Mars Geological Enigmas: From the Late Noachian Epoch to the Present Day presents outstanding questions on the geology of Mars and divergent viewpoints based on varying interpretations and analyses. The result is a robust and comprehensive discussion that provides opportunities for planetary scientists to develop their own opinions and ways forward. Each theme opens with an introduction that includes background on the topic and lays out questions to be addressed. Alternate perspectives are covered for each topic, including methods, observations, analyses, and in-depth discussion of the conclusions. Chapters within each theme reference each other to facilitate comparison and deeper understanding of divergent opinions.
1. Introduction - p. 16 2. Chapter 1. Resolving Martian enigmas, discovering new ones: the case of Curiosity and Gale crater - p. 19 3. I: Of frozen floods, unfathomable deeps; on ancient Mars, what fluid formed the enormous outflow channels and highland-margin contacts? - p. 9 4. Chapter 2. Outflow channels on Mars - p. 9 5. Chapter 3. Mars northern plains ocean - p. 40 6. Chapter 4. Dry megafloods on Mars: formation of the outflow channels by voluminous effusions of low viscosity lava - p. 60 7. II: Can impact craters be used to derive reliable surface ages on Mars? - p. 90 8. Chapter 5. Challenges in crater chronology on Mars as reflected in Jezero crater - p. 96 9. Chapter 6. The role of secondary craters on Martian crater chronology - p. 122 10. III: The Perplexing Story of Methane on Mars - p. 143 11. Chapter 7. Methane on Mars: subsurface sourcing and conflicting atmospheric measurements - p. 148 12. Chapter 8. A review of the meteor shower hypothesis for methane on Mars - p. 174 13. IV: Does water flow on Martian slopes? - p. 199 14. Chapter 9. The role of liquid water in recent surface processes on Mars - p. 206 15. Chapter 10. Dry formation of recent Martian slope features - p. 262 16. V: Earth Analogs for Mars - a Plethora of Choice! - p. 281 17. Chapter 11. The McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica: a geological, environmental, and ecological analog to the Martian surface and near surface - p. 290 18. Chapter 12. The Atacama Desert: a window into late Mars surface habitability? - p. 332 19. Chapter 13. Life analog sites for Mars from early Earth: diverse habitats from the Pilbara Craton and Mount Bruce Supergroup, Western Australia - p. 356 20. VI: The freeze-thaw cycling of water at/near the Martian surface: present, past, and possible? - p. 400 21. Chapter 14. Pingo-like mounds and possible polyphase periglaciation/glaciation at/adjacent to the Moreux impact crater - p. 406 22. Chapter 15. Thermokarst-like depressions on Mars: age constraints on ice degradation in Utopia Planitia - p. 436 23. VII: Hemispheres together: toward understanding the crustal dichotomy on Mars - p. 466 24. Chapter 16. Forging the Mars crustal dichotomy: the giant impact hypothesis - p. 474 25. Chapter 17. Endogenic origin of the Martian hemispheric dichotomy - p. 498 26. Index - p. 522
Mars Geological Enigmas: From the Late Noachian Epoch to the Present Day presents outstanding questions on the geology of Mars and divergent viewpoints based on varying interpretations and analyses. The result is a robust and comprehensive discussion that provides opportunities for planetary scientists to develop their own opinions and ways forward. Each theme opens with an introduction that includes background on the topic and lays out questions to be addressed. Alternate perspectives are covered for each topic, including methods, observations, analyses, and in-depth discussion of the conclusions. Chapters within each theme reference each other to facilitate comparison and deeper understanding of divergent opinions.
1. Introduction - p. 16 2. Chapter 1. Resolving Martian enigmas, discovering new ones: the case of Curiosity and Gale crater - p. 19 3. I: Of frozen floods, unfathomable deeps; on ancient Mars, what fluid formed the enormous outflow channels and highland-margin contacts? - p. 9 4. Chapter 2. Outflow channels on Mars - p. 9 5. Chapter 3. Mars northern plains ocean - p. 40 6. Chapter 4. Dry megafloods on Mars: formation of the outflow channels by voluminous effusions of low viscosity lava - p. 60 7. II: Can impact craters be used to derive reliable surface ages on Mars? - p. 90 8. Chapter 5. Challenges in crater chronology on Mars as reflected in Jezero crater - p. 96 9. Chapter 6. The role of secondary craters on Martian crater chronology - p. 122 10. III: The Perplexing Story of Methane on Mars - p. 143 11. Chapter 7. Methane on Mars: subsurface sourcing and conflicting atmospheric measurements - p. 148 12. Chapter 8. A review of the meteor shower hypothesis for methane on Mars - p. 174 13. IV: Does water flow on Martian slopes? - p. 199 14. Chapter 9. The role of liquid water in recent surface processes on Mars - p. 206 15. Chapter 10. Dry formation of recent Martian slope features - p. 262 16. V: Earth Analogs for Mars - a Plethora of Choice! - p. 281 17. Chapter 11. The McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica: a geological, environmental, and ecological analog to the Martian surface and near surface - p. 290 18. Chapter 12. The Atacama Desert: a window into late Mars surface habitability? - p. 332 19. Chapter 13. Life analog sites for Mars from early Earth: diverse habitats from the Pilbara Craton and Mount Bruce Supergroup, Western Australia - p. 356 20. VI: The freeze-thaw cycling of water at/near the Martian surface: present, past, and possible? - p. 400 21. Chapter 14. Pingo-like mounds and possible polyphase periglaciation/glaciation at/adjacent to the Moreux impact crater - p. 406 22. Chapter 15. Thermokarst-like depressions on Mars: age constraints on ice degradation in Utopia Planitia - p. 436 23. VII: Hemispheres together: toward understanding the crustal dichotomy on Mars - p. 466 24. Chapter 16. Forging the Mars crustal dichotomy: the giant impact hypothesis - p. 474 25. Chapter 17. Endogenic origin of the Martian hemispheric dichotomy - p. 498 26. Index - p. 522
