Pingos, palsas and lithalsas : comparison with the Martian mounds

Auteur(s) et Affiliation(s)



Description :
Similarities between mounds on Mars and pingos on Earth are considerable; they include the shape, summit craters and occasional circular fractures around some mounds. Pingos probably exist on Mars, but it is difficult to interpret the mounds on Mars as closed-system pingos because no trace of lakes is visible and the spacing of these mounds is smaller than that of the typical pingos in the Mackenzie delta. The striking similarity between annular ridges on Mars and the depressions surrounded by ramparts that are remnants of lithalsas in the Hautes-Fagnes (Belgium)suggest a similar origin. Pingos and lithalsas are formed on Earth under different climatic conditions, on Mars they could therefore reflect 2 generations of periglacial mounds and a significant change of climate between these generations.


Type de document :
Article de périodique

Source :
Zeitschrift für Geomorphologie, issn : 0372-8854, 2011, vol. 55, n°. 4, p. 463-473, nombre de pages : 11, Références bibliographiques : 37 ref.

Date :
2011

Editeur :
Pays édition : Allemagne, Stuttgart, Gebruder Borntraeger