Mass wasting reveals ongoing asymmetric retreat of the martian north polar ice cap

Shu Su (), Lida Fanara, Haifeng Xiao, Ernst Hauber and Jürgen Oberst
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Shu Su: Technical University of Berlin
Lida Fanara: German Aerospace Center (DLR)
Haifeng Xiao: Technical University of Berlin
Ernst Hauber: German Aerospace Center (DLR)
Jürgen Oberst: Technical University of Berlin

Nature Communications, 2025, vol. 16, issue 1, 1-8

Abstract: Abstract Ongoing mass wasting through ice block falls is intensive at the north polar ice cap of Mars. We monitored how this activity is currently shaping the marginal steep scarps of the ice cap, which holds a record of the planet’s climate history. With AI-driven change detection between multi-temporal high-resolution satellite images, we created a comprehensive map of mass wasting across the entire North Polar Layered Deposits (NPLD). Our results show a more active erosion process than previously thought, with scarps retreating by up to ~3 m every kiloyear. The distribution of the active scarps indicates an ongoing asymmetric retreat of the already subcircular ice cap. The active scarps and the interior dune fields correlate strongly with exposures of the underlying, sandier Basal Unit (BU), providing evidence that erosion of the BU undermines the base of the NPLD. Moreover, ice block fall activity suggests potential areas where gypsum is released, given that the interior gypsum-bearing dune fields are located adjacent to these active scarps. Here, our study reveals the rates of present-day topographic change of the north polar ice cap, providing a valuable constraint for study of its past evolution.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-56018-2

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