The sedimentary deposits in Gale crater may preserve one of the best records of the early Martian climate during the Late Noachian and Early Hesperian. Surface and orbital observations support the presence of two periods of lake stability in Gale craterprior to the formation of the sedimentary mound during the Late Noachian and after the formation and erosion of the mound to its present state in the Early Hesperian. Here we use hydrological models and late-stage lake levels at Gale, to reconstruct the climate of Mars after mound formation and erosion to its present state. Using Earth analog climates, we show that the late-stage lakes require wetter interludes characterized by semiarid climates after the transition to arid conditions in the Hesperian. These climates are much wetter than is thought to characterize much of the Hesperian and are more similar to estimates of the Late Noachian climate.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:arizona.edu/oai:arizona.openrepository.com:10150/625822 |
| Date | 28 August 2017 |
| Creators | Horvath, David G., Andrews-Hanna, Jeffrey C. |
| Contributors | Univ Arizona, Lunar & Planetary Lab, Planetary Science Directorate; Southwest Research Institute; Boulder Colorado USA, Lunar and Planetary Laboratory; University of Arizona; Tucson Arizona USA |
| Publisher | AMER GEOPHYSICAL UNION |
| Source Sets | University of Arizona |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Article |
| Rights | ©2017. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved. |
| Relation | http://doi.wiley.com/10.1002/2017GL074654 |
Page generated in 0.0019 seconds