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Science 21 September 2007:
Vol. 317. no. 5845, pp. 1711 - 1715
DOI: 10.1126/science.1143544
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Reports

Meter-Scale Morphology of the North Polar Region of Mars

K. E. Herkenhoff,1* S. Byrne,2 P. S. Russell,3 K. E. Fishbaugh,4{dagger} A. S. McEwen2

Mars' north pole is covered by a dome of layered ice deposits. Detailed (~30 centimeters per pixel) images of this region were obtained with the High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment on board the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO). Planum Boreum basal unit scarps reveal cross-bedding and show evidence for recent mass wasting, flow, and debris accumulation. The north polar layers themselves are as thin as 10 centimeters but appear to be covered by a dusty veneer in places, which may obscure thinner layers. Repetition of particular layer types implies that quasi-periodic climate changes influenced the stratigraphic sequence in the polar layered deposits, informing models for recent climate variations on Mars.

1 Astrogeology Team, United States Geological Survey (USGS), Flagstaff, AZ 86001, USA.
2 Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA.
3 Physikalisches Institut, Universität Bern, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland.
4 International Space Science Institute, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland.

{dagger} Present address: Center for Earth and Planetary Studies, National Air and Space Museum, Washington, DC 20013, USA.

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: kherkenhoff{at}usgs.gov

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