Wind-Related Processes Detected by the Spirit Rover at Gusev Crater, Mars

Greeley, R.; Squyres, S. W.; Arvidson, R. E.; Bartlett, Paul; Bell, James F.; Blaney, D. L.; Cabrol, Nathalie A.; Farmer, Jack D.; Farrand, B.; Golombek, M. P.; Gorevan, S.; Grant, J. A.; Haldemann, A. F. C.; Herkenhoff, K. E.; Johnson, J. R.; Landis, Geoffrey A.; Madsen, M. B.; McLennan, Scott M.; Moersch, Jeffrey E.; Rice, J. W.; Richter, Lutz; Ruff, Steven W.; Sullivan, Robert; Thompson, S. D.; Wang, A.; Weitz, C. M.; Whelley, P. L.

doi:10.1126/science.1100108

Cited by 93 publications

(127 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…The frigid conditions in Antarctica provided a unique opportunity for field investigations of sand dunes under Mars-like temperatures, which will provide important constraints for the development of ground penetrating radar instruments for eventual use on Mars (Bristow et al, 2010a). The Mars rovers confirmed the presence of granule-coated megaripples at both landing sites (Greeley et al, 2004;Sullivan et al, 2005); a prolonged strong wind event at Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve (in central Colorado) allowed the movement rate of granule ripples to measured and then extrapolated to current Martian conditions, suggesting that megaripples common at the Opportunity site should require hundreds to thousands of years to move 1 cm under wind Fig. 3.…”

Section: The Action Of the Windmentioning

confidence: 87%

Recent developments in planetary Aeolian studies and their terrestrial analogs

2013

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Section: The Action Of the Windmentioning

confidence: 87%

Recent developments in planetary Aeolian studies and their terrestrial analogs

2013

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“…For example, in addition to insolation, wind can also induce rapid rock surface temperature changes on Earth 54 . Strong afternoondominant winds are expected from numerical models of the terrain along the Spirit traverse, and mid-day winds have been noted from images of rock cutting dust 55 . Although thermal advection effects are complicated on Mars due to the lower density of its atmosphere, in general surface winds might serve to advect heat off the rock surface at a time of day when thermal stress is already high, amplifying the potential for thermal stress in afternoon hours and increasing variance in potential stress fields that develop.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cracks in Martian boulders exhibit preferred orientations that point to solar-induced thermal stress

et al. 2015

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The origins of fractures in Martian boulders are unknown. Here, using Mars Exploration Rover 3D data products, we obtain orientation measurements for 1,857 cracks visible in 1,573 rocks along the Spirit traverse and find that Mars rock cracks are oriented in statistically preferred directions similar to those compiled herein for Earth rock cracks found in mid-latitude deserts. We suggest that Martian directional cracking occurs due to the preferential propagation of microfractures favourably oriented with respect to repeating geometries of diurnal peaks in sun-induced thermal stresses. A numerical model modified here with Mars parameters supports this hypothesis both with respect to the overall magnitude of stresses as well as to the times of day at which the stresses peak. These data provide the first direct field and numerical evidence that insolation-related thermal stress potentially plays a principle role in cracking rocks on portions of the Martian surface.

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“…Satellite (e.g., Edgett and Malin 2000, Malin and Edgett 2006, Bridges et al 2007 and surface (e.g., Greeley et al 2000Greeley et al , 2004Bell et al 2004;Levy et al 2009) images clearly show evidence for physical weathering driven by eolian abrasion, impact shattering, thermal stress, permafrost processes, gravity-driven mass wasting, and salt weathering. The relative roles of the major processes of physical weathering through time can be speculated upon with planetary evolution (Fig.…”

Section: Marsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Source-to-Sink

Kocurek¹,

Ewing²

2012

Sedimentary Geology of Mars

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Eolian dune fields on Earth and Mars evolve as complex systems within a set of boundary conditions. A source-to-sink comparison indicates that although differences exist in sediment production and transport, the systems largely converge at the dune-flow and pattern-development levels, but again differ in modes of accumulation and preservation. On Earth, where winds frequently exceed threshold speeds, dune fields are sourced primarily through deflation of subaqueous deposits as these sediments become available for transport. Limited weathering, widespread permafrost, and the lowdensity atmosphere on Mars imply that sediment production, sediment availability, and sand-transporting winds are all episodic. Possible sediment sources include relict sediments from the wetter Noachian; slow physical weathering in a cold, water-limited environment; and episodic sediment production associated with climatic cycles, outflow events, and impacts. Similarities in dune morphology, secondary airflow patterns over the dunes, and pattern evolution through dune interactions imply that dune stratification and bounding surfaces on Mars are comparable to those on Earth, an observation supported by outcrops of the Burns formation. The accumulation of eolian deposits occurs on Earth through the dynamics of dry, wet, and stabilizing eolian systems. Dry-system accumulation by flow deceleration into topographic basins has occurred throughout Martian history, whereas wetsystem accumulation with a rising capillary fringe is restricted to Noachian times. The greatest difference in accumulation occurs with stabilizing systems, as manifested by the north polar Planum Boreum cavi unit, where accumulation has occurred through stabilization by permafrost development. Preservation of eolian accumulations on Earth typically occurs by sediment burial within subsiding basins or a relative rise of the water table or sea level. Preservation on Mars, measured as the generation of a stratigraphic record and not time, has an Earth analog with infill of impact-created and other basins, but differs with the cavi unit, where preservation is by burial beneath layered ice with a climatic driver.

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Wind-Related Processes Detected by the Spirit Rover at Gusev Crater, Mars

Cited by 93 publications

References 29 publications

Recent developments in planetary Aeolian studies and their terrestrial analogs

Recent developments in planetary Aeolian studies and their terrestrial analogs

Cracks in Martian boulders exhibit preferred orientations that point to solar-induced thermal stress

Source-to-Sink

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