equator– such as those thought to hide below the dry surface area of the MFF– could not have formed in the planets present environment. They need to have formed in a previous climate epoch.This oblique perspective view of Medusae Fossae on Mars was generated from the digital surface design and the nadir and color channels of the High Resolution Stereo Camera on ESAs Mars Express. Credit: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO”This newest analysis challenges our understanding of the Medusae Fossae Formation, and raises as lots of concerns as answers,” says Colin Wilson, ESA project scientist for Mars Express and the ESA ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO). “How long back did these ice deposits form, and what was Mars-like at that time? If validated to be water ice, these enormous deposits would alter our understanding of Mars climate history. Any reservoir of ancient water would be an interesting target for robotic or human exploration.”The degree and area of these icy MFF deposits would also make them potentially very valuable for our future expedition of Mars. Missions to Mars will need to land near the planets equator, far from the ice-rich polar caps or high-latitude glaciers. And theyll require water as a resource– so discovering ice in this area is practically a need for human missions to the planet.This perspective view reveals Eumenides Dorsum, part of Marss Medusae Fossae Formation (MFF). The MFF includes a series of wind-sculpted deposits determining hundreds of kilometers across and numerous kilometers high. Discovered at the boundary between Marss lowlands and highlands, the deposits are potentially the most significant single source of dust on Mars, and one of the most substantial deposits on the planet.But this dust appears to hide a secret. Over 15 years earlier, ESAs Mars Express studied the MFF, revealing that the dust covered massive deposits as much as 2.5 km deep. From these early observations, it was unclear what the deposits were made of. A group of researchers has actually now explored the MFF once again using newer Mars Express radar information and found the deposits to be even thicker than previously thought: as much as 3.7 km thick. And now its clear that these radar signals match what we d anticipate to see from layered deposits abundant in water ice.If melted, the ice locked up in the MFF would cover the entire world in a layer of water 1.5 to 2.7 m deep: the most water ever discovered in this part of Mars, and enough to fill Earths Red Sea.Credit: Caltech/JPL Global CTX Mosaic of Mars/Smithsonian Institution”Unfortunately, these MFF deposits are covered by hundreds of meters of dust, making them unattainable for a minimum of the next couple of decades. Nevertheless, every bit of ice we discover assists us develop a much better image of where Marss water has streamed before, and where it can be discovered today.”While Mars Express maps water ice to a depth of a couple of kilometers, a view of near-surface water is offered by Mars orbiter TGO. This orbiter is bring the FREND instrument, which is mapping hydrogen– an indicator of water ice– in the topmost meter of Martian soil. FREND identified a hydrogen-rich area the size of the Netherlands within Marss Valles Marineris in 2021, and is presently mapping how shallow water deposits are distributed throughout the Red Planet.”Together, our Mars explorers are revealing more and more about our planetary next-door neighbor,” includes Colin.
Credit: Planetary Science Institute/Smithsonian InstitutionRecent Mars Express data reveals the Medusae Fossae Formation contains substantial water ice layers, providing new clues about Marss past and supporting future exploration.Windswept stacks of dust, or layers of ice? ESAs Mars Express has actually reviewed one of Marss a lot of mysterious features to clarify its composition. Discovered at the border in between Marss lowlands and highlands, the MFF is possibly the greatest single source of dust on Mars, and one of the most comprehensive deposits on the planet.Credit: ESA”Weve explored the MFF again utilizing more recent data from Mars Expresss MARSIS radar, and discovered the deposits to be even thicker than we believed: up to 3.7 km thick,” states Thomas Watters of the Smithsonian Institution, USA, lead author of both the new research study and the preliminary 2007 research study. Found at the boundary in between Marss highlands and lowlands, the functions are potentially the most significant single source of dust on Mars, and one of the most substantial deposits on the planet.Initial observations from Mars Express revealed the MFF to be reasonably transparent to radar and low in density, both characteristics we d see from icy deposits.”The new results rather recommend layers of dust and ice, all topped by a protective layer of dry dust or ash a number of hundred meters thick.Close to Marss equator lies the Medusae Fossae Formation (MFF), a fascinating series of wind-sculpted deposits that might be the biggest single source of dust on Mars.When Mars Express turned its MARSIS radar sounder instrument towards the MFF, it exposed a surprise.
