Limits on the burial depth of glacial ice deposits on the flanks of Hecates Tholus, Mars

摘要

An analysis of data obtained by the HRSC camera on Mars Express revealed morphological evidence for the existence of glacial deposits on the flank of Hecates Tholus (E. Hauber et al., 2004). Crater counts indicate a very young age in the range of several million years only. In this study we have assessed limits for the burial depth of a still existing ice deposit protected by an overlying dust layer. Our first results indicate a high likelihood to find ice within only a few meters below the surface in this region.