Martian North Pole Edificies Profiles

This data set contains geophysics derived data from the MOLA altimeter on board Mars Global Surveyor mission. It contains morphometric information, as well as topographic profiles from 201 edifices (positive topographic elevations) analysed from the North Polar region of Mars. Specifically, from the Scandia Cavi and Olympia Undae regions.

This data set accompanies the following paper:

Sánchez-Bayton, M., Tréguier, E., Herraiz, M., Martin, P., Kereszturi, A., and Sánchez-Cano, B., (2020), New Landforms in Scandia Cavi and Olympia Undae, North Polar Region of Mars. Discrimination of possible volcanoes edifices. Journal of Geophysical Research Planets, 125, (awaiting for DOI).

Abstract:

This article presents a systematic analysis of the morphology of positive topographic landforms on Olympia Undae and Scandia Cavi in the Northern circumpolar region of Mars, which are key areas for the geological evolution of the Northern Polar Cap. The study has been performed using images from Mars Express and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and topographic profiles from Mars Global Surveyor that have led to identifying 201 small and medium-size geologic landforms, more than 90% of them not classified before. The main morphometric parameters of these landforms have allowed to classify them into six categories: cratered cones, impact craters, ambiguous craters, simple domes, peaked domes, and irregular structures. Their possible relation to impact, aeolian, glacial and volcanic processes, as well as to mix-interaction between all of these processes is also discussed. We conclude that for those landforms formed by internal processes, the volcanic origin is one of the most probable processes leading to their formation. The small and medium-size positive topographic features in the Northern polar regions of Mars provide valuable information on the surface evolution during the last part of the geological history of Mars.