Possible Transport of Basal Debris to the Surface of a Mid-Latitude Glacier on Mars.

Frances Butcher , Neil Arnold , Dan Berman , Susan J. Conway (1) , Joel Davis , Matt Balme

1 LPG - Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géodynamique [UMR 6112]

We observe internal flow structures within a viscous flow feature (VFF; 51.24°W, 42.53°S) interpreted as a debris-covered glacier in Nereidum Montes, Mars. The structures are exposed in the wall of a gully that is incised through the VFF, parallel to its flow-direction. They are near to the glacier terminus and appear to connect its deep interior (and possibly its bed) to arcuate flow-transverse foliations on its surface. Such foliations are common on VFF surfaces, but their relation to VFF-internal structures and ice flow is poorly understood. The VFF-internal structures we observe are reminiscent of up-glacier dipping shear structures that transport basal debris to glacier surfaces on Earth.

Domaines: Planétologie; Géomorphologie

Frances Butcher, Neil Arnold, Dan Berman, Susan J. Conway, Joel Davis, et al.. Possible Transport of Basal Debris to the Surface of a Mid-Latitude Glacier on Mars.. 22nd EGU General Assembly, May 2020, held online, Unknown Region. ⟨10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-11628⟩. ⟨hal-03091561⟩