Retrogressive Thaw Slumps on Mars: Constraints on Potential Formation Mechanisms
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UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY Retrogressive Thaw Slumps on Mars: Constraints on Potential Formation Mechanisms by Jean-Michel Wan Bun Tseung A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE DEPARTMENT OF GEOGRAPHY CALGARY, ALBERTA APRIL, 2008 © Jean-Michel Wan Bun Tseung 2008 ISBN: 978-0-494-38308-7 Abstract Subsurface temperature variations for the equatorial regions of Mars were obtained using a heat conduction equation in order to determine ground ice stability on Mars. The results indicate that under current summer conditions, subsurface temperatures above 0°C occur for a few hours at one metre deep. However, the upper 2 – 3 metres of the ground at these latitudes are thought to be desiccated. As such, the melting of ground ice through simple thermal conduction is unlikely to occur. Conversely, a reconstruction of the ground thermal regime for Mars at high obliquity suggests that changes in atmospheric pressure, water vapor content and average temperatures could result in a deeper penetration of the thaw front at mid- to high-latitudes. In these regions, the top of the ice-table should be at one metre deep or less and calculations indicate that a thaw front would reach the ice table and induce melting. iii Acknowledgements My first and most sincere gratitude goes to my supervisor Dr. Brian J. Moorman for accepting me as one of his graduate students and for his perseverance in supporting me throughout my entire graduate program. His continued encouragement, patience, understanding and inspiration have greatly contributed in directing me not only towards the successful completion of my Master’s degree, but primarily and most importantly, towards becoming a better individual and friend. This program has been one of the most formative and exciting experiences of my life and would not have been so without his insight and knowledge. Thank you. I am grateful to my fellow friends and graduate students for fruitful discussions and for having provided me with advice, friendship and insight in various occasions. For that, thank you Pablo Wainstein, Christopher Stevens and Derek Wilson. My thanks also go to Chris Hugenholtz for his mentorship and friendship. I would like to acknowledge once more Dr. Brian Moorman and the members of my graduate proposal defence committee, Dr. Darren Sjogren and Dr. Yvonne Martin, as well as the members of my thesis defence committee, Dr. Rob Stewart and Dr. Darren Sjogren for their time, expertise and good- natured support in order to better my work. Thank you Paulina Medori for having supported me throughout my graduate program and for having kept an eye on the various administrative matters that were important in the completion of my degree. Thanks also to Brenda Mottle for her assistance and precious advices both as a lab technician and a friend. Thank you also Dr. Derald Smith and Dr. Andrea Freeman for your support and your trust in me during the two semesters I spent working with you. My thanks also go to the Department of Geography at the University of Calgary for the various scholarships and bursaries that helped me to give a good start to my graduate degree. To the Alberta Ingenuity Fund for their generous scholarship and offer for continued support without which I would not have been able to achieve what I did. Last but certainly not least, thanks to my wife for her unconditional support and patience in my life and for being the most wonderful partner on the ground and in the air. iv Table of Contents Approval Page.........................................................................................................................ii Abstract..................................................................................................................................iii Acknowledgements................................................................................................................iv Table of Contents....................................................................................................................v List of Tables.......................................................................................................................viii List of Figures and Illustrations............................................................................................ ix List of Equations....................................................................................................................xi List of Symbols.....................................................................................................................xii Epigraph...............................................................................................................................xiii CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION.....................................................................................1 1 Introduction ..................................................................................................................1 1.1 Rationale................................................................................................................1 1.2 Implications ...........................................................................................................2 1.3 Hypothesis .............................................................................................................3 1.4 Aim and objectives.................................................................................................3 CHAPTER TWO: METHODS...............................................................................................5 2 Methods........................................................................................................................5 CHAPTER THREE: LITERATURE REVIEW.....................................................................8 3 Literature review...........................................................................................................8 3.1 Permafrost..............................................................................................................8 3.1.1 The freezing process...................................................................................9 3.1.2. Moisture in frozen and unfrozen soils ........................................................9 3.2. Underground ice..................................................................................................10 3.2.1. Ground ice...............................................................................................11 3.2.2. Buried ice................................................................................................12 v 3.2.3. Ground ice or buried ice?........................................................................13 3.2.4. Ground ice conditions.............................................................................13 3.3. Thermal properties of soils.................................................................................15 3.3.1. Thermal conductivity..............................................................................15 3.3.2. Heat capacity..........................................................................................16 3.3.3. Thermal diffusivity.................................................................................17 3.4. The active layer.................................................................................................19 3.4.1. Active layer instability and detachment...................................................20 3.5. Retrogressive thaw slumps................................................................................22 3.5.1. Formation and stabilization of RTS ........................................................24 3.5.2. Ground ice content in retrogressive thaw slumps ....................................26 3.5.3. Material type and liquid limit..................................................................27 3.5.4. Size of RTS ............................................................................................27 3.5.5. Retreat rates of RTS ...............................................................................29 3.5.6. Summary of RTS on Earth......................................................................30 CHAPTER FOUR: MARS………………………………………………………………...31 4. Mars .............................................................................................................................31 4.1. The Martian atmosphere and climate..................................................................33 4.2. The water cycle of Mars.....................................................................................36 4.3. Models of ground ice in the Martian crust ..........................................................38 4.4. Physical characteristics of the Martian fines .......................................................44 4.5. Thermal properties of the Martian permafrost.....................................................46 CHAPTER 5: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION……………………………………………49 5. Results and discussion ..................................................................................................49 5.1. RTS formation under current climate .................................................................50 5.1.1. Surface and subsurface temperatures .......................................................51 5.1.2. Heat conduction results............................................................................57 5.1.2.1. Results based on published