Eskers associated with buried glaciers in Mars' mid latitudes: recent advances and future directions
Until recently, the influence of basal liquid water on the evolution of buried glaciers in Mars' mid latitudes was assumed to be negligible because the latter stages of Mars' Amazonian period (3 Ga to present) have long been thought to have been similarly cold and dry to today. Recent iden...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Cambridge University Press
2022-09-01
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| Series: | Annals of Glaciology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0260305523000071/type/journal_article |
| _version_ | 1797660556166955008 |
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| author | Frances E. G. Butcher Neil S. Arnold Matthew R. Balme Susan J. Conway Christopher D. Clark Colman Gallagher Axel Hagermann Stephen R. Lewis Alicia M. Rutledge Robert D. Storrar Savana Z. Woodley |
| author_facet | Frances E. G. Butcher Neil S. Arnold Matthew R. Balme Susan J. Conway Christopher D. Clark Colman Gallagher Axel Hagermann Stephen R. Lewis Alicia M. Rutledge Robert D. Storrar Savana Z. Woodley |
| author_sort | Frances E. G. Butcher |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Until recently, the influence of basal liquid water on the evolution of buried glaciers in Mars' mid latitudes was assumed to be negligible because the latter stages of Mars' Amazonian period (3 Ga to present) have long been thought to have been similarly cold and dry to today. Recent identifications of several landforms interpreted as eskers associated with these young (100s Ma) glaciers calls this assumption into doubt. They indicate basal melting (at least locally and transiently) of their parent glaciers. Although rare, they demonstrate a more complex mid-to-late Amazonian environment than was previously understood. Here, we discuss several open questions posed by the existence of glacier-linked eskers on Mars, including on their global-scale abundance and distribution, the drivers and dynamics of melting and drainage, and the fate of meltwater upon reaching the ice margin. Such questions provide rich opportunities for collaboration between the Mars and Earth cryosphere research communities. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T18:32:37Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-1ccc8cae59e041329b8c1a8a418abf43 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0260-3055 1727-5644 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T18:32:37Z |
| publishDate | 2022-09-01 |
| publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Annals of Glaciology |
| spelling | doaj.art-1ccc8cae59e041329b8c1a8a418abf432023-10-13T10:44:52ZengCambridge University PressAnnals of Glaciology0260-30551727-56442022-09-0163333810.1017/aog.2023.7Eskers associated with buried glaciers in Mars' mid latitudes: recent advances and future directionsFrances E. G. Butcher0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5392-7286Neil S. Arnold1https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7538-3999Matthew R. Balme2https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5871-7475Susan J. Conway3https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0577-2312Christopher D. Clark4https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1021-6679Colman Gallagher5https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6039-2726Axel Hagermann6Stephen R. Lewis7https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7237-6494Alicia M. Rutledge8https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9528-3351Robert D. Storrar9https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4738-0082Savana Z. Woodley10https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4184-6956Department of Geography, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UKScott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UKSchool of Physical Sciences, The Open University, Milton Keynes, UKCNRS UMR 6112, Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géosciences, Nantes Université, Nantes, FranceDepartment of Geography, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UKUCD School of Geography, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland UCD Earth Institute, University College Dublin, Dublin, IrelandDepartment of Computer Science, Electrical and Space Engineering, Luleå University of Technology, Luleå, SwedenSchool of Physical Sciences, The Open University, Milton Keynes, UKDepartment of Astronomy and Planetary Science, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, USADepartment of the Natural and Built Environment, Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield, UKSchool of Physical Sciences, The Open University, Milton Keynes, UKUntil recently, the influence of basal liquid water on the evolution of buried glaciers in Mars' mid latitudes was assumed to be negligible because the latter stages of Mars' Amazonian period (3 Ga to present) have long been thought to have been similarly cold and dry to today. Recent identifications of several landforms interpreted as eskers associated with these young (100s Ma) glaciers calls this assumption into doubt. They indicate basal melting (at least locally and transiently) of their parent glaciers. Although rare, they demonstrate a more complex mid-to-late Amazonian environment than was previously understood. Here, we discuss several open questions posed by the existence of glacier-linked eskers on Mars, including on their global-scale abundance and distribution, the drivers and dynamics of melting and drainage, and the fate of meltwater upon reaching the ice margin. Such questions provide rich opportunities for collaboration between the Mars and Earth cryosphere research communities.https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0260305523000071/type/journal_articleDebris-covered glaciersextraterrestrial glaciologygeomorphology |
| spellingShingle | Frances E. G. Butcher Neil S. Arnold Matthew R. Balme Susan J. Conway Christopher D. Clark Colman Gallagher Axel Hagermann Stephen R. Lewis Alicia M. Rutledge Robert D. Storrar Savana Z. Woodley Eskers associated with buried glaciers in Mars' mid latitudes: recent advances and future directions Annals of Glaciology Debris-covered glaciers extraterrestrial glaciology geomorphology |
| title | Eskers associated with buried glaciers in Mars' mid latitudes: recent advances and future directions |
| title_full | Eskers associated with buried glaciers in Mars' mid latitudes: recent advances and future directions |
| title_fullStr | Eskers associated with buried glaciers in Mars' mid latitudes: recent advances and future directions |
| title_full_unstemmed | Eskers associated with buried glaciers in Mars' mid latitudes: recent advances and future directions |
| title_short | Eskers associated with buried glaciers in Mars' mid latitudes: recent advances and future directions |
| title_sort | eskers associated with buried glaciers in mars mid latitudes recent advances and future directions |
| topic | Debris-covered glaciers extraterrestrial glaciology geomorphology |
| url | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0260305523000071/type/journal_article |
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