IcarusPub Date : 2025-05-26DOI: 10.1016/j.icarus.2025.116667
Vivek Krishnan , P. Senthil Kumar
{"title":"Late Amazonian continual volcanic eruption, contemporaneous tectonics and pit chain formation in the central Tharsis region, Mars: Implications for long-lived magmatism and mantle plume","authors":"Vivek Krishnan , P. Senthil Kumar","doi":"10.1016/j.icarus.2025.116667","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.icarus.2025.116667","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Tharsis bulge hosts some of the largest shield volcanoes on Mars. Among these, Arsia Mons, Pavonis Mons, and Ascraeus Mons are more prominent volcanoes in the central Tharsis region. The spatial and temporal evolution of these volcanoes and associated tectonic features and pit chains during the Late Amazonian period is important for understanding the nature of geodynamic processes that shaped them. Therefore, we conducted a detailed geological study of the large shield volcanoes, surrounding small shield volcanoes, graben and pit chains in the central Tharsis region. Our dating of 500 stratigraphically young lava flows from these volcanoes revealed a wide-spread and continual Late Amazonian volcanism. The data showed that the volcanic activity in the caldera region of these three large volcanoes ceased around 46–55 Ma. The volcanoes showed lateral migration of volcanic activity from caldera to scalloped walls during Late Amazonian period, indicating movement of magmas along a deep-seated giant dike that marks the NE-SW oriented axial spreading zone. The lateral migration of volcanic activity, in the form of small shield volcanism and eruptions from vent fields, also occurred across the axial spreading zone, especially towards the southeast of these volcanoes in the last 200 Ma. A major set of small shield volcanoes formed linear clusters in NE-SW direction to the east of the large shield volcanoes, possibly indicating the development of another axial spreading zone, parallel to the existing one. Some of these small shields erupted lavas about 17–29 Ma ago as well. The large shield volcanoes are dissected by several curvilinear graben, possibly defining a broad circular ring dikes around the summit region. Some of these graben have contact relations with the dated lava flows, revealing their contemporaneous development along with the Late Amazonian volcanism. Our mapping of ∼10,000 pits in Tharsis showed spatial distribution of both simple and complex pits, and their relative ages with respect to the dated lava flows. The spatial variation of size and aspect ratio of the pits provides insights into the dimension of underlying magmatic dikes and the magma withdrawal processes. The contact relations between the pits and the dated lava flows suggest that the pits were formed contemporaneously with the volcanoes and graben during Late Amazonian period. Some of the pit chains also define a NE-SW trend, exhibited by the small shield volcanoes. The long-lived and continual volcanism in the central Tharsis region would require long-lived and sustained magma chambers underneath the central Tharsis volcanoes, which are possibly recharged by long-lived individual underplated magma bodies that are present beneath the up-warped base of the crust. A long-lived large mantle plume may also be present beneath the Tharsis lithosphere sustaining magmatic and volcanic activities in the central Tharsis region.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":13199,"journal":{"name":"Icarus","volume":"441 ","pages":"Article 116667"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-05-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144203983","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
IcarusPub Date : 2025-05-23DOI: 10.1016/j.icarus.2025.116665
Zichen Wei , Yan Zhuang , Hao Zhang , Pengfei Zhang , Yang Li , Menghua Zhu , Te Jiang , Ronghua Pang
{"title":"Spectral feature variations of low-iron olivine under intense pulse-laser irradiations","authors":"Zichen Wei , Yan Zhuang , Hao Zhang , Pengfei Zhang , Yang Li , Menghua Zhu , Te Jiang , Ronghua Pang","doi":"10.1016/j.icarus.2025.116665","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.icarus.2025.116665","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Space weathering processes, including micrometeoroid impact and solar wind irradiation typically redden, darken, and attenuate the fingerprint absorption features in the visible and near-infrared (VNIR) reflectance spectra of planetary surface materials. The so-called lunar style space weathering typically produces nanophase metallic iron (npFe<sup>0</sup>) and amorphous mineral layers. This paradigm has been known to be inadequate in describing the weathering processes on many other airless bodies and many open questions are waiting to be answered. For example, the greater flux of micrometeorite impacts or higher surface temperature on Mercury may produce larger npFe<sup>0</sup> particles; the gardening effects on space weathering remain largely unknown; on asteroids such as Vesta, random regolith mixing and contamination by exogenic material from impacts are believed to be the dominant space weathering processes. To understand these and other questions in non-lunar style space weathering, we conducted pulsed laser irradiations on low-iron olivine grains in powders and pellets at various energy levels. By performing transmission electron microscope and reflectance spectroscopic measurements, we found that progressive irradiation caused continuous darkening. Meanwhile, the VNIR spectral slope changed from reddening to bluing after reaching a “saturation point”, and the absorption band depth transitioned from weakening to stabilization. At the same time, repeated irradiations led to limited growth of npFe<sup>0</sup> particles in low-iron olivine. In all simulated irradiations, significant spectral alterations occurred in early stages, implying that fresh surfaces are more sensitive to space weathering. The rates of spectral modification of powder samples were found to be remarkably lower than those of the pellet samples. We also observed that exogenous metal contaminants could evaporate and condense into an opaque layer during simulated bombardments, obscuring the original spectral features of regolith.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":13199,"journal":{"name":"Icarus","volume":"440 ","pages":"Article 116665"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-05-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144168856","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
IcarusPub Date : 2025-05-22DOI: 10.1016/j.icarus.2025.116664
Emily L. Fischer, Stephen W. Parman
{"title":"The bulk composition and initial size of Mercury","authors":"Emily L. Fischer, Stephen W. Parman","doi":"10.1016/j.icarus.2025.116664","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.icarus.2025.116664","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Enstatite chondrites are often used as models for the bulk composition of Mercury because they have similarly low oxygen fugacities. However, e-chondrites are too Si-rich to explain the observed composition of Mercury's lavas. Here we explore a model in which an initially enstatite chondrite-like Mercurian silicate magma ocean loses Si to the large Fe core during early differentiation. We define a Mercury Fractionation Line (MFL) based on average basaltic geochemical terrane compositions and assume Mercury's bulk silicate composition must fall along this line. We estimate that 26.5–36.7 ± 7.5 % (1σ) Si must be lost from an initial mantle to bring the e-chondrite compositions up to the MFL. Assuming that the Si is partitioned into the core, this implies a core Si content of 2.8–3.9 ± 0.8 wt% and an oxygen fugacity of IW–4.5 ± 1.0. We also show that a model where Mercury was initially ∼2 times larger is consistent with more reducing oxygen fugacities (IW–5.0 ± 1.0) and a higher core Si content (∼15 wt%). This estimated initial Mercury size is also consistent with predictions from dynamical simulations. We consider how Si partitioning into the core affects the δ<sup>30</sup>Si composition of the mantle. Though uncertainties are large, we show that as the initial radius of Mercury increases, δ<sup>30</sup>Si decreases, trending towards the δ<sup>30</sup>Si composition of enstatite chondrites. Our calculations do not constrain the mechanism by which Mercury's mantle may have been lost. However, if they are correct, they imply that the mantle loss must have happened after core formation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":13199,"journal":{"name":"Icarus","volume":"439 ","pages":"Article 116664"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-05-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144167455","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The influence of spin–orbit resonances on the evolution of Mercury’s mantle and crust","authors":"Nicola Tosi , Falko Schulz , Michaela Walterová , Sebastiano Padovan","doi":"10.1016/j.icarus.2025.116630","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.icarus.2025.116630","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Mercury’s record of large impact basins and spin evolution models suggest that its present-day 3:2 spin–orbit resonance may not be primordial. It could have been established up to hundreds of millions of years after planet formation, possibly triggered by the impact that created the Caloris basin about 3.7 billion years ago. Before this, Mercury may have been in a synchronous rotation or a 2:1 resonance, which would have induced strong hemispheric surface temperature variations, influencing the thermal structure of the lithosphere and mantle.</div><div>Using 3D thermochemical mantle convection models, we simulate Mercury’s mantle evolution and volcanic crust formation over one billion years, incorporating surface temperature distributions from different spin–orbit resonances. We assess whether these variations can generate large-scale lateral differences in crustal thickness, as inferred from gravity, topography and surface composition data, and compare predicted radius changes due to mantle and core cooling with existing estimates from compressional tectonic features.</div><div>Crustal thickness, interior cooling rate, and radius change are primarily controlled by internal heat production, with models using intermediate to high heat production rates (characteristic of CI and EH chondrites) best matching observations. The mantle reference viscosity, low thermal conductivity attained at Mercury’s mantle conditions, and cooling due to melt extraction exert first-order controls on the timing of crust emplacement and its final extent. Regardless of surface temperature patterns, mantle convection is dominated by small, stable cells. While surface temperature variations influence the location of hot and cold regions at large scales, they do not alter the spatial scale of convection. Assuming vertical melt extraction, crustal thickness locally follows the convection pattern. The present-day 3:2 resonance does not induce significant large-scale variations in crustal thickness, but a past synchronous rotation could have produced hemispheric differences, with crust up to 10–15 km thicker on the dayside. Similarly, radial contraction is hemispherical, with the hot hemisphere contracting less and at a slower rate than the cold one as long as the resonance persists.</div><div>The surface record does not clearly support these hemispheric patterns. This suggests that past spin–orbit resonances may have been short lived, or that they may have affected Mercury’s interior more subtly than our models predict, or that subsequent geological processes erased or modified early large-scale asymmetries. Future high-resolution imaging and surface composition data from BepiColombo, particularly of Mercury’s poorly-mapped southern hemisphere, will be critical in testing this hypothesis and in refining the available constraints on the planet’s crustal evolution and tectonic history.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":13199,"journal":{"name":"Icarus","volume":"439 ","pages":"Article 116630"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-05-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144130896","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
IcarusPub Date : 2025-05-21DOI: 10.1016/j.icarus.2025.116663
K.E. Steakley, M.A. Kahre, R.M. Haberle
{"title":"The effects of CO2 clouds on the thermal structure of the early Martian atmosphere","authors":"K.E. Steakley, M.A. Kahre, R.M. Haberle","doi":"10.1016/j.icarus.2025.116663","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.icarus.2025.116663","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Characterizing the influence of clouds in the early Martian atmosphere is critical to understanding the nature of the climate. In this paper, we present simple simulations of massive CO<sub>2</sub> atmospheres with varying CO<sub>2</sub> cloud treatments in order to isolate their effects on the thermal structure of the atmosphere. We use the 3-D NASA Ames Legacy early Mars Global Climate Model with a self-consistent CO<sub>2</sub> cloud scheme to simulate 500 mbar, 1 bar, and 2 bar CO<sub>2</sub> atmospheres with either no CO<sub>2</sub> clouds, radiatively inert CO<sub>2</sub> clouds, or radiatively active CO<sub>2</sub> clouds. We find that clouds affect the atmosphere in two primary ways, consistent with previous work. First, CO<sub>2</sub> cloud condensation releases latent heat and warms temperatures aloft, causing cooling in the lower atmosphere in order to maintain energy balance. Second, CO<sub>2</sub> cloud scattering in the visible and infrared leads to competing cooling and warming effects respectively, though ultimately the infrared scattering leads to lower atmosphere warming in our simulations. Overall, these effects lead to significant changes in the thermal structure of these atmospheres. At ∼30 km in altitude, CO<sub>2</sub> clouds warm the atmosphere by up to 20 K, 30 K, and 45 K in 500 mbar, 1 bar, and 2 bar atmospheres, respectively. CO<sub>2</sub> clouds are ubiquitous in these atmospheres, spanning a large range of latitudes, longitudes, and altitudes. We conclude that CO<sub>2</sub> clouds are important to account for in global climate modeling studies of early Mars. Future work should explore potential interactions between CO<sub>2</sub> clouds, water ice clouds, and the dust cycle as well as the behavior of CO<sub>2</sub> clouds in warmer early Mars scenarios, as they may have the ability to limit greenhouse warming.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":13199,"journal":{"name":"Icarus","volume":"440 ","pages":"Article 116663"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-05-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144184833","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
IcarusPub Date : 2025-05-20DOI: 10.1016/j.icarus.2025.116634
E. García-Migani, R. Gil-Hutton, J. Correa-Otto
{"title":"Activity in quasi-Hilda objects: A photometric approach","authors":"E. García-Migani, R. Gil-Hutton, J. Correa-Otto","doi":"10.1016/j.icarus.2025.116634","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.icarus.2025.116634","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>We present the results of a search for quasi-Hilda objects that could be candidates for exhibiting cometary activity. To achieve this, observations of objects from the quasi-Hilda region in the MPCAT-OBS Observation Archive were examined. We then analyzed the observed brightness and compared it with the expected values, looking for discrepancies between the two (<span><math><msub><mrow><mi>Δ</mi></mrow><mrow><mi>m</mi><mi>a</mi><mi>g</mi></mrow></msub></math></span>). These deviations from their expected brightness could be the result of weak cometary-like activity that does not manifest as an observable coma and/or tail. The <span><math><msub><mrow><mi>Δ</mi></mrow><mrow><mi>m</mi><mi>a</mi><mi>g</mi></mrow></msub></math></span> values were analyzed and evaluated for objects in the quasi-Hilda region. We believe that the objects <span><math><mrow><mrow><mo>(</mo><mn>30512</mn><mo>)</mo></mrow><mspace></mspace><mn>2001</mn><mspace></mspace><mi>H</mi><msub><mrow><mi>O</mi></mrow><mrow><mn>8</mn></mrow></msub></mrow></math></span>, <span><math><mrow><mrow><mo>(</mo><mn>18916</mn><mo>)</mo></mrow><mspace></mspace><mn>2000</mn><mspace></mspace><mi>O</mi><msub><mrow><mi>G</mi></mrow><mrow><mn>44</mn></mrow></msub></mrow></math></span>, and <span><math><mrow><mn>2017</mn><mspace></mspace><mi>F</mi><msub><mrow><mi>U</mi></mrow><mrow><mn>158</mn></mrow></msub></mrow></math></span> are interesting candidates for searching for activity in the quasi-Hilda region. Additionally, some unnumbered objects are also noted as potentially interesting, although they have few observations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":13199,"journal":{"name":"Icarus","volume":"439 ","pages":"Article 116634"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-05-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144115670","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Global N-body simulation of gap edge structures created by perturbations from a small satellite embedded in Saturn’s rings II: The effect of satellite’s orbital eccentricity and inclination","authors":"Naoya Torii , Shigeru Ida , Eiichiro Kokubo , Shugo Michikoshi","doi":"10.1016/j.icarus.2025.116608","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.icarus.2025.116608","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Small satellites, Pan and Daphnis, are embedded in Saturn’s rings and opening a clear gap with satellite wakes at the gap edges. Furthermore, in the case of Daphnis, pronounced vertical wall structures casting shadows on the rings are also observed in the satellite wakes. In our previous paper (Torii, N., Ida, S., Kokubo, E., Michikoshi, S. [2024]. Icarus, 425, 116029), we found through global 3D N-body simulation that the ring particles’ lateral epicycle motions excited by an encounter with a satellite are converted to the vertical motions through oblique physical collisions between the particles at the wavefronts of satellite wakes. In order to highlight this dynamics, Torii et al., (2024) considered the circular (<span><math><mrow><msub><mrow><mi>e</mi></mrow><mrow><mi>s</mi></mrow></msub><mo>=</mo><mn>0</mn></mrow></math></span>) and coplanar (<span><math><mrow><msub><mrow><mi>i</mi></mrow><mrow><mi>s</mi></mrow></msub><mo>=</mo><mn>0</mn></mrow></math></span>) satellite orbit, where <span><math><msub><mrow><mi>e</mi></mrow><mrow><mi>s</mi></mrow></msub></math></span> and <span><math><msub><mrow><mi>i</mi></mrow><mrow><mi>s</mi></mrow></msub></math></span> are the satellite orbital eccentricity and inclination, respectively. However, Daphnis has non-negligible eccentricity and inclination. In this paper, we perform a global 3D N-body simulation with non-zero <span><math><msub><mrow><mi>e</mi></mrow><mrow><mi>s</mi></mrow></msub></math></span> or non-zero <span><math><msub><mrow><mi>i</mi></mrow><mrow><mi>s</mi></mrow></msub></math></span> of the satellite orbit to investigate how they affect the gap edge structures. We found that the effect of satellite eccentricity is important both in the satellite wakes and the vertical walls at the gap edges. The non-sinusoidal sawtooth-like satellite wakes and azimuthally more localized vertical walls observed by Cassini are simultaneously reproduced in the detailed structures and spatial scales. Both of them periodically vary due to the satellite excursions between the apocenter and the pericenter. The ring particles in outer (inner) rings that undergo closest encounters with the satellite near the apocenter (pericenter) are excited the most highly. Because the excited eccentricities of the ring particles are converted to the inclinations through physical collisions, the conversion is the most active for the particles that acquire the highest eccentricities, resulting in the azimuthally more localized vertical wall structures. The predicted height of the tallest vertical walls is <span><math><mrow><mo>∼</mo><mn>0</mn><mo>.</mo><mn>2</mn></mrow></math></span> times the satellite Hill radius in the case of the satellite eccentricity comparable to Daphnis when adopting Hill scaling, which is twice as much as the height obtained in the case of the circular satellite orbit and is quantitatively more consistent with the Cassini observation. The simulation with the inclined satellite orbit reveals th","PeriodicalId":13199,"journal":{"name":"Icarus","volume":"439 ","pages":"Article 116608"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-05-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144116148","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
IcarusPub Date : 2025-05-17DOI: 10.1016/j.icarus.2025.116632
Nathan A. Kaib , Sean N. Raymond
{"title":"The influence of passing field stars on the solar system’s dynamical future","authors":"Nathan A. Kaib , Sean N. Raymond","doi":"10.1016/j.icarus.2025.116632","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.icarus.2025.116632","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The long-term dynamical future of the Sun’s planets has been simulated and statistically analyzed in great detail, but most prior work considers the solar system as completely isolated, neglecting the potential influence of field star passages. To understand the dynamical significance of field star encounters, we simulate several thousand realizations of the modern solar system in the presence of passing field stars for 5 Gyrs. We find that the impulse gradient of the strongest stellar encounter largely determines the net dynamical effect of field stars. Because the expected strength of such an encounter is uncertain by multiple orders of magnitude, the possible significance of field stars can be large. Our simulations indicate that isolated models of the solar system can underestimate the degree of our giant planets’ future secular orbital changes by over an order of magnitude. In addition, our planets and Pluto are significantly less stable than previously thought. Field stars transform Pluto from a completely stable object over 5 Gyrs to one with a <span><math><mo>∼</mo></math></span>5% instability probability. Furthermore, field stars increase the odds of Mercury’s instability by <span><math><mo>∼</mo></math></span>50%–80%. We also find a <span><math><mo>∼</mo></math></span>0.3% chance that Mars will be lost through collision or ejection and a <span><math><mo>∼</mo></math></span>0.2% probability that Earth will be involved in a planetary collision or ejected. Compared to previously studied instabilities in isolated solar systems models, those induced by field stars are much more likely to involve the loss of multiple planets. In addition, they typically happen sooner in our solar system’s future, making field star passages the most likely cause of instability for the next 4–4.5 Gyrs.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":13199,"journal":{"name":"Icarus","volume":"439 ","pages":"Article 116632"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-05-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144090205","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
IcarusPub Date : 2025-05-16DOI: 10.1016/j.icarus.2025.116653
Giovanni Battista Crosta, Fabio Vittorio De Blasio, Elena Valbuzzi, Alessandro Martinazzi
{"title":"Landslide chronology on mars: A window into the past of Valles Marineris and martian slopes","authors":"Giovanni Battista Crosta, Fabio Vittorio De Blasio, Elena Valbuzzi, Alessandro Martinazzi","doi":"10.1016/j.icarus.2025.116653","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.icarus.2025.116653","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Martian landslide deposits provide valuable insights into the planet's geomorphological evolution. Their degree of preservation is such that they can be recognized after billions of years. Therefore, a study of Martian landslides may reveal clues as to the surface and environmental conditions at the moment of collapse. In particular, determining their age is of great importance for reconstructing the geomorphological and structural evolution of the Martian surface. We conducted a comprehensive age dating analysis of 32 clusters, encompassing 102 landslides and 38 non-landslide units across various Martian regions. Most of the landslides dated in this work are considered here for the first time, while for several others we present an updating of their age, allowing for a validation of previous dating, and a broader geomorphological interpretation. Important factors affecting age determination such as landslide type, secondary craters, and resurfacing processes have been examined in detail to improve data quality and provide more robust conclusions. While very low frequency of slope collapse is observed between 3.2 and 2.4 Ga after a period of higher instability as confirmed by fluvial and glacial features, the overall trend of increasing frequency with time remains dominant. This is consistent with previous studies, and is now supported by a significantly larger dataset which modifies existing age determinations. This suggests the presence of a large number of ancient undetected landslides, buried beneath more recent deposits. This research provides new insights into the timing and frequency of mass wasting events on Mars, contributing to a better understanding of the planet's geomorphological evolution.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":13199,"journal":{"name":"Icarus","volume":"439 ","pages":"Article 116653"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-05-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144139384","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}