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| Martian Northern Plains | |
|---|---|
| Name | Martian Northern Plains |
| Other names | Vastitas Borealis |
| Coordinates | ~70°N to equator |
| Planet | Mars |
| Region | Northern lowlands |
| Notable features | Utopia Planitia, Arcadia Planitia, Chryse Planitia, Amazonis Planitia, Planum Boreum |
| Area | ~40% of planetary surface |
| Discovered by | Giovanni Schiaparelli (mapping era) |
Martian Northern Plains The Martian Northern Plains comprise an extensive lowland region on Mars characterized by broad plains, shallow basins, and gradational boundaries with the southern highlands. The plains include named regions such as Utopia Planitia, Arcadia Planitia, Chryse Planitia, and Amazonis Planitia, and relate geographically to polar features like Planum Boreum and orbital landmarks mapped by Viking program and Mars Global Surveyor. Scientific interest spans investigations by missions including Mariner 9, Viking 1, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, and Mars Odyssey.
The Northern Plains occupy roughly 40% of Mars's surface and lie predominantly north of the Martian dichotomy boundary separating the plains from the southern highlands, adjacent to features like Tharsis Montes and Elysium Mons. Classical mapping by Giovanni Schiaparelli and later high-resolution cartography by Viking Orbiter and Mars Global Surveyor defined plains boundaries near Isidis Planitia and the Acidalia Planitia region, with latitudinal span approaching the Arctic Circle (planetary). Topographically the plains are the site of the lowest planetary elevations recorded by Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter during the Mars Global Surveyor mission, and they interact with the Martian atmosphere and polar seasonal cycles measured by Mars Express instruments.
Surface geology reflects depositional and erosional processes recorded in geomorphic units mapped by United States Geological Survey planetary studies and interpreted with data from Thermal Emission Imaging System and High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment. Plains lithology includes layered sediments in Utopia Planitia, pedestal craters in Arcadia Planitia, and lava flows near Amazonis Planitia that relate to eruptions from Elysium Mons and Tharsis Montes. Aeolian bedforms such as dunes studied by HiRISE and Mars Climate Sounder occur alongside potential glacial remnants identified near Deuteronilus Mensae and Lycus Sulci analogues. Stratigraphic relationships draw on crater-count chronologies developed in collaboration with teams from Jet Propulsion Laboratory and European Space Agency researchers.
The plains modulate regional climate through albedo contrasts detected by Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and thermal inertia maps from Mars Odyssey. Seasonal polar processes associated with Planum Boreum cold-trap cycles influence CO2 and H2O frost deposition across plains mapped by Mars Express and Mars Global Surveyor spectrometers. Atmospheric circulation models from groups at California Institute of Technology, Imperial College London, and NASA Ames Research Center simulate katabatic flows, dust storm initiation linked to Hellas Planitia and Syrtis Major Planum, and transient methane detections reported by teams at Gemini Observatory and Curiosity science consortiums. Interaction with polar jets influences transport of water vapor measured by Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN instruments.
Evidence for ancient fluvial and oceanic processes has been interpreted from outflow channels draining into plains regions such as Kasei Valles and deltas at Chryse Planitia identified in imagery from Viking and MRO. Studies by investigators at Brown University, University of Arizona, and Swiss Federal Institute of Technology have argued for paleo-shorelines and tsunami deposits in Utopia Planitia and Acidalia Planitia, with supporting sedimentary facies analyzed via spectroscopy from Mars Express and Mars Odyssey. Subsurface ice detected by SHARAD and MARSIS radar sounders aboard Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and Mars Express indicates extensive periglacial deposits that inform models developed at Cornell University and SETI Institute.
The plains record tectonic stress fields related to the emplacement of nearby volcanic provinces such as Tharsis, Elysium, and associated rift systems mapped by Mars Global Surveyor and analyzed by tectonics teams at Brown University and Caltech. Extensional features, wrinkle ridges, and grabens cataloged in surveys by USGS reflect lithospheric flexure tied to loading from Olympus Mons and widespread mare-style volcanism analogous to processes studied at Smithsonian Institution comparative volcanology programs. Remote sensing of volcanic units near Amazonis Planitia links to eruption age constraints from crater counting by researchers at University of Arizona and Arizona State University.
The Northern Plains preserve impact basins such as Utopia Planitia and smaller craters catalogued by International Astronomical Union nomenclature and mapped with datasets from Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and Mars Odyssey. Sedimentary sequences interpreted as lacustrine, fluvial, or marine deposits have been the subject of analyses by teams at California Institute of Technology, University of Oxford, and Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, drawing on stratigraphic correlations, ejecta morphologies, and isochron dating methods used in planetary science. Secondary cratering and resurfacing events tied to basin-forming impacts influence regolith development examined by Lunar and Planetary Laboratory researchers.
Exploration began with telescopic observation by Giovanni Schiaparelli and progressed through robotic reconnaissance with Mariner 9, Viking 1, and later orbital missions including Mars Global Surveyor, Mars Odyssey, Mars Express, and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Surface missions such as Viking 1 lander (in Chryse Planitia) and proposed landers targeted plains locales informed by candidate sites for Mars Science Laboratory and ExoMars investigations. Ongoing and planned missions with interest in plains deposits include teams from NASA, European Space Agency, Roscosmos, and private initiatives such as SpaceX exploratory concepts, while sample return strategies involve collaborations with NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory and international science consortia.
Category:Mars geography