J. W. Head III
M. H. Carr
2003
<p>Valley<span> </span>networks<span> appear to be cut by liquid water, yet simulations suggest that </span>early<span> </span>Mars<span> could not have been warmed enough by </span>a<span> CO</span><sub>2</sub><span>-H</span><sub>2</sub><span>O greenhouse to permit rainfall. The vulnerability of an </span>early<span> atmosphere to impact erosion, the likely rapid scavenging of CO</span><sub>2</sub><span> from the atmosphere by weathering, and the lack of detection of weathering products all support </span>a<span> cold </span>early<span> </span>Mars<span>. We explore the hypothesis that </span>valley<span> </span>networks<span> could have formed as </span>a<span> result of </span>basal<span> </span>melting<span> of thick </span>snow<span> and ice deposits. Depending on the heat flow, an </span>early<span> snowpack </span>a<span> few hundred meters to </span>a<span> few kilometers thick could undergo </span>basal<span> </span>melting<span>, providing water to cut </span>valley<span> </span>networks<span>. </span></p>
application/pdf
10.1029/2003GL018575
en
American Geophysical Union
Basal melting of snow on early Mars: A possible origin of some valley networks
article