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Martian dunes indicative of wind regime shift in line with end of ice age

Space Sciences

Martian dunes indicative of wind regime shift in line with end of ice age

J. Liu, X. Qin, et al.

Discover how recent Martian ice age dynamics have shaped the planet's surface, with fascinating insights from the Zhurong rover by a team of renowned researchers. Their findings reveal the intricacies of wind patterns and ice-dust mantles during a crucial geological period on Mars.

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Playback language: English
Abstract
Orbital observations suggest a recent Martian ice age (0.4–2.1 million years ago), with a latitude-dependent ice-dust mantle (LDM). Subsequent obliquity decrease led to an interglacial period, removing lower-latitude LDM ice. Zhurong rover data from Utopia Planitia reveals a stratigraphic sequence: initial barchan dune formation (northeast winds), cementation, then erosion by northwest winds forming longitudinal dunes. This wind regime shift aligns with the ice age's end, consistent with the Martian polar stratigraphic record.
Publisher
Nature
Published On
Jul 05, 2023
Authors
Jianjun Liu, Xiaoguang Qin, Xin Ren, Xu Wang, Yong Sun, Xingguo Zeng, Haibin Wu, Zhaopeng Chen, Wangli Chen, Yuan Chen, Cheng Wang, Zezhou Sun, Rongqiao Zhang, Ziyuan Ouyang, Zhengtang Guo, James W. Head, Chunlai Li
Tags
Martian ice age
Zhurong rover
wind regime
stratigraphic sequence
Utopia Planitia
barchan dunes
obliquity
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