Document Type

Article

Source of Publication

Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences

Publication Date

1-17-2022

Abstract

Recurring slope lineae (RSL) are small, dark, seasonal albedo features lengthening down “warm” Martian steep slopes. Their origin has been attributed to both liquid and dry processes, hence representing one of the major open science questions on present day Mars. In the present study, we report a catalog of previous literature and newly added RSL sites making a total of 940 sites globally on Mars along with the detailed geological and compositional investigation of the Hale and Asimov craters with their RSL features. We also estimate temperature and atmospheric water abundances in the study area, which are two of the main factors to explain the origin and formation of RSL. The study found that the Asimov crater’s local temperatures are high enough to allow either the melting of brines or deliquescence of calcium perchlorate and other salts during the HiRISE observation period and found the water vapor column to be nearly five times higher than those measured “before RSL appearance.” This supports the theory of deliquescence as one of the mechanisms for the regolith-atmosphere interaction and RSL formation in the studied crater, which suggests that minerals absorb moisture from the environment until the minerals dissolve in the absorbed water and yield a solution. We also used compact reconnaissance imaging spectrometer for Mars–derived browse products for a compositional study associated with RSL features hosting craters and surface characteristics of Mars.

ISSN

2296-987X

Publisher

Frontiers

Volume

8

Disciplines

Earth Sciences

Keywords

Recurring Slope Lineae (RSL), HiRISE, Atmosphere, Geomorphology, Mineralogy, Mars

Scopus ID

85123755152

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Indexed in Scopus

yes

Open Access

yes

Open Access Type

Gold: This publication is openly available in an open access journal/series

Download

Share

COinS