Arcadia Planitia

Arcadia Planitia
Chmee2 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source
Name	Arcadia Planitia
Type	Plain
Location	Northern hemisphere of Mars
Coordinates	45°N 180°W (approx.)
Region	Arcadia quadrangle
Notable features	Lava flows, wrinkle ridges, polygonal ground, possible pingos
Discovered	Mapped by Mariner 9 era, later studied by Viking, Mars Global Surveyor

Arcadia Planitia is a broad lowland plain in the northern hemisphere of Mars characterized by extensive volcanic plains, periglacial landforms, and a relatively smooth surface. The plain has been the focus of studies by missions and institutions including Mariner 9, Viking program, Mars Global Surveyor, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, and Mars Odyssey and figures in proposals by agencies such as NASA, ESA, and Roscosmos. Researchers from organizations such as the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Lunar and Planetary Institute, Smithsonian Institution, and NASA Ames Research Center have investigated its geology, climate history, and potential for past or present ice.

Name and location

Arcadia Planitia lies within the Arcadia quadrangle and borders regions including the Tharsis region (to the west by regional context), Elysium Planitia (to the southeast in broader plains comparisons), and the Vastitas Borealis lowlands. It is situated north of volcanic highlands such as Tempe Terra and southwest of features mapped near Amazonis Planitia and Utopia Planitia. Cartographers using datasets from USGS Astrogeology and maps produced by the International Astronomical Union locate Arcadia Planitia across longitudes cataloged in databases maintained by the Planetary Data System.

Geology and composition

Studies combining spectroscopy from Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter instruments like CRISM and thermal inertia mapping from TES on Mars Global Surveyor indicate basaltic compositions analogous to plains in Amazonis Planitia and Elysium Planitia. Geochemical analyses informed by data from Mars Odyssey’s Gamma Ray Spectrometer and remote sensing interpretations referencing terrestrial analogues studied by researchers at Caltech and Brown University suggest layered volcanic units overlying sedimentary and icy substrates. Publications from teams at Brown University, University of Arizona, University of Colorado Boulder, and University of Western Ontario interpret the stratigraphy in terms of lava emplacement, sediment deposition, and periglacial modification.

Surface features and morphology

Arcadia Planitia exhibits widespread wrinkle ridges similar to those in Hellas Planitia and wrinkle ridge provinces mapped by the USGS. The plain contains polygonal patterned ground akin to periglacial polygons observed in Utopia Planitia and terrestrial analogues in Svalbard and the McMurdo Dry Valleys, studied by researchers at University of Alaska Fairbanks and University of Oxford. Small conical mounds interpreted as pingos or rootless cones compare with features cataloged near Cerberus Fossae and Elysium Mons and analyzed by teams from Brown University and Lunar and Planetary Laboratory. High-resolution imaging from HiRISE on Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and context from CTX reveal dune fields, wind streaks correlated with studies by Cornell University and MIT teams, and layered ejecta deposits comparable to those in the Syrtis Major region documented by researchers at Arizona State University.

Volcanism and tectonics

Volcanic units in Arcadia Planitia have been compared to flood-basalt style plains flows mapped in Amazonis Planitia and tied to regional volcanic provinces including Tharsis and Elysium Mons. Investigations by scientists from California Institute of Technology and University of California, Los Angeles infer low-viscosity basaltic eruptions producing extensive lava sheets; comparisons draw on analog studies by USGS volcanologists. Tectonic features such as graben and extensional fissures relate to stress fields studied near Valles Marineris and Cerberus Fossae and modeled by groups at Purdue University and University of Tokyo. Crustal thickness models from Mars Global Surveyor gravity data analyzed by the Planetary Science Institute and NASA Goddard Space Flight Center inform assessments of magmatic plumbing beneath the plain.

Impact cratering and age

Crater counting techniques applied using images from Viking program, MGS, and MRO permit relative dating; teams at Brown University, University of Arizona, Planetary Science Institute, and Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory have produced age estimates placing major resurfacing events in the Hesperian to Amazonian epochs. The surface displays fewer large primary craters than adjacent highlands, a pattern noted in global crater databases compiled by USGS and researchers affiliated with University of Bern and Lunar and Planetary Institute. Secondary crater fields and degraded rim structures relate to studies of impact processes led by scientists at Imperial College London and University of California, Berkeley.

Permafrost, ice deposits, and subsurface water

Geophysical analyses using radar sounders such as MARSIS on Mars Express and SHARAD on MRO detect subsurface reflectors interpreted by research groups at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Italian Space Agency, and University of Rome La Sapienza as potential ice-rich layers. Thermal modeling from MGS TES and neutron spectroscopy from Mars Odyssey’s Neutron Spectrometer support hypotheses of shallow permafrost and excess ice consistent with landforms like thermokarst and scalloped depressions studied by investigators at Brown University and Purdue University. Models of climate-driven deposition invoking obliquity cycles are informed by paleoclimate work from Caltech, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and University of Colorado Boulder.

Exploration and observations

Arcadia Planitia has been imaged and characterized by missions including Mariner 9, Viking program, Mars Global Surveyor, Mars Odyssey, Mars Express, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, and contributions from institutions such as NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, European Space Agency, and Italian Space Agency. Proposed lander and rover concepts from teams at NASA Ames Research Center, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, SpaceX, and academic consortia consider Arcadia Planitia for future in-situ exploration because of its flat terrain and potential subsurface ice, referenced in mission studies from NASA, ESA, and Roscosmos. Remote sensing datasets hosted by the Planetary Data System and mappings by USGS Astrogeology Science Center remain primary resources for ongoing investigations by universities and research centers worldwide.

Category:Surface features of Mars