Martian snows

LIFE IN MARTIAN SNOWS – MEASUREMENTS OF UV PROTECTION UNDER NATURAL ANTARCTIC SNOWS IN THE UVC (254 nm)

Introduction: Ultraviolet radiation down to 195 nm penetrates to the surface of the Martian north polar ice cap during the polar summer on account of the lack of an ozone column, in contrast to the Earth where only radiation above ~290 nm penetrates to the surface (except under ozone depletion, when radiation down to ~280 nm may penetrate). During the winter, spring and fall some ozone producti...

Martian Impact Cratering and Martian Layered Sediments

Isotopic Evidence for a Martian Regolith Component in Martian Meteorites

Introduction: Noble gas measurements in gas-rich impact-melt (GRIM) glasses in EET79001 shergottite showed that their elemental and isotopic composition is similar to that of the Martian atmosphere [1-3]. The GRIM glasses contain large amounts of Martian atmospheric gases. Those measurements further suggested that the Kr isotopic composition of Martian atmosphere is approximately similar to tha...

Mid-sized Martian Basins: a Window into Early Martian History

Introduction: Studies of the compensation state and evolution of lunar impact basins using gravity and topography data have revealed much about the early thermal history of the Moon [e.g. 1, 2, 3]. While Mars has had a far more complex history, it is likely that the ancient martian impact basins also have much to tell us about the early thermal evolution of the planet. To address this, here we ...

Identification (or Otherwise) of Martian Carbon in Martian Meteorites

Introduction: One of the goals of current martian exploration is to search for evidence of extinct (or even extant) life. In recent years, this goal has been interpreted as a search for evidence of water on Mars’ surface. The success of instrumentation (high resolution cameras and infrared spectrometers) on orbiting spacecraft, coupled with in situ data from the MER rovers have revolutionized o...