Large-scale systematic mapping of paleo-bedforms in the Thaumasia Planum – western Noachis Terra region, Mars

In this study, we analyze the surface aeolian record around the Coprates rise region, an extensive area that includes Thaumasia and Bosporos Planae as well as the western Noachis Terra lowlands. The main goals are: a) to test the systematic mapping of aeolian bedforms (PBRs, TARs, and/or paleo-megaripples ) at medium resolutions using CTX mosaics and the techniques introduced by Vaz et al. ( 2023); b) to evaluate the spatial distribution of aeolian bedforms and identify different populations in this large area; c) to use GCM predictions and state-of-the-art bedform formation models to test how well the mapped features fit the predicted current-day surface aeolian dynamics.  

The automated methodology accurately maps various sets of linear and periodic bedforms. We estimate that about 50% of the mapped bedforms are associated with or controlled by local topography, showing clear spatial associations with specific topographic settings: craters, incised valleys, grabens and wrinkle ridges. These were excluded from a comparative analysis with the GCM-derived predictions. 

We identified eight sets of bedforms with very different characteristics (e.g. trends, wavelength, morphologies, and preservation state). We found significant disparities between the mapped bedform trends and the GCM-based predictions, suggesting that most of the mapped sets are incompatible with current surface aeolian dynamics, as predicted from the GCM outputs. 

 

References

Vaz, D. A., Silvestro, S., Chojnacki, M., & Silva, D. C. A. (2023). Constraining the mechanisms of aeolian bedform formation on Mars through a global morphometric survey. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 614, 118196. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2023.118196